mc5 - Animal-Vegetable-Mineral-Abstract: The Pants Memorial Game

arrow_circle_left arrow_circle_up arrow_circle_right

Animal-Vegetable-Mineral-Abstract: The Pants Memorial Game

help

The chairperson selects an object/idea/whatever and announces whether it's animal, vegetable, mineral, and/or abstract. The others have to ask questions to figure out what it is. Whomever guesses the object correctly is given the chair for the next round; repeat ad nauseam.

arrow_circle_up

Do you keep yours at home?

Go where?

GL: Yes

Do you use it every day?

Is it some form of communications device?

Sorry to interrupt AVMA for a moment, but since [Software]'s definitely reading this: gigni de nihilo ... over on MCiOS is a reverse game. The idea is that if you read the game backwards, it'll all make sense. This means that new moves have to be consistent with what's already been said "in the future". So, for example, fairly early in the game you'll find Blob saying "[Néa] To answer you question - not recently I'm afraid, the last time was on the East London Line between Shadwell & Wapping." and then later on Néa asking "Incidentally, did anybody here ever pull the emergency brake while drunk?", setting up Blob's answer. As far as I can tell, you've been playing it forwards all along -- hence all the comments about you developing precognition and so on, which are an attempt to make your comments make sense in the context of the reverse flow.

BM: Clue, perhaps - Most days.
Brendan: :-*

Is it a personal organiser?

A toothbrush?

Following Brendan's Comments above

Software re: The Reverse Crescent Game in MCiOS. Yup - because you seemed to 'pick' on me nearly every time you posted something, you completely f*cked up my gameplan. I left loads of messages for you - so did Darren - and others dropped hints. Eventually I gave up and dropped out of the game :-(

Is it a spinning around clothes drying thing?

...back to the game

Is it a toilet brush?

ZK: No
Toby: No.

Chalks: My humblest appologies :-o , I was completely off the scent on that one :-/ , sorry to spoil your fun, I'll stick to the things I know best in future.

Chalks: No & No.

A cuddly toy?

[S'ware] apology accepted :-)

Is it related to sex?

Ok, everything could be related to sex, but some things are more closely related than others.

Is it a pharisee?

Chalks: No, this is not the generation game :O).
Raak: Unlikely - but, hey, whatever turns you on ;-)
Chalks: No, it is Mineral with Animal connections, remember.

A penguin [bar]?

doggy widdle?

sorry - just remembered it's mineral with animal connections

Is it something one enjoys using?

Chalks ;-))
Raak: Not particularly, unless one had such a fettish.

Is it a hoover?

Bren: No.

A toothbrush?

A K-Tel nose hair trimmer?

A razor?

Also based on the assumption that disposables are made of metal and plastic to shave the human animal and they often come in the "electrical" variety - and blokes tend to use them daily or almost as often, with girls slightly less often needing a boyfriend at this time of night declared

Could you lift it with one hand?

[ZK] Awww... maybe you should use that K-Tel nose hair trimmer a little more frequently... ;-)

Have you died?

[Breadmaster] They don't make industrial strength ones, you see :)

Back from a relaxing weekend without a PC in my face.

Raak: No.
ZK: No & No.
BM: Yes (in most cases).
ZK: No.

Is it computerised?

Why is this such a boring one?

Can we have a clue?

Chalks: Because nobody has asked the right questions.
all: Yes, I'm getting bored too. You probably have several of these about the office/college/school.

Is it a telephone?

A stapler?

First thing on my desk that I saw ...

I know what's bugging me about this one - the 'animal' connection .... what does 'connection' actually mean? Is there a bit of animal in it? or is used by an animal [in this case human]? If it's the latter, isn't it rather superfluous and misleading to add the animal bit?

GL: No.
Bren: No, but you are now on the right tack.
Chalks: In this case the human connection is that this object would be unable to perform any function without human assistance.

Hole punch?

Ring binder?

Is it human-powered?

all - has it! Cheers and whoops from audience!

Over to you all!

At f*r*i*g last!

This one is an ANIMAL, and hopefully will be easier to guess

Human animal?

Come on now, it wasn't that difficult!

[Software] Yes - It took a long time to work out, that makes it difficult

Alive?

IMO

[S'ware] The 'Animal' part was superfluous and misleading. Many examples of this type of equipment have been posted as the 'object' in the past - simply as Mineral. You replied to my earlier question [and I quote] "Because nobody has asked the right questions." I completely disagree.

[Kim] No

Brutus? (of "et tu" fame)

'cos it's always fun to start with a completely random guess.

A certain individual animal?

Chinese?

Well, it's a one in five chance!?

Did they die before 1900?

Male?

[Brenda] No - but it was worth a shot
[Raak] Yes - an individual dead human (see above)
[Tuj] No
[Ink] Yes
[Snodster] No - I'm fairly certain she wasn't

Were they born before 1500?

[Inkspot] No

Religious figure?

Was he a scientist?

[Brendan] No
[Inkspot] No, and as said before not a 'he'

Joan of Arc?

[Software] No, Joan of Arc was born before 1500

Mary Shelley?

Just testing ;)

[Inkspot] No

Was she born before 1800?

[Inkspot] Yes

Is she an author?

Elizabeth I?

Was she a religious figure?

[Inkspot] She isn't. She wasn't famous for being an author.
[Raak] No, but you're think on the right lines.
[Kim] See the answer I gave when Brendan asked that.

[Raak] I meant thinking not think obviously

Mary, Queen of Scots?

[snorgle] No

Was she European, other than British?

[Inkspot] No

Was she a royal of some description?

just trying to clarify what "along the right lines" means (couldn't be Queen V herself, of course, since she died in 1901 ...)

Was she associated with royalty, without being royalty herself?

Lady Jane Grey

[Brendan] Yes (It also couldn't be Queen V because she wasn't born before 1800)
[Raak] At one time
[Inkspot] No.

If not an author, a diarist Elizabeth Pepys?

Nell Gwynne?

[Inkspot] No.
[Kim] No.

One of Henry VIII's wives?

Queen Anne?

[all] For some reason I read the wrong answer, and thought you'd said "No" to born pre-1800 ... Doh!

Mary wife of William III (of Orange)?

[Raak] Yes
[Braendan] You are so very close - We can all make mistakes
[Inkspot] No

Anne Boleyn?

[Brendan] Yup.

Audience - Cheers and Adulation for Brendan

OK, let's have a MINERAL/VEGETABLE (with ABSTRACT overtones). If it becomes obvious that this classification is confusing people, I'll give some pointers ...

Is it made of wood?

And metal?

A painting?

Is the vegetable, paper?

[all] in part, but probably not a large part (NB: I am considering "made of wood" to mean dead wood in some way arranged by humans; ie in my definition a tree is not "made of wood" -- which I admit is eccentric)
[Software] probably in places, but it's not a major component
[Raak] No, but keep plugging at why it has abstract overtones
[Inkspot] No.

Half a dead cow in formaldehyde?

Is the vegtable part a tree?

Oops, ignore my last, dead cow isn't mineral or vegetable.

Half a dead tree in formaldehyde?

Is it unique?

[Raak] No, in either case. [all] Not "a" tree. [Inkspot] Yes.

Hyde Park?

Does the vegetable part involve more than one tree?

Is it a geographical landmark?

Is it a work of art?

[all] No.
[GL] Yes!
[Inkspot] No.
[Raak] The "it" you are looking for isn't, but a work of art (in the broadest sense) is involved.

Is it a forest?

Is it a real place mentioned in literature like Sherwood Forest?

[Tuj] Yes, but not just that.
[Inkspot] You're getting very close, but the answer to that particular question is No.

Is it the Hundred Acer Wood?

Is it Mirkwood?

Fangorn Forest?

The Forest Moon of Endor?

stop looking at me like that!

[Gusset] No.
[snorgle]No.
[Breadmaster] Nope.
[all] Nope!
All good guesses, but remember it isn't just a forest.

Is it from LOTR?

Under Milk Wood?

Not Forest Gump either then

Can it move around?

Burnham Wood?

[Gusset] No.
['spot] No.
[Breadmaster] No.
[all] No.
When I say it's not just a forest, I mean there's other stuff too, not that it's a special sort or specific example of a forest. The trees are definitely a major component of the mystery item, but perhaps not the one people immediately think of.

The Eden Project?

The Angel of the North?

Is it fictional?

[Bm] No.
[Raak] No.
Because ... [Tuj] Yes!

Babylon 5?

Is it from a film like the 'Valley Forge' in Silent Running?

The forest referred to in the phrase "Can't see the forest for the trees"?

Is the fictional setting concerned a movie?

[Raak] No.
[Inkspot] No.
[snorgle] No, it is from a specific work.
[ZK] No, not a movie.

Is it a city?

The Forbidden Forest from Harry Potter which is based on the Forest of Dean?

[all] No, but it is within/near one.
[Inkspot] No.

The Hanging Gardens Of Babylon?

Central Park?

Is it from a book?

[snorgle] I've made mistakes with these things before, but are you sure Central Park contains a forest? and is fictional?

Is it an old oak tree with a yellow ribbon tied around it?

[GL] I don't think the Hanging Gardens were fictional either, although not much is known about them.

[BM] There's no proof that it ever existed apart from a book written by someone who never went within a hundred miles of the area it was rumoured to be. But I take your point

Was the book written after 1900?

Nottingham Forest?

I know Sherwood was mentioned earlier but Notts Forest are a fictional entity, ie they are alledged to be footballers - but nice people all the same who always invite me to their end of season party in January each year.

[Gusset] No.
[snorgle] Alas, too real.
[all]Erm. The work in question is commonly found in books but it is not a book per se. Does that make sense?
[Breadmaster] No.
[Inkspot] No (bearing in mind the above caveats about the phrase "the book").
[Snodgrass] LOL. No.

PS [Snodgrass] Are you also alleging that all the players are vegetables? ;)

Was the book written before 1980?

bearing in mind the above caveats about the phrase "the book"

I meant 1880!

Is it from a poem?

Is it from a play?

Utopia?

[GL] Yes, before 1880.
[Inkspot] Indeed it is. Therefore ...
[Raak] No.
[all] No.

Herot?

Xanadu?

I mean, of course, the location of Kubla Khan's pleasure dome, and not the improbably awful film starring Olivia Newton John and Gene Kelly. On roller skates. In pink. With the Electric Light Orchestra.

[Gusset] No.
[Breadmaster] DING! DING! DING! Yes! It was indeed those twice five miles of fertile ground, with walls and towers girdled round, forests ancient as the hills, gardens bright with sinuous rills, etc. etc. Congratulations. The floor is yours.

Huzzah!

Give me a few moments to thing of something sufficiently fiendish.

ABSTRACT

OK, let's see how this plays out.

Is it an emotion?

[ZK] Nope.

Is it a human concept?

[ZK] No - although some may be involved.

Can it be detected with any of the senses?

[Brendan] An interesting question. I would say technically no, but your senses might well alert you to its presence.

Is it a natural event or happening?

Is it a naturally occurring phenomenon?

Dooo-dooo do-doodoo...

The monster under the bed?

[Inkspot] No.
[Tuj] No.
[Raak] No, that's very much ANIMAL.
I should warn you all that I'm not at work today and tomorrow and my internet access is currently a little erratic, so many apologies if there are gaps between my answers... I shall do my best though!

Is it existence?

straight in with a random guess

Is it a phrase or expression?

Does it have to do with the passage of time?

Is it connected with the supernatural

(Brendan: All footballers get covered in mud, Vegetables grow in the soil (ok not all so sue me!), therefore all footballers............. eat vegetables and you are what you eat. And Forest are neither Super nor Natural before you ask - C'mon you R's)

Is it electricity?

[Snodgrass] Your mastery of syllogism is unmatched!

[all] No.
[Inkspot] No.
[Kim] No.
[Snodgrass] Aha! Yes.
[Brendan] No.

A ghost?

Banquo's Ghost?

An Orb?

To those of you without Living TV you have been spared the antics of Derek Acorah and Yvette Fielding chasing ghosts and flying balls of light around the country and having theatrical panic attacks as they go. What a rich cultural medium digital TV can be!

A poltergeist?

[Raak] No.
[GL] No.
[Snodgrass] No, and I thank you for that terrifying vignette. Yvette Fielding?!
[all] No.

Possession of some sort [by the devil or his disciples]?

[Chalky] No.

Is it related to some sort of concept of the afterlife?

A magic spell?

ah...Raak may have pre-empted my next line of questioning ... is it Black Magic?

I don't have a suggestion

[Snodgrass] I happen to like that programme!

backtracking in realisation

Not that believe it all, you understand!

Voodoo ?

[ZK] Sorry, no offence intended. I quite enjoy it too, in small measure, but the histrionics do rather detract from what might, otherwise, be a serious attempt to uncover something we understand little about. Did you watch the celebrity version last weekend?

[Brendan] Yes.
[Raak] Nope.
[Chalky] Not that either.
[Snodgrass] Nope. How do you have a celebrity ghost-chasing programme? Were they hunting Elvis, James Dean, Buddy Holly etc?

Is it re-incarnation ?

[Breadmaster] The celebs were doing the hunting - or more accurately staying 2 nights in a spooky castle and having the willies put up them so to speak (but thats one for a different channel I expect). You know, I'm a Celebrity - Get 8 shades of wos'name out of me!

I despair of modernity...

[Snodgrass] Nope.

[Snodgrass] Sadly not, as I only have Sky when I'm living at home.

Transubstantiation?

is it Hell?

Valhala?

The Holy Spirit?

Is the afterlife in question the Christian one?

Nirvana?

Purgatory?

Would a river be pertinent?

[Raak] No.
[all] No.
[GL] No.
[Brendan] No.
[Kim] No.
[Raak] No.
[Dujon] It wouldn't.
Don't get too hung up on the afterlife thing - it's only related to it.

Is it a Philosophy?

[GL] It might be, depending on how you define "philosophy".

Is it a fear?

[Inkspot] No.

Is it a religion?

[all] A breakthrough! Yes.

Catholicism?

blimey - I thought we'd eliminated the 'religion' thing ages ago - perhaps I just imagined it!

[Chalky] No. No, I was surprised no-one tried that earlier, but they didn't...

Buddism?

Islam?

I meant buddhism, obviously

A religion is a philosophy, unless your a fanatic.

[GL] No. There's more to religion than philosophy, though - it is a sociological phenomenon which may include a philosophy, but also other things such as liturgy. I think.
[all] Nope.

theophobia?

[Inkspot] No, but I'd love to know more about the Theophobic Church...

Does it profess to be some variety of the Christian religion?

[Raak] It does not.

Scientology?

[BM]The basis of all religion is a philosophy, which is also the most important part of the religion. It's easy to quote (for example) the Bible but very few of those that do make any effort to love their fellow man.

[GL] Of course, it depends on what you mean by "philosophy". But if you mean ethics, I still say that's only one element of religion, and not necessarily the most important part: for example, Jesus taught ethics, but he seems to have been more interested in eschatology. One should always be very wary of saying things like "the essence of all religions is X" because religions are rather complex things that vary greatly.
Oh yes. No.

Is it monotheistic?

[Raak] Largely, but it's a matter of some debate.

Is it Hindu?

[BM] Philosophy generally means an outlook or set of beliefs that underpin your thinking. An ethical philosophy is only one example of this cynical philosophies have more appeal but are less used by religions. But all religions are in essence telling people how they should think (not what they should think, just how).
Eschatology is part of the philosophy of most religions

[GL] It is not.
I take your point, although I think you're defining "philosophy" a little loosely.

Was it founded in the last 200 years?

[Brendan] Nope.

Sikhism?

Philosophy
noun: any personal belief about how to live or how to deal with a situation (Example: "Self-indulgence was his only philosophy")
noun: the rational investigation of questions about existence and knowledge and ethics
noun: a belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school

[GL] Still so.

By which I meant, of course, still no.

Is it a brand of islam?

Judaism?

[all] No.
[GL] No.

Is it extant?

It it a associated with the far east?

Is it Zen?

[Raak] It is.
[Inkspot] Not the far east, no.
[GL] It is not.

Just confirm it's from the middle east? but not connected with Islam?

[GL] Two questions shock! Yes, it is from the Middle East, and there may be connections with Islam, but if so I think they're likely to be pretty indirect.
It can only be a matter of time now.

Was it founded by a swordsman called Zoro his adventures later being made into numerous films?

[Inksopt] No, but it should have been, hence...

Is it Sufism? -Apologies for joining in so abruptly

[Phahad] Feel free to join in, but no - it's not Islam, remember.

Is it popular outside the middle east?

[Gusset] If this religion is defined a little broadly, I believe that today it does have more adherents outside the Middle East than it has within it.

Taoism?

[all] No.
You know, I really think Inkspot will get it...

Zoroastrianism?

(I may have spelt that wrong)

Zoroism?

simulpost....and Brendam beat me to it *laughs*

I meant BrendaN of course *laughs again*

[Brendan] YES! And I believe you spelt it entirely correctly.

Having recently had a go, I'm entirely happy to cede in favour of either Inkspot, who clearly had it and was just messing around, or Chalks, who I simulposted. That said, I do have a particularly silly idea for a round ... I'll leave it a few hours and if neither of those two starts one I will.

Pah! I'd have won it if it hadn't been for those pesky kids!

applause and cheers
A good win and well set by the Breadmaster.

Silly idea

OK, then, my silly idea: bifurcated AMVA. I've got two separate "objects" in mind which can be referred to by the same word(s). Hence, for each question I'll give two answers, one for the first object and one for the second, eg "Is it made of wood?" "Yes/No" Hope that makes sense.
So, the objects are ANIMAL/ANIMAL.

Is it a quagga?

Leaf? OK, just a mad guess. :-(

However, is that the idea, Brendan?

Is either human?

An interesting conceit!

A mammal?

Bigger than a Coconut?

[Raak] No/no.
[Dujon] No/no.
[Bm] Yes/Yes.
[Inkspot] Yes/Yes (see above).
[Snodgrass] Yes/Yes. (Unless it's a giant mutant coconut you have in mind)

Are they particular humans (as opposed to a type, job, class etc)?

Interesting - looks like we have two people with the same name, or perhaps similar titles?

Is the name for either an occupation?

[Breadmaster] Yes/Yes
[snorgle]No/No

Are they male?

Are they still alive?

Englebert Humperdinck?

Are they British?

[Breadmaster] Yes/Yes.
[Raak] Yes/No.
[Bigsmith] No. (Good guess though!)
[Inkspot] Yes/No.

Male?

[Brendan] Thanks, I thought it an apt guess after his/their appearance in an earlier game!

Jerry Hall?

One's an American model, the other an Irish guy I used to work with.

Obviously not as neither are British, and both are still alive - sorry, somehow transposed the answers in my tiny mind...

Are they nobility?

[Bigsmith] Er, yes and the male I already answered to Breadmaster's last Q.
[Breadmaster] Ooh, excellent question! No/Yes

Winston Churchill?

Is the Dead one the Noble one?

[Brendan] I can assure you that my coconuts are not mutant or deformed in any way!

(Bod No2) Is he an American?

Are they actors?

Assuming that Brendan always refers to them in the same order, it looks like one is alive, British, and not noble, while the other is dead, not British, and noble. I think.

[Raak] No.
[Snodgrass] Yes. (FWIW, I'm maintaining consistency -- ie there is a distinct Left-Hand-Side object and a distinct Right-Hand-Side object.)
[Inkspot] No/No.
[Breadmaster] No/No. Your summary is spot on.

Is he a singer?

Are they remembered as a duo, ie. were they 'connected' before one of them died?

Are we talking 'leaders of nations' here?

[Brendan] Quite how someone can be Noble without being British is quite difficult to comprehend - Xenophobia Rules OK!

Supp to above:. Leader in a Sporting field?

Political?

Writer?

Royalty?

[GL] Yes, but not just that/No (see below though)
[Chalky] No.
[Snodgrass] Not remotely/Not quite
[Snodgrass] No/No
[Snodgrass] No/No
[Breadmaser] It would be misleading to say Yes, but Yes, in a manner of speaking/No
[Raak] No/Yes
Observation/Hint: There seems to be an implicit assumption in some of these questions that the sum total of people involved is two. This is not the case.

Are either of the subjects a single person (ie a solo subject not just unmarried)

Did they die before 1900?

Obviously this only applies to the dead one

[Snodgrass] No/Yes
[Gusset] No/No

Were either of the named Rasputin?

Did they die before 1950?

[Gusset] No/No
[Breadmaster] No/Yes

Is the currently alive one a pop group?

[Raak] Yup.

Has the pop group been around for more than twenty years?

...otherwise I'll never have heard of it.

Do they have a song in the current UK Top 40?

Austrian Archduke?

[Raak] No.
[GL] Not at this precise moment in time, but they have relatively recently.
[Inkspot] No/Yes! (You've got it, haven't you?)

Franz Ferdinand?

[Gusset] Correct. It was indeed Franz Ferdinand (current flavour of the millisecond with the NME) on the LHS, who are named after Franz Ferdinand (Austrian Archduke and famous casue of WWI) on the RHS. Congratulations, and over to you!

I didn't know it was a pop group

Anyway, hmm... ANIMAL (with ABSTRACT connections)

Fictional?

[BM] Yes.

Of human form?

[Chalky] I assume you mean is it human? No

Is it a person?

[BM] That depends how you define person. I know someone who considers there pet cat to be a person.

I mean "their pet cat"

Is it an animal that talks?

Pesky line-managers!

[Inkspot] It talks after a fashion, but the term animal may be misleading.

Does it communicate telepathically?

[Brendan] No.

Is it known from appearing in a particular story?

[Inkspot] Yes, but it also appeared in the sequel(s)

Aslan?

[Bren] No

Is it a kind of animal that really exists?

[BM] No.

Is the author still alive?

Is it a dragon?

[Inky] Author may be the wrong word, but... Yes
[Bren] No

Is the work of fiction a film?

[Brendan] Yes.

Is it a character from Star Wars?

[Inkspot] Yes.

is it a cartoon character?

drat - simulpost. I've just wasted a question

Is it Jar Jar Binks?

In which case, may God have mercy on your soul for reminding us of that execrescence!

Chewbacca?

that ChewBacca thingy?

another bleedin' simulpost...sorry Inks!

[Chalky] no
[BM] Thankfully not
[Inkspot] Yes
[Chalky] Rwwwar!

Well Done Inkspot

Thank you Gusset Login for a great AMV for a Friday Afternoon.

eyes down looking ... MINERAL

Is it man-made?

I have released any of my AMVs to the public, or do you mean AVMA? 8)

A household implement?

Some day I'll get Broadband, then I can devote more attention to quicker-fire games like this... But it's so nice just to read the pages that happen in between and how an idea is pursued and grasped betwixt-times!

Gusset Login] No ....must remember, less haste more speed ;)
Tuj]No

Is it a geographical feature?

Raak]Yes

Is it in the UK?

[Raak] nice one!

Chalky] Yes

England?

Somerset?

Not thinking of anything in particular

Scotland?

Chalky]No
Tuj]No
Breadmaster]No
...and hence it is in...

The Channel Islands?

Raak]No ;)

The Giants Causeway?

Just a stab in the dark. Well its sunny now but you know what I mean!

Snodgrass]No ...sunny? not here its high winds and showers.

Snowdon?

Raak] YES .... Mount Snowdon it is ... and in just ten guesses!

Huge round of applause

The next object is MINERAL, with ABSTRACT connections.

"There is no spoon?"

I think that last one would've been less than 10 if it wasn't for me, but hey, let's make a mess while we can!

[Tuj] No, there is no spoon.

Does it contain metal?

[Bm] No.

Is it larger than a coconut?

No I don't know why that is my yardstick either!

Is it fictional?

[Snodgrass] Yes.
[Bm] The abstract connection is its appearance in fiction, but it also exists in reality.

Man-made?

[Brendan] No.

Does it contain rock or stone?

[Bm] No.

Metal?

[Snodgrass] No.

Is it a solid state object?

[Inkspot] No.

Is it on the Earth?

Is it a liquid?

[Brendan] Yes, and no doubt on some other planets as well, but there's no-one around to see it.
[Inkspot] Partly.

Does it contain water?

[Bm] Yes.

Does it contain ice?

Does it contain more than trace amounts of anything other than water?

[Gusset L] It could, but the typical one doesn't.
[Brendan] Yes.

Does it have a use?

Is mud involved?

Is it an atmospheric phenomenon?

[Chalky] No.
[Gusset Login] No, although it might be a side-effect.
[Bm] YES! A breakthrough!

Is it rain?

cloud?

[Kim] Rain is a major part of it.
[snorgle] Cloud, too.

A hurricane?

Is the fictional connection one specific work?

[snorgle] No.
[Brendan] It includes one specific work.

A tornado?

Twister?

A thunderbolt?

Is the significant part of it that isn't water, made of dead vegitation?

Since both clouds and rain are made of water

Is it the tornado that took Dorothy Gale to Oz?

[GL] No.
[Chalky] No.
[Software] No.
[all] No.
[Bm] No.

Can you confirm this summary?

It's an atmospheric phenomenon
Contains more than a trace of something that isn't water
Contains nothing man-made
Does not contain any metal, rock, stone or wood
Is used in fiction
Is found on earth, but may exist elsewhere

[GL] Spot on.

The Northern Lights?

A Rainbow?

[Chalky] No.
[GL] No.

Is it the title of a play?

[Inkspot] Not that I know of.

Is it likely to be dangerous?

An interesting conundrum from Raak here... Good stuff!

[Bm] Can easily be.

Does it occur all over the world?

[Inkspot] I believe it can happen in most places. More in some than in others.

Is the specific fictional work a film?

Is it a thunderstorm?

Is it a snowstorm?

A whirlpool? El Niño?

well, the sea contains more than trace elements of something other than water...

[Brendan] No.
[Chalky] applause from audience That could be part of it.
[Darren] silence from audience That could be part of it as well, but it's probably not what you would first think of.
[ZK] No.

Is it a monsoon?

Is it a name for an extreme weather condition?

[Brendan] No.
[Inkspot] Not a name, and not all that extreme.

A hint about the fictional connection: there are actually two fictional connections: one a specific work which mentions it, and the other a body of fictional work in which it recurs from time to time.

The Jet Stream?

Acid rain?

[S] No.
[GL] No.

Thinking some more about the "more than trace amounts of something that isn't water," is this something Fortean like a shower of fish?

Is it about seeing clearly now that the rain has gone?

Weather [aka Climate]??

Singing in the Rain?

[Darren] No.
[GL] Quite the reverse.
[S] No.
[all] No.

The Calm before the storm?

Does it contain anything else apart from water and air?

(assuming that air is at least part of the non-water content)

The eye of the storm?

[GL] No.
[Brendan] No. Air is indeed the non-water part.
[Bm] No.

Ok, so it's established that storm is a significant part of it.

The Perfect Storm

[Snodgrass] No.

St Elmo's Fire?

Not really to do with air and water so much as electricity, but frankly, my flum is utterly moxed at this point.

[Brendan] No.
Trust me, you'll all know exactly what it is, and recognise its fictional appearances, when the answer is revealed.

The / A Tempest?

I don't know about flummoxed I haven't got a Clooney hence the frantic straw clutching with a perfect storm.

The specific fictional work was it written before 1940?

see if this will clear the fog a little.

Is a property of the general class of fictional works that they're set at sea?

[Snodgrass] No.
[Inkspot] Yes.
[Brendan] No.

April Showers?

Bermuda Triangle?

The fictional work referred to previously - is this a song?

[GL] No.
[Chalky] No.
[Darren] No.

Time for a hint?

Does the answer appear in the title of the work?

Raak]How about a one or two more questions on the source of the work, followed by a hint.

Is the fictional work pre-1850?

Is the fictional work by a man?

Fog?

[Inkspot] No.
[Brendan] Yes.
[Darren] Yes.
[snorgle] No.

The answers to Brendan and Daniel refer to the specific fictional work, not the body of fictional work, for which the answers would be No and Yes.

Daniel?!

Is the fictional work/body of work pre-1500?

I must admit I'm running out of questions here. Fiendish problem-setting from Raak and a good puzzle.

Is the fictional work European in origin?

[Darren[ Oops, sorry.
[Bm] No/No.
[Darren] Yes (but the fictional body of work isn't).

Hint: The fictional work is a novel, and the fictional body of work is a cartoon strip.

(novel)Was it written after 1900?(cartoon) did it appear in a comic?

Is it a dark and stormy night?

(in which case, I'm assuming the cartoon strip is Peanuts ...)

[Inkspot] No/No.
[Brendan] YES, it is a dark and stormy night!

Excellent puzzle, Raak!

OK, let's have an ANIMAL.

Is it a shaggy dog?

Continuing the dark and stormy night theme and the 'wouldnt send a dog out on a night like this' idea

[Snodgrass] Sadly not.

Is it human?

Is it a specific individual?

[GL] No.
[Raak] No.

Is it a fish out of water?

Is is mammalian?

[GL] No.
[Kim] No.

Is it a reptile?

Is it extinct?

Is it a bird?

Is it indiginous to a particular continent?

Raak] A wonderful candidate for Limited Short Stories sometime. The opening chapter of Paul Clifford by Edward Bulwer-Lytton.

Is it an insect?

[GL] No.
[all] Yes!
[Raak] No.
[Inkspot] No.
[Kim] No.

Is it a fish?

In the water this time

Is it a Tasmanian Wolf?

Did it live between 225 and 65 million years ago?

Is it a single celled organism?

[GL] No.
[all] Nope.
[Inkspot] Nuh uh.
[R.J.F.] It is not.

Is it a virus? (since they don't really have cells)

Did it become extinct during recorded history?

A Sabre Toothed Tiger

Is/was it fictional?

Did it live between the present and 65 million years ago?

[Darren] No.
[Raak] No.
[Snodgrass] No.
[GL] No, entirely real. I'm not even aware of any famous appearances in fiction.
[Inkspot] Good question: no.

Did it live underwater?

Summarising...

Animal, but not a bird, fish, reptile, insect, mammal, single-celled organism, or virus. Not indigenous to any particular continent. Went extinct more than 225 million years ago.

Was it a vertebrate?

[GL] Yes.
[Raak] An accurate summary, and no.

Was it amphibian?

A trilobite?

[Inkspot] No.
[Raak] Correct!

Gosh, er, let's see....

ABSTRACT, with VEGETABLE connections

Is it fictional?

Standard opening.

[Bm] No.

Is it something which can be an attribute of a human?

Is it a song title?

[Darren] No.
[Dujon] No.

Is it connected with environmental issues?

[Raak, Brendan] well played on both the 'setting' and 'guessing' - wish I had the opportunity to participate more this week :-(

Is it a human concept?

Standard opening number two.

Is the vegetable connection something to do with food?

Is it a well known phrase or saying?

Is the vegetable a fruit?

I shoudl revise the description to say it can be either ABSTRACT with VEGETABLE connections or VEGETABLE with ABSTRACT connections. And the VEGETABLE might include ANIMAL as well, depending.

[Chalky] No.
[Bm] Yes (this applies to the possible ANIMAL part as well).
[Darren] Yes.
[GL] No.
[Inkspot] No.

Is it a turnip for the books?

Is the vegetable connection, a vegetable?

Is it an amusingly-shaped vegetable/fruit?

[RJF] No.
[Inkspot] No.
[Chalky] No.

Is it a name of something a man made to be eaten?

eg a birthday cake.

Is the vegetable a forest?

[Inkspot] Yes.
[GL] No.

An easter egg?

[Inkspot] No.

A simnel cake?

Very seasonal.

[Software] No. And the mystery object isn't seasonal.

Is it associated with a particular country?

Does it involve chocolate?

Is it a chocolate orange?

Is it a type of pie?

[Inkspot] Not very strongly.
[all] No.
[GL] No.
[Darren] No.

Is it associated with a particular part of the day?

[Inkspot] No.

Is it a drink?

Is it boiled?

Blame the last question on the cup of tea, it wanted a mention.

[Inkspot] No, hence also, no.

The Gingerbread Man?

[GL] No.

Does it involve eggs?

[GL] All the recipes I found through Google do (which was a surprise to me, but I know little of how they are made).

Is it nomally eaten hot?

Rakk]A hen lays them! :p

Is normally frozen?

[Inkspot] So do ducks and most lizards

[Inkspot] No.
[GL] No.

Does it involve flour?

Is it a confectionary?

GL]and there was me being deliberatley obtuse over a form of words that tickled my funny bone ... simple pleasures for a Friday morning (hens don't lay recipes.)

Is it a cake?

[Inky] Duck and lizards do lay recipes. If you feed them right

[Brendan] Yes.
[Inkspot] Not really, although one might classify it as such.
[GL] It's closer to cake than confectionery.

Bread of some sort?

Is it a combination of different foods?

[GL] It is about as closely related to bread as it is to cake.
[Kim] No.

Does it contain cream?

[Inkspot] It can. At least, the concrete version can, the abstract one can't.

Does it involve pastry?

Is it a pancake?

Ambrosia?

arrow_circle_down

Want to play? Online Crescenteering lives on at Discord