mc5 - AVMA Take 2

[irach] (Still) bigger than a toaster.

Is the non-metal mineral part made of stone?

I'll include stony stuff like brick & concrete in that.

[INJ] Not stony.

In the UK?

[Tuj] In the UK!

A fountain?

Not a fountain.

Is this of historical importance?

In England?

It's Friday afternoon, I'm not up to thinking of original questions.

Is it partly constructed of wrought iron?

Is the non-metal mineral part glassy or crystalline?

Anything from a pane of glass to the Cullinan

[INJ] History has not yet spoken, but I expect the actual object will not be of historical significance.
[jim] In England at the moment.
[CdM] No wrought iron.
[INJ] No glass or crystals.

Olympic torch?

*riotous cheering as Software crosses the finishing line* To be precise, the "London 2012 Olympic Torch", but I doubt that anyone cares where the 2011 torch is now (see last but one answer to INJ). Have this gold medal embossed with the Tube map and stand on the podium, please, while the band plays the ISIHAC theme.

[Raak] Yeah. I can hardly remember a thing about the 2011 Olympics. (Excellent choice of subject, btw.)

How Many?

Just to clarify the 'unique' question - there will in fact be over 8000 olympic torches used in the torch relay - each bearer will have their own (which they can then buy). On the other hand, there is only one in the stadium. Mind you, I only found all that out today.

[INJ] I was going from this official page, which suggests there's just one.

[Raak] Yes - philosophically there's only one. However, to be mischievous, there's a picture on that page with 4 torches being held up. I also believe that on the route at any one time there will be 5 torches - one being carried and 4 in the support vehicles in case of malfunction, theft, vandalism, etc.
I think, however, that saying YES to the 'Unique?' question was probably the right answer, or the least confusing one, since at any one time only the torch being carried by a bearer is the Olympic Torch.
[Software] Come on in and stop this discussion - it's not really going anywhere;-)

Who? Me?

Well, then let's go for: ANIMAL with VEGETABLE and MINERAL connections.

A draft animal?

Mammal?

Begins with K?

A Human?

Unique?

or unique-ish

The head of Eric Morecambe - Pipe Smoker of the Year 1970?

[Raak] No
[cfm] Yes
[Tuj] No
[GL] Yes
[INJ] Yes
[Chalks] Excellent attempt at a unique human, but No.

Is the unique human still alive?

A sportsperson?

Associated with the arts?

Are the connections associated with food?

Chalks

Is this a two-word answer?

Thanks Softers - but I did not know it was either 'Unique' or 'Human' when I asked the question ...
... while I'm here, may I humble suggest that you reference the question itself when replying. I'm having to do a double look to see which 'yes' or 'no' applies to which question and I have little enough time to come in here and play as it is. Thanks.

[cfm] living homo sap - NO (BTW, your moniker reminds me of a long defunct IT company)
[Duj] sporty - NO
[INJ] arty farty - Best answer is probably YES
[Raak] nosh - NO
[Chalky] two wordy -YES (your wish is my command)

A male human?

Alive in the 20th century?

Related to the performing arts?

Involved with music?

Died before 1950?

Thanks.

[cfm] Male - YES
[INJ] Performer - YES
[jim] Musical - YES
[Chalks] 20th Century death - NO

But was he alive in the 20th century??

[CdM] Post Victorian - YES

Was he a member of a popular beat combo?

Michael Jackson?

Are the vegetable and mineral connections the instrument he played?

[INJ] Group member - NO
[cfm] Jacko - NO
[Raak] veg/min - YES

In the Western classical tradition?

Plays a wind instrument?

[INJ] Classical - NO
[cfm] windy - NO

Ray Charles?

Was he also a vocalist?

USian?

Guitar?

Died in the 70s?

[GL] Ray - NO
[CdM] Singer - NO slight murmuring from audience
[ING] Yank - NO
[Raak] Guitar - YES audience claps
[Tuj] Life on Mars departure - NO

Died in the last 5 years?

A classical guitarist?

irach

Andrés Segovia?

Bert Weedon?

Author of 'Play MC in a Day'

Chalks

You OK Softers?

Sorry for the delay, for some reason yesterday's answers disappeared into the ether

[GL] Recent deceased - YES
[Chalks] - Classical - NO audience stirs
[irach] Segovia - NO (see above)
[INJ] is on the money - YES! The late great Bert of the "learn in a day" fame. Even I tried that but never got past strumming.
[Chalks] - yes, thank you.

* Hands plectrum shaped baton over to INJ *

Why, thank you.
Moving on to ANIMAL and MINERAL or, for some points of view ABSTRACT, with ANIMAL and MINERAL connections

A human construct beginning with P that is bigger than a toaster but smaller than a phonebox and that has anarchosyndicalist connections?

The drinking horn of Sigismund of Luxemburg?

Associated with religion?

[CdM] - NO (apart from the bits that are YES)
[Raak] Horny Letzeburger? - NO
[cfm] Religious connection? - NO

Chalkeeeeee

Two word answer?

A human construct beginning with P?

(OK, OK, I'll break it down)

Bigger than a phone box?

[Chalky] Gimme 2? - NO.
[CdM]Pconstruct? - pNO
[GL] Exceeds phone box? - YES. *audience laughter*

A human construct that has no anarchosyndicalist connections?

Triangulating.

[CdM] A human construct that has no anarchosyndicalist connections? - NO (though I suppose that depends on your definition of 'a human construct')
Obfuscating

Is it descriptive of a group of people

Unique?

[Chalky] Describes a group of people? - NO, *a few murmurs in the audience*
[Tuj] Unique? - YES

Does the physical thing have a symbolic function?

[Raak] Physical/Symbolic - OK, the simple answer to your question is NO, but actually I probably need to clarify what I meant when setting this.
You can regard the words on the card as being purely physical with an animal element plus a mineral element (and I think that's the best way to approach it). However, within the constraints of the game I could quite reasonably say that this is an abstract thing, though still related to exactly the same animal and mineral elements - in either case if you get them, you have the answer. Hope that helps.

Bigger than your typical two-up-two-down?

[Raak] Exceeds a house? - Oh YES

Bigger than a city?

Is the animal human?

Is it in a specific country?

Some assumptions building up...

[GL] Exceeds a city? - YES
[Raak] Human animal? - YES and NO (more YES than NO)
[Tuj] Specific Country? - NO

Is this a well-known phrase or saying?

Bigger than Wales?

[Chalky] Saying? - NO
[Raak] Exceeds Wales? - YESish. - One of the elements of the answer is bigger than Wales - the answer itself is hard to put a size to.

BTW I should have mentioned that the audience perked up a bit at Tuj's last question.

Is the mineral element water?

Is the human element the entire population of the world including those with anarchosyndicalist tendencies?

[Chalky] Watery mineral? - NO
[CdM] Globality? - NO (can't answer for the anarchosyndicalism, but unlikely to be significant)

Related to mining?

Is it associated with a particular country?

[Raak] Mining-related? - NO
[Tuj] Related to specific country? - NO, not to one particular country *some applause for the line of questioning*

Is this one thing distributed over more than one continent?

[Raak] Is this one thing distributed over more than one continent? - NO (or more precisely: NO, not really and NO)

European?

On Earth?

[Raak] European? - YES
[Chalky] On Earth - Unsurprisingly, YES

Is the mineral element metal?

[Chalky] Metal? - Almost entirely NO

Is the mineral element rock?

The entire population of Europe?

(er, and the land beneath their feet)

[Chalky] Rocky? - YES *some relieved applause*
[CdM] All Europe? (& Europeans) - NO *audience subsides*

A mountain range?

At last

[GL] - Mountain range? - YES, a mountain range is part of the answer *considerable applause*

Is the human part alive?

*is wondering why no Vegetable element was part of the original poser - -given that mountain ranges would usually have vegetation about their person - *

making some progress

[Raak] Living human - NO
[Chalky] I did consider it, but thought it wouldn't really be very helpful. A bit like saying a person is animal and mineral because they have mercury amalgam fillings in their teeth.

Are prehistoric fossils involved?

[Raak] Fossils? - NO

Do you need a leg-up?

I think you're closer to it than it feels.

War graves?

Are the Alps part of the answer?

Well, there's only a finite number of mountain ranges in Europe...

[Raak] War Graves? - NO *a slight stirring in the audience*
[jim] Alps? - YES - the Alps are the mineral part of the answer *applause*

Dead mountaineers?

[Raak] Ex-climbers? Well, YES and YESish, but NO, not as it applies to the answer.

Otzi The Iceman?

Does it begin with P?

[Chalky] The Iceman Cometh? - NO (But you do need to start sorting out the animal bit now)
[CdM] P.......? - NO

Hannibal crossing the Alps with his elephants?

It randomly popped into my head ...

I didn't think it was THAT hard

We have a winner!
It is exactly as jim said: Hannibal's crossing of the Alps
The abstract side of it being that it is an action or event rather than a thing.
Have an ivory baton, sir.

I say, well done.

Damn. I thought of that before my previous move, but then dismissed it because I thought we had established the animal element as (fully) human. I should read more carefully.

Takes ivory baton quickly and hides it before the animal rights people get wind of it.

Thanks! Hmm. Now I have to think of a clue, don't I? OK, have an ABSTRACT with ANIMAL connections.

Is the animal connection human?

Is the animal connection elephant?

[INJ] YES, human.
[Tuj] NO, non-pachydermic.

A particular human?

Is there any connection with the arts?

Begins with P?

A fictional human?

A dead human?

[Raak] A qualified YES--there is more than one human associated with the answer, but one in particular stands out.
[INJ] YES, in a more or less broad sense of "the arts".
[Tuj] YES, give or take a definite article, begins with P.
[GL] YES, there is a particular fictional human association (although again not unique).
[Chalky] YES, in that the human alluded to in my answer to Raak is dead.

Is the abstract portion of the question a field of endeavour?

Is there a musical connection?

A phrase or saying?

[Dujon] NO, not a field of endeavour
[INJ] NO, no musical connection (or one too tenuous to be useful)
[Software] NO, not a phrase or saying.

Related to a particular work (or works) of fiction?

The Piltdown Man?

[Tuj] YES, related to a work of fiction.
[Chalky] NO, not Piltdown Man.

The Penguin (from Batman)?

The Patrician?

[Software] NO, not the Penguin
[GL] NO, not the Patrician either.

Is the answer the title of a book?

[INJ] YES, in that the words on the card form the title of several books; NO, in that none of the books with this title is the answer (although at least one is directly related).

science fiction genre?

... then I can butt out if the answer is yes ..

[Chalky] That's quite difficult to say. There are certainly science-fictional elements, but I wouldn't place the answer as a whole within the science fiction genre. I'm sure some would disagree, though.

The name of a series of books?

(e.g. The Alexandria Quartet)

[INJ] Again, YES, but the book series is not the answer.

First half of 20th Century?

[Software] NO, not first half of 20th Century.

Please can you confirm that there is NO connection with the Harry Potter series?

Is the author still alive?

[Chalky] NO, I cannot categorically deny any connection with Harry Potter. I mean, the HP franchise runs to getting on for a million words[1] and eight movies, it's quite likely that she slipped a reference in there somewhere. But if there is a connection, a) it's pretty tenuous and b) I'm not aware of it.
[INJ] NO, in so far as the AOTC can be said to have "an author", not alive.
[1]Wild-assed estimate.

is Religion relevant?

[Chalky] With such a broad question I think we have to begin by defining our terms carefully: we need to decide, for one thing, whether our discussion is restricted to organised religions, or whether we are willing to adopt a more all-encompassing definition that includes notions of personal spirituality (as a side issue, we might also ask whether there is a difference between religion and, as you chose to express it, Religion with a capital R); for another, we need to think about whether we mean merely relevant to certain individuals (surely not the meaning we want to adopt, for otherwise the question must be trivially answered in the affirmative), or whether we mean relevant to society, history, the body politic, the social order, or something else; and if any of the latter, then precisely which aspects of society, and what criteria for "relevance" are appropriate? If we take as a starting point the notion that --

Oh wait. Never mind. As you were.

[CdM/Chalky] I was just going to say "NO", but whatever ... :)

Stony silence

Do we need a clue, or is everyone still thinking?

Is the human connection "who stands out" known as a leader of some kind?

Is the word that begins with P a title?

[CdM] NO, the principal (real, dead) human connection is not a leader.
[Raak] NO, not a title (or at least, not an "official" title e.g. "The Prince", although it does describe a person without being a name).

Was the AOTC known of in the year 1900?

[Boolbar] NO, not known of in the year 1900.

Is it a TV series?

Just trying to eliminate some thoughts in my head.

[Boolbar] YES, it is a TV series! Audience applause

The Prisoner?

Winner!

[Chalky] YES! It is The Prisoner (the original TV series, of course). The "outstanding" real-life human being of course Patrick McGoohan; the principal fictional connection the Prisoner himself. I don't think JK Rowling slipped a Prisoner reference into the Harry Potter series anywhere, but I wouldn't put it past her.
One baton with the number 6 engraved on it goes to Chalky.

Well done Chalky!

Yes, we should have done better with that - nothing wrong with the subject or the answers.

What a surprise - thank you :)

Dipping into my special box of Answers On Cards - this found its way into my hand ..

ANIMAL & MINERAL & VEGETABLE with a strong ABSTRACT element

- just to keep it simple

Begins with P?

If we were playing this game in 1900, would this have been in your special box then?

Is it a location?

[Tuj] Begins with P? Ha - YES partly
[Boolbar] 1900 - the year not the hour? YES
[ImNotJohn] Location? NO .. but *audience mumbles a bit*

Is the audience mumbling because this thing is at a specific location associated with it?

Such as Nelson's Column not being a location, as such.

[Raak] Reasons for mumbling? NO 'fraid not

Is the animal element human?

... or at least partly human.

[Boolbar] Human? YES

Is it associated with a series of locations?

Is it a historical event?

Is the animal, mineral, vegetable part the planet Earth?

A specific individual thing?

[Tuj] Associated with a series of locations? NO
[ImNotJohn] An historical event? NO
[Boolbar] AVM planet earth? NO
[Raak] Specific individual thing? It's specific but only in the way that most AOTC are. Do you mean a one-off? If so - NO

Naturally occurring?

In the 19th Century?

Is this something I can experience today?

Is it something that can be visited?

[Tuj] Naturally occurring? NO
[Software] In the 19th century??? I think NO may be the answer to whatever it is you meant :)
[Boolbar] Experience today? YES
[ImNotJohn] Visitorable? NO

Does it involve eating food?

I am hungry.

[Boolbar] NO - it does not involve eating food

Does it involve a crowd?

Is it associated with entertainment?

[Rosie] Involve a crowd? YES - it can do. Good question :)
[Tuj] Associated with entertainment? YES - very much so
*audience applauds progress made from last two questions*

Is there any singing involved?

Associated with a particular country or region?

Does it involve a sporting activity?

[Boolbar] Singing involved? NO
[ImNotJohn] Country or regional associations? YES - absolutely - particularly in its origin
[Raak] Sporting activity? No - well ... NO *wry chuckles from audience*

A form of dancing?

Sorry I'm late.

Morris dancing?

[Dujon] Dancing? NO
... therefore [Raak] Not even Morris Dancing

A foxhunt?

[Rosie] Foxhunt? NO

Essentially rural?

[Rosie] Rural? NO - whatever gave you that idea? ;-)

Is it a play?

Is it associated with somewhere in Europe?

[Boolbar] A play? NO
[Tuj] Europe? Originally ... NO
*audience snoozes*

... again

I would like to adjust one of my replies to ImNotJohn who asked "Visitorable?" and I replied unequivocally in the negative.
On reflection, the AOTC, if not exactly visitorable, is certainly - spectatorable.
This may help.

Is it originally associated with somewhere in Asia?

Outdoors?

(Chalks) I was hoping to confirm that the answer was Cheese Rolling.

[Boolbar] Asia? NO
[Rosie] Outdoors? NO - not usually. However ..
*audience wakes up with an anticipatory start*
[Rosie] Cheese rolling? NO - but closer than some of the guesses so far :-)

Is it originally associated with somewhere in the Americas?

I've eliminated having a picnic, Punch & Judy and panda breeding so far.

A Pastime?

[Boolbar] Americas? YES!
[ImNotJohn] Pastime? Yes - mainly .. YES [rather a quaint word - pastime. I had to check on the meaning]
*Audience ready to shout and scream and generally go wild for the winner*

Poker?

Does it involve a ball?

If it doesn't then I'm going on strike.

Is food involved?

[ImNotJohn] Boolbar asked that question way back up there ^^^ and I said NO then :)
[Boolbar] Balls? NO
[Raak] YES - and the rest of the AOTC is .... ? [3 or 4 words]

No-one else will be allowed to nick this one - it's got Raak's name all over it ..
*Audience on their feet ready to jump about quite a lot ...*

Five-cadr Draw Poker? Stud Poker? Texas Hold-em? Red Dog?

Strip? Pai gow? Mexican Stud? Seven-card Razz? High Chicago?

The Poker World Series?

Chips All Round!

Well played Raak - t'would've been churlish indeed to allow someone else to slip in there with the precise AOTC Texas Hold Em Poker [currently and universally the most popular form of the game - which handily explains that location reference the audience got a bit mumbly about]

No-one picked up on my CLUE when introducing this one and I quote:
"Dipping into my special box of Answers On Cards - this found its way into my hand ..."
But then - a clue is only a clue if one knows it's there.
*hands over a baton made of 50 x stuck together $1000 chips*

Nice one Raak! I was thinking of ten-pin bowling but couldn't really tie it in with the location hint.

The next is MINERAL.

Unique?

[Tuj] Unique!

Metal?

[GL] Mainly metal.

Located in the Eastern hemisphere?

[CdM] *murmuring in the audience* Not in the Eastern hemisphere.

Is it in London?

[Boolbar] Not in London.

Is it on Earth?

Is it larger than the Airbus A380?

Is it human-made?

Well, that narrows it down.

[Tuj] *applause* Not on Earth.
[Chalky] Smaller than an Airbus.
[Boolbar] Human-made.

Is it less than 2 AU from the Sun?

[Boolbar] Less than 2 AU from the Sun.

On the moon?

In orbit around the Earth?

[INJ] Not on the moon.
[BB] Not in orbit around the Earth.

A spacecraft that has crashed into either Mars or Venus?

An asteroid?

[Rosie] *applause* Not a spacecraft that has crashed into either Mars or Venus.
[Software] Not an asteroid.

On or orbiting Mars?

[jim] Yes! On or orbiting Mars!

I confidently expect to see the right answer tomorrow morning.

The Mars Odyssey craft?

Or one of the other handful.

Spirit or Opportunity?

[Rosie] Nor the Odyssey.
[CdM} Yes! Spirit or Opportunity. But which one?

Count me out

I'll be incommunicado for the full 4 days of the weekend so I refuse to guess.

Actually, one of the earlier answers is enough to decide the matter, with a bit of research.

Opportunity?

I think that's right.

[CdM] Yes! Mars does have a meridian defined, according to which Spirit is in the Eastern Hemisphere, Opportunity in the Western. *passes CdM a spare robot arm*

[Raak] So if I had asked, "Located in the Western hemisphere?", you would have answered yes, and we would have been chasing wild geese for a long time.

ANIMAL with VEGETABLE connections

A boar's head with an apple in its mouth?

Roast kid goat with anchovies, rosemary and lemon?

oh, so close

Sundry banquet items? No. (Also, both of those include vegetables, rather than simply having vegetable connections.)

Is the animal human?

Well someone has to ask a boring question.

Jasper Carrott?

Unique?

Percy Thrower?

Woodworm?

Human? No.
Jasper Carrott? No.
Unique? No.
Percy Thrower? No.
Woodworm? No. *smattering of applause*

Does the vegetable connection refer to the animal's diet?

Is the animal a mammal?

Death Watch beetle?

Stick insect?

Vegetable = diet? Yes. *applause*
Mammal? No.
Death watch beetle? No.
Stick insect? No.

Is it a bird?

A woodpecker?

Bird? No.
Woodpecker? The answer to this question is left as an exercise for the reader.

The Reader

Woody Woodpecker?

*ignores The Reader*

Is the Animal portion an insect?

Just for clarification purposes, like. :)

Animal = insect? Yes.

A locust?

Locust? No.

Is it an insect with a vegetable in its name?

A fruit fly?

Among the lepidoptera?

Veg in name? No.
Fruit fly? No. *brief smattering of applause*
Butterfly? No.

Does this insect have a particular liking for cellulose?

Taste for cellulose? No. (If anything, perhaps the opposite, although I may be over-interpreting what I have read.)
As usual, there are other ways of approaching this AVMA rather than just guessing at insects.

Is any part of this insect used as a foodstuff?

Insect used as foodstuff? No.

Begins with P?

Is the vegetable connection to its diet?

Does the insect have wings?

Begins with P? It most certainly does.
Vegetable = diet? Still Yes.
Insect have wings? Yes.

Actually...

The "does it have wings?" question really deserves a more detailed answer. This particular insect has a rather complicated life-cycle which includes several different stages; in one of these stages it may have wings.

Does the answer on the card live out all its life cycles on land? (as opposed to, say, a mosquito.)

Live on land? Yes. (Except for when it is flying, obviously.)

Clarification/correction: I answered "No" to the question about whether the insect has a vegetable in its name. The technical term for this insect does in fact include a reference to a vegetable item. Non-technical references to this insect can also include a vegetable item, but more usually do not.

Is it a beetle?

John Peul George or Ringo? No.

Is it a social insect?

Is the insect destructive to vegetable gardens/crops?

Social insect? You mean, like ants or bees? No.
Destructive to gardens/crops? Yes. *applause*

Plant lice?

Aphids? No (although I have seen this described as a "louse", and there is also *prolonged applause*).

The leaf-cutter ant?

Leaf-cutter ant? No. *audience subsides back into their seats*

Potato moth?

Potato moth? No.

Passion vine bug?

Phylloxera?

Enthusiasm brings reward...

Dactylosphaera vitifoliae (Phylloxera) is the correct answer! I think cfm deserved that, since she (?) did most of the heavy lifting and got very close earlier with aphid (correct phylum, class, order, and suborder...)
*hands cfm baton that has been grafted onto resistant N. American rootstock*

*examines baton carefully for signs of infestation* Thank you.
This next one is ABSTRACT WITH ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE CONNECTIONS

Any artistic connection?

[INJ] A qualified yes to that, employing a somewhat broad definition of art.

Related to food?

Musical connections?

[Tuj] Delicious and nutricious? NO -- or, at best, only in a fairly obscure and not-very-helpful way.
[CdM] Give it a 9 and dance to it? NO.

Is the animal human?

A human invention?

Is it something I can experience now?

Does it begin with U X A R P?

[INJ] YES, the strongest animal connection is human, though I can think of other animal connections.
[Tuj] YES, hence the strong human connection.
[Boolbar] YES, it is a contemporary concept.
[CdM] YES, it does indeed begin with P.
*loud applause...several audience members faint, overcome by the excitement of so many yes-es in a row*

Is it an essentially technological invention?

Was it known of in the year 1900?

A culinary invention?

[INJ] NO, not tech-y.
[Boolbar] YES, it was known in 1900.
[Raak]NO, still unrelated to food, except in an obscure, symbolic way.

Related to architecture?

[Raak] Architectural? NO. That would be Frank Lloyd Wrong :)

Is the strongest animal connection to a particular individual?

[CdM] NO. Not to an individual.

Fictional?

*proffers smelling salts to remaining audience members yet to come round*

Is this a group of people with something in common?

Is it a method of creating something?

An area of knowledge?

[Tuj] NO, the thing is quite real.
[Chalky] NO, the thing is abstract with animal and vegetable connections, not in and of itself animal.
[Boolbar] Tough one. But I think the best answer is NO, not a method. But creating is a relevant concept.
[INJ, NO, not an area of knowledge.

Related to a craft?

[INJ] YES, related to a craft. *enthusiastic applause ensues*

Does it involve writing?

Does it involve painting?

Does it end in "ism"?

[Raak] NO, not made with words.
[Boolbar] NO, no paint required.
[Tuj] NO, not a P-ism. :-)

Is it a particular method or style of creating something?

[Tuj] See my answer to Boolbar's earlier question. NO. It is not a method. But style is a relevant concept as well.

Does religion have any relevance to this?

Some sort of weaving?

Fashion?

[Chalky] YES, there is an ancient religious connection--though ti seems that's the case with everything. :-) .
[Raak]YES, the item can be related to weaving.
[Tuj] YES, there is a fashion association.*audience swoons once again*

Is there a connection to clothing?

Fancy dress?

Is it just the one word beginning with P on the card?

[Boolbar] YES. Connected to clothing.
[Raak] YES. And NO. By that I mean not necessarily and not always associated with fanciness.
[Chalky] YES. There is single word on the card.

Pattern?

Pinstripe?

[CdM] NO. Pattern is not the word on the card. But it is a relevant concept. *enthusiastic applause from the audience*
[GL] NO. Not pinstripe. *lingering applause nonetheless*

IS the AOTC a name of a pattern often found on clothing?

[Boolbar] YES! It is a pattern found on clothing! *audience knows it's just a matter of time now until the other shoe drops and relapses into its regularly scheduled apathy

Plaid?

Houndstooth?

[GL] NO. Not plaid.
[Raak] NO, not houndstooth. Or poundstooth, for that matter. :-)

Corduroy?

[Raak] NO. Not corduroy. (See previous questions; the answer begins with P.)

Paisley?

Patchwork?

[Raak] YES! Love it or hate it -- paisley is the word on the card. *turns up the Grateful Dead and extends a psychedelic baton to Raak*

pointing out a simple error

Well played Gusset Login - for t'was you, was it not, that gusseted the correct AOTC?

*embarrassed* Sorry, GL.

*turns up the Grateful Dead and extends a psychedelic baton to Gusset Login*

Either way is fine, but could you turn the music down a bit? I've got a headache... Now I feel old.

Anyway new AOTC is MINERAL

Occuring naturally?

Does it begin with a P?

[Dujon] Natural? - No
[Boolbar] P...? - No

Metal?

Rock?

Unique?

Was it first created after 1900?

[ImNotJohn] Metal? At least partly, often mostly
[Chalky] Rock? No, at least not that I've seen
[cfm] Unique? No *Audience laughs*
[Boolbar] Created after 1900? Yes

Is it used as currency?

A feature of urban architecture?

[Boolbar] Currency? No
[ImNotJohn] feature of urban architecture? No

I have done some more research and discovered that in fact the AOTC was created *before* 1900. Please ignore my previous answer.

Mobile?

[jim] Mobile? Depends on how you define mobile. It can be moved, but it isn't usually used while doing so.

A tool of some kind?

Bigger than a phone box?

Are there currently more than a million of these?

Is it used in communication?

[cfm] A tool of some kind? I wouldn't say it was, but I've heard it both ways.
[jim] Bigger than the Tardis? No.
[Raak] 1,000,000+ extant? Yes.
[Boolbar] Is it used in communication? Not to my knowledge.

Does it have moving parts?

Exactly the same size, shape and function as a toaster?

[Boolbar] Moving Parts? Yes
[ImNotJohn] Effectively a toaster? No.

Do parts of it get hot?

Is it an item of stationery?

[Tuj] Do parts of it get hot? They do generate heat but they are not well known for it.
[Raak] Is it an item of stationery? No.

A houshold utensil?

[Dujon] utensil? Never sure about that word, but it is used for a purpose so I guess, Yes... household? I tend to expect the AOTC more in offices, but I have one at home and items similar to the AOTC are not uncommon in houses...
So:
[Dujon] A houshold utensil? Yes

Does it do things to sheets of paper?

[Boolbar] Does it do things to sheets of paper? It depends what you do with it/them. Personally I try to avoid letting mine do anything to sheets of paper but not always successfully.

It is electrically powered?

Is it used to control temperature?

[Raak] Electric? Yes
[Boolbar] Used to control temperature? Yes

An air conditioner?

A fan?

[CdM] Air conditioner? No
[Raak] A fan? The AOTC is Electric Desk Fan but you are close enough.
Have an air cooled baton

The next is VEGETABLE.

Wooden?

[INJ] Mainly wooden.

Unique?

Alive?

The Larch?

Smaller than a toaster?

[Tuj] Not unique.
[jim] Not alive.
[Boolbar] Not the Larch.
[Chalky] Usually smaller than a toaster.

Is the bit that's not wooden - paper?

Begins with P?

Mass-produced?

[Chalky] I was a bit misleading there -- the paper is what's mainly wooden.
[Tuj] Yes! Yes, it does begin with P!
[CdM] I couldn't swear that no-one has ever set up a factory to make these, but no, not mass produced as far as I know.

Of value?

[Tuj] No particular value.

Is origami involved?

[Boolbar] *applause and cheering* Yes, the craft of paper-folding is involved.

A paper aeroplane?

*the audience launch a hail of paper darts* Yes, a paper aeroplane.

Crikey. We're damn good at this game.

Oh, is it me?

Most of the hard work was done for me ... I just supplied the answer. But then, it's always a communal effort.
Let's try a MINERAL, with ANIMAL and ABSTRACT connections.

Unique?

Metal?

Bigger than a toaster?

Human-made?

A fairly good start

[GL] YES, unique.
[CdM] NO, not metal.
[Tuj] YES, bigger than a toaster.
[Boolbar]YES, human made.

Functional?

In Europe?

[CdM] NO, not functional. A few giggles from the audience
[Tuj] YES, in Europe.

Is it inside a building?

Is it a statue?

Michelangelo's David?

Is it a city?

[Boolbar] NO, not inside a building.
[Raak] NO, not a statue, and hence not Michelangelo's David. Some audience approval of this line of questioning
[GL] NO, not a city.

But is it art?

Or architecture?

Made since 1900?

In the UK?

Does it involve water in any way?

[Tuj] YES, it is art.
[INJ] NO, it is not architecture.
[Raak] NO, not made since 1900.
[CdM] YES, in the UK.
[Chalky] NO, does not involve water any more than anything else in the UK not enclosed in some sort of building :)

Is it a sculpture?

Is it made of stone?

Is it in London?

[CdM] NO, it is not a sculpture. (You could make a case for its being one, but on the whole I'd say no.)
[Chalky] YES, it is made of stone. Some murmurs from the audience but no outright dissent.
[Tuj] NO, it is not in London.

The Stone of Scone?

That looks *so* wrong when typed out

[Chalky] NO, not the Stone of Scone.

A monument?

Does it have some religious significance?

Begins with P?

[Raak] NO, not a monument.
[cfm] POSSIBLY, but nobody knows for sure.
[Tuj] NO, alas, does not begin with P.

An ancient stone circle?'

Is it in England?

The Cerne Abbas Giant?

A very impressive guess

Might as well cut to the chase ...
[INJ] YES! It is the Cerne Abbas Giant, aka the Rude Man of Cerne, for reasons that should be obvious.
It may be an Iron Age depiction of a god or a fertility symbol, or it may be a giant 17th-century satirical drawing. But it is quite rude.
Over to ImNotJohn goes one baton in the shape of ... well, probably best not to go into that.

The giggles gave it away!

Ah well, thinking cap on again.
OK We'll go for ABSTRACT with MINERAL connections

A well-known phrase or saying?

Does it involve singing?

Fictional?

A quick start

[cfm] I say, I say? - YES
[Boolbar] musical/vocal? - NO
[Tuj] Fictional? - YES
On the bike today, so leaving the laptop at work - normal service will resume in the morning

The title of a written work?

Are the mineral connections metal?

Good Morning again

[cfm] Literary? - YES (but I didn't think of that when I set it)
[Tuj] Metallic? - NO

Begins with P?

Is a place name in the AOTC?

Are mineral connections liquid?

[Tuj] A P? - PNO
[Boolbar] Locational? - NO
[Chalky] Liquidity? - NO

Is it getting blood from a stone?

[Boolbar] Petric exsanguination? - NO

Does it come from the Bible?

[Raak] Biblical? - YES

Rock of Ages?

[cfm] Old Rock? - NO (is that biblical or just from the hymn? I shall check.)
Back again. The exact phrase seems to relate to the hymn although there are close biblical links turned up in my swift googling. BTW the rock that is referred to is on the Isle of Wight, but I've not been there myself.

The salt of the earth?

[INJ] Impulsive, misguided guess. Especially as you'd already said there was no connection to singing. But it's the name of a film playing in theaters now. So I thought it might be top of mind.

[Raak] Terrestrial salinity? - NO *the audience are fidgeting and getting their things together in preparation for an early getaway*

[cfm] - Always worth a try. I did know the story of the writing of the hymn, but I didn't (and don't) know if the phrase came to mind because it was biblical.

The widow's mite?

[Raak] The potentially willing widow? - NO

From the Old Testament?

[Raak] OT? - Y

A column of smoke by day and a pillar of fire by night?

A pillaf of salt?

Don't forget the first answer

[Raak] Where there's smoke...? - NO
[GL] Salty? - NO

The stone tablets of the law?

Dust to dust - [ashes to ashes]?

[Raak] Mosaic tablets? - NO
[Chalky] Funereal soil? - NO

Is it from the Pentateuch?

[Raak] GenExoLevNumDeu? - NO
You may not know this as biblical - I chose it first and then checked the origin, so picking biblical quotes that fit might take a long time.

Is this a three word answer?

[Chalky] I'll name that in 3? - YES

Is the first word "the"?

[Raak] Starts with 'The'? - NO (and for a bonus, neither the second nor the third word are 'the')

Does the word "Stone" appear?

*more lateral fishing* .. Would yer average young adult have heard this well-known phrase or saying in general conversation?

Is the middle word "and"?

A stone's throw?

[Boolbar] Includes 'stone'? - NO
[Chalky] Well-known in young adult conversation etc? - I think the average young adult would have come across the phrase, but not in general conversation. I'm sure everyone here will know it as a phrase and most also as the book title.
[Raak] --- and ---? - NO
[cfm] Glass House No-no? - NO