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AVMA Take 2

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Yes, it's another round of that classic guessing game - Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Abstract [or any combination thereof]. This effort - '03/'04 should address any queries, but then again, may just serve to confuse and baffle which some might say is the point of the game. Patience, integrity and a decent search engine may be useful ....

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Aha!

(Phil) -ism? - NO - although all three letters are contained within but not necessarily in the same order :)

Promise?

Is the word on the card a noun (in this instance)?

.. back in business

(Tuj) Promise? - NO
(Quendalon) A noun? YES indeed it is.

Perfect?

(Software) Perfect? - NO more than when Phil asked the same on 28th March :)

I chose this 'P' word because it has a succinct definition. A human trait, which we have established, which can easily be arrived at given some judicious questioning.
However, this word has another use which necessitates a change to a couple of my replies. Mathematical/Scientific/Philosophical links are rather stronger if this path to the solution is chosen.

... and what's more

... a little research tells me that this alternative use of my P word is the crux of a Subject for guessing in this very game back in 2005.

Related to anger?

Proof?

Is the 'P' silent?

(cfm) Related to anger? - NO
(Gusset Login) Proof? - NO (see my last reply to Phil)
(NotJohn) Silent P? - NO. A noisy one :)

Does the word on the card end with a suffix?

Flailing around in the dark, because frankly I'm stumped.

(Quendalon) Suffix? NO - nor an 'ology' or 'ism'

--- begins with a P and also contains the letters m, s and i within. One word. A human trait which is neither gender nor geographically related. Desirable to some but probably rather annoying for others.
This particular word has another use and is key to a scientific/mathematical/philosophical principle which was the subject for an AVMA in 2005.

Parsimony?

While I try to think of another way in.

Result!

Thank you and well played NotJohn - was hoping for an early solution today as I am in need of rescue ...
For me - Parsimony is frugality or excessive economy which was my starting point all those days ago. As for the secondary meaning - Occam's Razor was the subject of the AVMA (with the principle of parsimony at its technical core).

And I used the word 'rescue' advisedly. My daughter has just gone into early labour and I may needed at the hospital ...
*swiftly hands over baton to NotJohn on way out*

Calling Raak

[Chalky] Hope it all goes well
Yes, the mathematical and philosophical connotations did come to me after I'd thought of the word.
Now maybe I can remedy the unsatisfactory end to the previous game by suggesting that Raak gets his belated turn.

Who, me?

Er, ok then. The next is ABSTRACT with ANIMAL connections.
[Chalky] Best wishes for all three of you.

Is the animal connection human?

Any artistic connection?

[cfm] Human
[NJ] Not artistic.

Is it the act of giving birth?

[Chalky] More best wishes winging their way to you.

Is there more than one word on the card?

[Chalky] Best wishes and congratulations! Remember that "Mornington Crescent" is a lovely name for a girl or a boy.

Is the answer a phrase or saying?

[Chalky, Ms Chalky] All the best!

An intellectual process?
[Chalky] How lovely! Also you look far too young to be a grandmother. :-)]

[B] Topical waaaah!!!? No.
[Q] More than one word.
[Tuj] Not a saying?
[cfm] Not intellectual.

we are not a grandmother .. yet

Thanks for all the good wishes! Bad News - daughter poorly. Good News - 32 wk foetus staying where it is for the time being.)
Sorry to interrupt your game Raak. I have a question .. coming up shortly

More than one human being?

Is it unique?

Is it an event?

[Chalky] More than one.
[Q] Not unique.
[NJ] Not an event.

Fictional?

[Chalky] Not fictional.

A group?

[GL] Not an organised group, although the people associated with this have something in common.

Do any of the words on the card start with 'P'?

[Q] No Ps anywhere.

[Raak] To be clear, is this simply a flamboyant way of saying no to the question that was asked, or are you providing additional information to the effect that the letter 'P' does not appear anywhere on the card?

[Q] The letter P does not occur anywhere on the card.

[Raak] Excellent, thank you!

This thing in common - medical/health connections?

Any political connections?

[Chalky] No medical/health connections.
[NJ] Yes, political connections.

The Iron Lady?

[S] Ding-dong? No.

A recognized voting block that is not formally organized?

Is it associated with a specific geographical area?

[cfm] Not a voting block.
[NJ] Not really. The thing on the card is found in many places.

Anarcho-syndicalism?

[Chalky] (laughter) Absolutely not anarcho-syndicalism.

The humans involved, are they politicians?

[Q] Not politicians.

Is it a political or economic philosophy?

[NJ] Not a philosophy, although it could be said to be connected with one.

A trade agreement?

[GL] Not a trade agreement.

Is there a fiscal or financial connection?

[NJ] *applause from those members of the audience who haven't been holding their breath so long they've expired* To do with money! Yes!

Does each instance of the phrase on the card relate to more than one human?

[Q] Er....no. Each instance involves one human.

A member of the audience

How about playing Hangman for it! Is there a Ⱙ?

(hastily withdrawing his hand from the ventriloquist's dummy) No Ⱙ.

Is there a 'V'?

Hmm. Related to both politics and money. Each instance involves one human, and the people associated with this have something in common. Could be said to be connected with a philosophy.

[Q] No V.

Connected with individual wealth?

[NJ] **applause** Yes! Very much connected with individual wealth!

Income tax?

[CdM] Not income tax.

Connected with an increase in individual wealth?

Shareholder?

Unearned Income?

[GL] *more applause* Yes, an increase in individual wealth.
[S] Not shareholders.
[NJ] *laughter* Legally speaking, it is not classified as unearned income.

Union strike benefits?

[Q] Not strike benefits.

Expenses of some sort?

[NJ] Duck houses? No.

Associated with gambling?

Connected with Banker's Bonuses?

[NJ] Not gambling.
[GL] Not merely connected, but the very words on the card! Have this fat brown envelope.

Oh, um er... right

thanks

ANIMAL and VEGETABLE

Is the animal element human?

Is the vegetable edible?

[NJ] Oh the humanity? (animal) No.
[Chalky] Just eat it? (veg) Yes

Is the AOTC food?

[NJ] Glorious food? Yes, I believe most people would classify it as food.

Marmite?

Associated with a particular culture?

[Quenda] Yeeeach? No
[CdM] regional speciality? I would say, no, but some people disagree.

Savoury - as opposed to sweet?

Is it cooked?

[Chalky] Savoury? Yes
[Quenda] Heated? Yes

Containing multiple distinct (as opposed to mixed or blended) ingredients?

Is the animal part - meat?

[CdM] Clumps o'stuff? Yes
[Chalky] meat? (animal) Yes

Is the AOTC in the form 'A and B'?

As in 'Bangers and Mash'

Is there a liquid component?

Is it a sandwich?

Is it like a proper meal - Sunday Roast or suchlike?

Is the vegetable part potatoes cut into strips and deep fried?

Sorry for the delay, I was at a friend's funeral and couldn't get to the net.
[NJ] A + B? No
[cfm] liquid? There shouldn't be, No.
[Tuj] The Earl of foods? Yes
[Chalky] A meal in itself? No, its a sandwich, see Tuj's question above.
[Raak] Do you want fries with that? No.

A hero/hoagie/submarine sandwich?

A BLT?

[cfm] One of those types? It can be
[Chalky] BLT? Yes. Have a delicious baton.

<mode=ultrapedant>So the bread was made without salt? Yuk.</mode> Sorry, once I thought of it, I couldn't keep it to myself. Sorry again.

Gosh

Thanks GL - that was a swift conclusion - probably due the early airing of the 'edible' question.

Aiming for another quickie with:

MINERAL and VEGETABLE with a pedant-sized trace of ANIMAL

Is it a tool?

[NotJohn] Tool? NO

Something made of wood held together with metal?

[Raak] Wood held with metal? NO

A geographical feature?

Is it a sandwich?

Is the vegetable part potatoes cut into strips and deep fried?

[NotJohn] Geographical feature? YES
[Tuj] Sandwich? NO :)
[Gusset Login] Stripped fried spuds? NO :)

... furthermore - it doesn't begin with P.

Is its name something-or-other forest?

[Rosie - hello:)] Something-or-other forest? NO *audience perks up*

Is its name Mount something-or-other?

[GL] Mount ...? NO

Is it in a single country?

[Chalky] Oh, you answered a question I didn't ask! Perhaps "Is it a sandwich?" should become my default question...

Is it unique?

[GL] Unique? YES

[Tuj] In a single country? YES

In Europe?

[Tuj] Europe? Oh YES indeedy

In the British Isles?

[Rosie] British Isles? YES

Is it on a hill?

Is it a range of hills?

[Raak] ON a hill? There is some undulation but contour lines indicate the AOTC isn't actually ON a hill. *audience applauds the question*
[Rosie] A range of hills? NO

A site of archaeological significance?

... nearly there

{Raak] Archaeological significance? YES! *huge cheer erupts from audience*

A henge?

A stone circle but not technically a henge?

Is it about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Amesbury and 8 miles (13 km) north of Salisbury?

Stonehenge?

I may be wrong but I'm not proud.

*audience on edge of their seats*

[NotJohn] A Henge? YES!
[Gusset Login] A stone circle/not technically a henge? NO - the AOTC is both
[Raak] NO ... therefore
[Quendalon] NO - not Stonehenge.

Avebury Stone Circle?

The Ring of Brodgar?

It's a win!

[NotJohn] Brodgar? Not in Scotland .. staying with my county of residence - Wiltshire - and
Phil scores a stunning lurker's victory with the correct [more-or-less] AOTC - Avebury Ring.
*gently passes neolithic baton to Phil*

,

Apols for the lurk, but every time I thought of a question, someone else had asked it. I'll make this one quick (I hope).

Mineral

Metal?

A good start...

[NJ] Metal? YES

Iron?

[GL] Iron? YES or NO, depending on the specific meaning of the question.

A manufactured item?

Stainless steel?

Unique?

But is it art?

An iron--like the kind with which one presses one's shirts?

Smaller than a telephone kiosk?

A bridge?

[NJ] Manufactured? YES
[Raak] Stainless Steel? YES, that's what it's made of *a ripple of applause*
[Quendalon] Unique? NO
[Tuj] Art? NO
[cfm] An iron? NO
[Chalky] < phone box? YES
[GL] Bridge? NO

Medical connections?

Is it smaller than a breadbox / bread bin?

Inverting the classic question.

[Raak] Medical? NO (well, a small connection, but it won't help)
[Quendalon] Smaller than breadbox? YES

Does it have any moving parts?

[NJ] Moving parts? YES

Is there one in your kitchen?

[Tuj] In my kitchen? NO. Well, there might be, but I'd move it if I were tidying up.

A tool?

[NJ] Tool? YES

Calipers?

[Software] Calipers? NO *Most of audience look slightly bemused by the handful that clapped, briefly*

A Leatherman?

(On the grounds that a Swiss Army Knife has plastic as well)

A hole punch?

[NJ] Leatherman? NO *some audience members explain to others what a Leatherman is, after which some of them make appreciative noises*
[Raak] Hole punch? NO

Does it cut?

[cfm] A cutter? YES *Applause*

A tin-opener?

Garden shears?

A kitchen tool?

End game appears to have commenced

[Rosie] Tin opener? NO (I wouldn't move that out of the kitchen when tidying)
[Raak] Garden Shears? NO (I'd call them bigger than a breadbin) *appreciative applause*
[NJ] A kitchen tool? NO (again, I'd keep that in the kitchen).

Secateurs?

[Software] Secateurs? NO *more applause*

Scissors?

D'oh - I meant to ask 'garden', for that reason and then turned the question round without thinking.

Wire cutters?

[NJ] Scissors? YES, but more detail required. *Lots of applause*
[Raak] Wire cutters? NO, see above.

Pinking shears?

Nail clippers?

[Quendalon] Pinkers? NO *some applause*
[Raak] Nail clippers? NO *Thunderous applause, oohs, aaahs, gasps and winces*

Nail scissors?

Hair scissors?

[Raak] Nail scissors? YES INDEED! *Deafening roars*
Congrats! Here, have this toenail as a makeshift baton.

VEGETABLE, with ABSTRACT connections.

An object made from vegetable matter?

[Rosie] Yes, made from vegetable matter.

Is wood involved?

Is it edible?

Unique?

Is it smaller than a toaster?

[GL] Would be wood.
[NotJohn] Edible wood? No.
[Tuj] Not unique.
[Phil] Bigger than a toaster.

Is it bigger than a cross-channel ferry?

[GL] Smaller than a cross-channel ferry.

Found domestically?

Does it have writing on it?

Naturally occurring?

[S] Domestic? Not really, at least nowadays.
[Q] Probably not written on.
[T] Not naturally occurring.

A piece of furniture?

Would one find it in a pub?

[R] Not furniture.
[C] *a ripple of applause* Yes, one might find it in a pub.

Does it have a picture or pictures on it?

Is it a container of some sort?

Is it used for a leisure activity?

[Q] No picture.
[NJ] *applause* A container.
[P] A witty thought goes up on the laser display board. Laughter in the audience. Not used for a leisure activity.

Normally holds liquid?

[NJ] Can normally hold liquid.

A barrel?

Might be my turn in it, innit?

[Rosie] *cheering* A barrel is involved. I suggest the abstract connection would repay attention.

Is it a well-known phrase or saying .. like Roll Out The Barrel?

[Chalky] Yes! A well known phrase or saying.

"Over a barrel"?

[Q] Not over a barrel.

So it's a colloquial phrase along the lines of "a can of worms"?

Scraping the barrel?

Barrel of laughs?

[D] Yes.
[R] *oooooh!!* Not quite.
[Q] Not a barrel of laughs.

The bottom of the barrel?

Attempted lurker victories R us

[CdM] Yes! Rosie was nearly there, but you have nailed the exact answer! Have this recycled wooden planter. Ignore the rotten apple juice seeping out of it. And it can now be revealed that the Witty Comment on the laser display board was about the undemanding leisure activity of shooting fish in one.

hmmm ...

.. thought it might be that - was rather hoping that Rosie might get a turn 'in the chair'.
May I respectfully suggest a slight change to the non-rules of this game, ie. you need to have asked at least one question before guessing the AOTC? Or is that altogether too regimentatious? < made up word alert >

I am more than happy for Rosie to take the chair if he wishes. He definitely got 98.2 percent of the way to the AOTC. Mind you, I think this game has had its share of lurker victories, and I'm not exactly a lurker in the grand scheme of things. :-)

Is flattered

(Chalky, CdM) Generous, but let's play by the rules. In any case, if a lurker wins, their "punishment" will be to host the next one. That'll teach 'em not to just jump in and out.

(CdM) Couldn't you have made it 98.4 - body temperature, the percentage of H₂SO₄ in conc. sulphuric, the number of feet in 30 metres . . . . I could go on.

While you're all being polite, I'll get the first question in: Would you find it in your kitchen?

Is it a sandwich?

Anarcho-syndicalism?

Convectively Available Potential Energy (CAPE)?

Where's CdM? Give us a category, man.

This is ANIMAL and VEGETABLE with a trace of MINERAL. I had decided on this before I saw any of your questions, so I am going to go with it. Oh god, I hope Rosie has heard of it :-)

In your kitchen? You could, but it's probably unlikely. I'm pretty sure I have never had one in my kitchen.
A sandwich? Yes! *applause*
Anarchosyndicalism? No.
CAPE? No.

Is egg an ingredient?

Explicitly not counting any egg(s) that are part of the bread-baking process.

A horseburger in a bun?

Eggy? Interesting question. Not necessarily, and not in its own right. But there are versions of this that would include egg as an ingredient, I think.
Shergarburger? No.

Unique?

[Chalky] You have taken the very wind from my sails!

Unique? No. (A unique sandwich??)

Edible?

That Masked Man

Is saurkraut involved?

Contains fish?

A Croque Monsieur?

Edible? I certainly hope so. It's a sandwich!
Sauerkrauty? It's possible (I can find examples online), but it is certainly not an essential or even a standard ingredient.
Fishy? It sometimes contains fish, yes, but need not. For free, I will tell you that it is quite common for it to contain other seafood, however.
Croque monsieur? Non, madame.
Clarification on the egg: my reply was meant to imply that it would be very unusual to see egg listed explicitly as an ingredient, and I stand by that. But googling reveals that it is not unheard of.

A po' boy?

Chip butty with mayo?

could have been a knuckle sandwich :o)

Served hot?

Smörgåsbord?

Slicing to the chase

A po'boy? Yes! (It was the only sandwich beginning with P that came to mind.) Have this foot-long baton stuffed with fried oysters. [Software] Touché, even if I'm not sure what the vegetable component of a knuckle sandwich would be. :-)

Never heard of it ;-)

Yes, well...

[Chalky] I'd bet big money that the number of people who have heard of a po'boy is at least an order of magnitude larger than the number who have heard of the Avebury Stone Circle. :-)

Ah .. but

.. we'll never find out so you may as well bet your big money on the 4.45 at Redcar :-)
For the record - yet another Lurker Victory ...

[CdM] But which is Rosie more likely to know? ;)

[Chalky] I wasn't lurking! It was just my first question of the round. And your first question plus the mention of fish made it easy. :-)
However, I am glad to hand this yummy but calorie-laden baton to someone who would like a turn. Speak up if you'd like to give it a whirl.

[Tuj] Hehe!
[cfm] Only teasing ... as you well know ;-) My mind's eye is seeing badly disguised AVMA players in the shadowy fringes of the game poised to pounce on the AOTC and it's given me an idea for a very silly game along the lines of Spot the Ostrich.
By the way, I shall decline a turn/whirl as I'm a bit too busy this coming week.

[cfm] I'm always glad to take a turn with the baton, assuming that no better candidate presents themselves.

Take it away, Q. :-)

Very well then! This one is unequivocally Vegetable.

Unique?

Well stepped into the breach, that Quenders!
[Chalky] A game idea! Sounds good!

[Tuj] Not unique. *laughter from the crowd*

Peas in a pod?

Is it a sandwich?

leaping in so if i win will not be a lurking victory :)

It is some species of wood?

Victory goes to the swift

The word on the card is "pea," for which Raak's guess is more than sufficiently accurate. Passing a small, round green baton...

Drawing the line

Wow! Ok, the next is ANIMAL.

Human?

I chose it largely so that I could giggle inanely if Tuj asked if it began with the letter 'P'.

Is it unique?

[Q] Human.
[GL] In a sense, it is unique. But one could quibble interminably about it.

Male?

[Q] Apologies for letting you down! I do worry my poor history of questioning has skewed the game somewhat...

Currently alive?

[Quendalon] For your giggling motive alone, you're my hero!

[Q] OOPS! I meant to say "Not human".
[Tuj] Male.
[Phil] Quite likely to be currently alive.

Quadruped?

Is it unique by virtue of something it has done?

[S] Not a quadruped. [NJ] *applause* It is indeed unique by virtue of something it has done.

Is the thing that he has done a physical (versus an abstract) act?

Is this bloke animal larger than the average domestic toaster?

[cfm] A physical act.
[Chalky] Smaller than a toaster.

Is it a bird?

[Phil] Is it a plane? Is it Superman? No, it's a bird!

Cock Robin?

.. avoiding the lurker label

Nah - that was a daft question. It's still alive, you say? And 'sort of' unique?

[Chalky] Not Cock Robin. To clarify the uniqueness thing a little: the answer is a singular noun phrase beginning with "The".

The Early Bird?

[Chalky] Not the early bird, but you're thinking along the right lines.

The First Cuckoo of Spring?

[Phil] The very thing!

Woohoo! (or something that sounds remarkably like that). And not a lurk in sight.
Pressing on rapidly with

Animal (or Abstract, depending on your point of view)

Unique?

Fictional?

Is it an archosyndicalistic sandwich?

... and a 'woohoo' and 'wahay' [sounding exactly like they're spelled] for Phil's victoreee.

Human?

The bee's knees?

Is it edible?

[Quendalon] Unique? YES
[Software] Fictional? YES
[Chalky] A wossname sarnie? NO
[Tuj] Human? YES
[Rosie] Apiarian patellae? NO
[GL] Edible? NO. Technically yes, but I really don't think you should eat it.

Abstract solely because it's fictional?

An eponymous character?

[Quendalon] Solely fictionally abstract? YES
[NJ] Eponymous character? NO

A male character?

[cfm] Male? YES

I don't have a question; this is just a place-marker to avoid accusations of lurker victory later.

[CdM] This is not an answer, merely an acknowledgement of your statement.

A detective?

This is a question and also an acknowledgement of CdM's non-lurker status.

[GL] Detective? NO

C20 Literature?

This is a question but also a quibble as to whether a non-interrogatory interjection is sufficient to remove lurker status.

[NJ] 20th Century Literature? YES

Is the animal one of the big cats?

[Rosie] A big cat? NO, he's human (see Tuj's question)

Originally written in English?

[NJ] English lit? YES

Fantasy genre?

Harry Potter?

Does an interrogatory interjection remove lurker status if the question is unrelated to the AVMA AOTC?

[Quendalon] Fantasy? NO
[Software] Harry Potter? NO, not eponymous
[CdM] Questionable lurker? NO, you're not getting out of it that easily.

Appears in a series of books?

Why is CdM so convinced he is going to score a lurker's victory? Is he in league with Phil? </ratsmelling>

[NJ] In a series of books? YES *some applause*
[NJ] Am I in cahoots with CdM? One question at a time, please.

James Herriot?

[Software] Herriot? NO
I should add that when I said yes to '20th century Literature' I simply meant that there were books, not necessarily great works of literature.
Also, although I have described the character as not eponymous, I have found that he is mentioned in the title of at least one book.

A detective series?

Is CdM in league with Phil?

Is this person a restorer of antique sewing-machines who keeps an Afghan hound and lives within earshot of St. Paul's in an apartment that appears to be beyond his modest means?

Does asking an apparently relevant question remove lurker status if the question was asked solely for the purpose of removing lurker status?

[cfm] Detectives? NO
[GL] Conspirateur de Moi? NO
[Raak] Your main question? Oh so close! Actually, I lied. NO, not any part of it is correct, and a meaningless note has been made of your completely legal, yet immoral, lurk avoidance (as opposed to lurk evasion, which is strictly illegal).

Is there a connection to espionage?

Any day now we'll be getting phone calls asking 'Do you believe you have ever suffered unfairly at the hands of a lurker?' and offering their services on a 'No Win No Fee' basis (once you've paid the £300 administration charge)

[NJ] Espionage? NO *a couple of giggles from the audience*

Are they books for adults?

Which is worse - lurking or taking successive turns?

[NJ] Books for adults? NO *applause*

Are they comic books?

Did the character first appear before 1960?

[GL] COmic books? NO
[Quendalon] Pre-1960? YES

Tin-Tin?

[Tin-Tin] NO, not eponymous.

Do they share the books with an eponymous character?

[GL] Is there an eponym? Well, only about a fifth of the book titles feature one character's name, but most people would automatically answer YES. It's a definite YES for other media. *applause for a very good question*

Does this character have a "sidekick"?

Violet Elizabeth Bott?

If that isn't right I'll thcweam and thcweam until I'm thick.

[GL] Has a sidekick? NO
[NJ] Violet? NO, thcweam away.

Christopher Robin?

[cfm] Christopher Robin? NO

The Fat Controller?

[Gusset Login] YES, dagnammit, YES !! It was indeed Sir Topham Hatt 1st Bt, of "The Railway Series", often referred to as the "Thomas the Tank Engine" books, although Thomas' name is only in the title of 9 of the 42 books. The Fat Controller is named in only one title, "Thomas and the Fat Controller's Engines".
Nice to get that one finished off for the weekend. And not a hint of a lurk in sight. Please take this green flag in lieu of a baton.

Cool. I never expected having a three year old nephew would help me win anything.

This next one is:

Mineral.

Unique?

[Phil, GL] Excellent =)

Begins with 'P'?

[Tuj] I see you have well and truly nicked my signature question! So I must claim yours in turn.

[Tuj] A one off? Yes
[Quenda] P...? No.

Made of iron?

[cfm] iron? Depending on how loosely you define the terms 'made of' and 'iron' the answer could be either Yes or No.
It is more than 5% steel (which is an alloy of iron).

A building?

*lurks*

[Quenda] Building? No
[CdM] Good to see you, feel free to stop lurking and join in.

Is it larger than a standard kitchen-size refrigerator?

[cfm] > average fridge? No.

A work of art?

Made before 1900?

I'm assuming man-made because it incorporates steel rather than iron.

[Phil] Work of art? No. Although, as always with that question, some people might call it such.
[Quenda] Made before 1900? Yes.

Unique?

A scientific instrument?

Is it in a fixed location?

[Quenders] Apologies, but a change is a good as a rest!

[Rosie] Unique? Yes, still unique.
[Raak] Scientific instrument? No.
[Tuj] Unmoving? Yes.

Military in nature?

[Tuj] A fair cop. Perhaps I will advance to asking whether a thing starts with 'Q'...

Outdoors?

Shaped like a human?

*unlurks*

In the USA?

Located in a museum?

[Quenda] Military in nature? Yes, although perhaps not in nurture. :)
[Rosie] Outside? No
[Chalky] Humanoid? No
[Tuj] 'Merk'n? No
[cfm] In a museum? That's a tough question. Personally, I wouldn't count it as a museum, as such but others might see it differently.

I seem to be very much in the minority. Yes, it's in a museum.

Does it have moving parts?

Even though I have now asked a question, I would like to declare that I am immediately going to revert to lurker status.

[CdM] Moving Prats? (If you're lurking again, I don't have to answer.) No.

Does it have royal associations?

[Tuj] Royal inclinations? *Drowned out by audience aplause and has to repeat* Yes

A sword?

A suit of armour?

Moving Prats? Sounds fun.

A crown?

[cfm] Sword? *More applause* Yes
[Rosie] Suit a'more? No
[Chalurkery] Crown? No

Sword of Mercy?

Military in nature, although not in nurture.

Is this a sword used only for ceremonial purposes?

Pops out of the shrubbery hoping that no one will notice.

The Great Sword of State

Lurker? Me? No! Just a slow starter.

"The Wallace Sword" (William Wallace's Claymore) ?

[Phil] The Gromit Sword? No
[NJ] Greatsword of State? Nope
[Dujon] Ceremonial? Yes
[Quendo] Sword of Mercy? Is the AOTC.

Have a baton with an inch broken off of one end.

[GL] I accept! And with this baton, I dub thee Sir Gusset of Login.

*ahem* This next one is MINERAL.

Is it unique?

[Phil] One of a kind? NO.

Man-made?

[Raak] Man-made? YES.

Begins with Q?

[Tuj] Q-ish? NO.

Made of metal?

Bigger than an average household microwave oven?

Electronic?

[NJ] Metallic? NO.
[Phil] Bigger than a microwave oven? NO.
[Raak] Electronical? NO.

Made of stone?

[cfm] Rocky? NO.

Found indoors?

Ornamental?

Solid?

[Rosie] Can be found indoors? YES.
[Softers] An ornament? Tricky, but I'll go with NO.
[Phil] Solid? PARTLY. *polite applause*

A thermometer?

[cfm] Temperature measurer? NO.

A barometer?

Is water part of this?

Is the AOTC related to light?

[Raak] Atmospheric pressure measurer? NO.
[Chalky] Partly water? My research suggests NO. *audience murmurs*
[Dujon] Light source? NO.

Contains a liquid?

Can I eat it?

Is it used for cleaning?

Contains alcohol?

A Cartesian diver?

Lava Lamp?

[NJ] Contains liquid? YES. *applause*
[Bools] Edible? NO.
[Chalks] Cleaning device? NO.
[Raak] Contains alcohol? My research suggests YES, but that may mislead you.
[Rosie] Cartesian devil? NO.
[GL] Lava lamp? NO. *audience murmurs*

Is the solid part glass?

[Rosie] Glass? According to my research, NO, although glass may have been involved at one point.

Is the solid part plastic?

An insatiable birdie?

(Drinking bird, dipping bird, nodding duck...)

[CdM] Plastic? YES.
[Raak] Unappeasable avian? NO.

A de-icing squirt bottle?

[Rosie] Anti-icy squirty bottly thingy? NO. *audience yawns*

Does it measure anything?

Is it a common household object?

[NJ] Measuring device? NO. *scattered laughter from the audience*
[cfm] Common household object? NO, although a household is one of the most likely places to find it.

Medicinal use in any way?

[Rosie] Curative? NO.

Is this usually dome shaped?

[Dujon] Hemispherical? NO. *laughter from the audience*

Does it have medicinal purposes?

Is it a saftey device?

[NJ] Medicinal use? Still NO.
[GL] Makes you safer? NO.

Does it contain ONLY liquid?

[Phil] Contains only liquid? NO. *applause*

Does it have moving parts?

[Raak] Parts that move? YES, though my answer may mislead you.

A glow stick?

[Phil] Radiant rod? NO.

Was it invented in the last 50 years?

[Tuj] Invented after 1963? NO.

Is the plastic Bakelite?

[Phil] Bakelite? Embarrassingly, I DON'T KNOW; my research doesn't say what kind of plastic(s) are involved.

Is its purpose amusement?

[Rosie] For amusement? YES. *applause, laughter*

Shurely it's not a replica mannequin pis?

[Rosie] Little peeing statue? NO.

A tip-up, clothed/naked lady pen?

[Phil] Pen with lady floating inside? NO. *solitary golf clap from audience*

One of those snow storm globe thingys?

[Softy] Snow globe? NO. *audience murmurs*

Is the mysterious plastic transparent?

[Rosie] Transparent plastic? PARTLY. *applause*

A Sand Sculpture?

Does it have a screen?

[Chalks] Sand sculpture? NO, not sand, nor exactly a sculpture.
[NJ] Has a screen? YES, of a sort, though this answer may mislead you. *nodding and murmuring from audience*

A magic 8 ball?

[CdM] Magic 8-Ball? SIGNS POINT TO YES.
*much applause, throwing of batons, etc*

Hmmm. Maybe I'll use the eight-ball to answer all the questions for this round. That might make it more interesting.
This one is ANIMAL with ABSTRACT connections.

Animal = Human?

Human? It is decidedly so.

Fictional?

Fictional? My reply is no.

Is this person in the arts and entertainment professions?

Arts and Entertainment? My reply is no.

Is the human a politician?

Politician? Yes definitely.

American?

Female?

[Quenders, CdM] Well persevered! I think most, like me, wanted to know the answer but didn't have a clue how to attack it.

American? Don't count on it.
Female? Outlook not so good.

Turns out magic 8-balls don't have many good ways of saying No.

British?

British? My reply is no.

European?

Currently alive?

Never heard of the Magic 8-ball - even after looking it up to check.

European? You may rely on it.
Currently alive? My sources say no.

Begins with a P?

Begins with a P? Very doubtful.

Known for military achievements?

Well known in UK?

Is the AOTC a dead male European politician whose name doesn't begin with a P?

Known for military leadership? Very doubtful
Well known in UK? Reply hazy try again
Dead male non-P European politician? Signs point to yes.

Did this person die after 1900?

Died after 1900? Without a doubt.

Did this person die after 2000?

Was he a francophone?

Well known in UK?

All right. Reluctantly I think I need to abandon the 8-ball, or I risk confusing and infuriating you all.
Die after 2000? No.
Francophone? I can't tell from the sources I have checked. French was not his mother tongue, but there are some reasons to believe he may at least have had a working knowledge of the language.
Well-known in the UK? Concentrate and ask again. Oh, sorry. I do not think that, at the present time, you would say that. But the abstract connection is at least somewhat well-known.

Quisling?

Quisling? It is decidedly so! An impressive leap there. The answer is indeed Vidkun Quisling, leader of the Norwegian collaborationist government from 1942-45. Tuj asked the wrong question. One baton inscribed "with best wishes, Adolf" handed over.

Yes, well, sometimes an answer just jumps into your head and you have to take a guess.
This next one is ABSTRACT with ANIMAL connections

Animal = Human?

[Software] human animal? - YES is probably the most helpful answer

Fictional?

(The next question is: "Is this person in the arts and entertainment professions?")

[CdM] Fictional - YES
The next answer is NO

Actually, the best answer to Software would have been YESish and NO

Gollum?

[Chalky] 'well, sometimes an answer just jumps into your head and you have to take a guess' - this one happens to be wrong

is the animal a deity?

assumption alert

[Phil] Godlike animal? - NO *a couple of audience members exchange significant glances*

Begins with... um... R?

Proverbial?

Is the animal unique?

Is the animal mythical?

Aslan?

[Tuj] R-start? - NO
[Quen] Proverb? - Not as such but *some applause*
[CdM] Just the one? YES and NO
[Phil] Mythical? - YES and NO
[Raak] Aslan? - NO

Guardian Angel?

Mass assumption alert

[Software] Grauniad Angle? - NO

A character from a book (or books)?

[Phil] Character in book? - The human animal appears in at least one literary work.

A well known phrase or saying?

Is the AOTC more than one creature?

[Chalky] I say, I say, I say? - NO
[Tuj] >1 creature? - YES! *relieved applause*

All the creatures on Noah's Ark?

[Raak] The animals went in seven by seven? - NO

Devilish connection?

Does this human animal have any connection to nonhuman animals?

Is the abstract part the occupation of a human?

Yes, don't forget the abstract

[Software] Devilish? - NO
[Quen] human/nonhuman connection (until they caught him at it)? NO, not particularly, except in the context of the AOTC
[Dujon] Abstract = Occupation? - NO

Is the AOTC the title of a book?

[Tuj] Book title? - NO (at least not one I've heard of)

Bigfoot?

[Software] Size 17? - NO

Are these creatures different species - apart from the human?

First literary appearance before 1900?

[Chalky] multi-species? NO - (There's a misapprehension behind your question - I assume based on my answer to Tuj. I counted the human as a creature) So to be clear, the AOTC includes a human and another creature.
[Quen] First written about pre 1900? - YES *some chuckles in the audience*

Alice in Wonderland?

Is Software's question a 'book title' which Tuj asked and to which you have replied NO?

Thanks for clarification on the creature issue :)

Is the human named ie. Jonah and The Whale?

[Software] Miss Liddell and the Magic Mushrooms? - NO (I would consider that a 'Book Title'
[Chalky] Named Human? - YES *appreciative murmurs*

BTW - I've done some research and can't find a book title that matches the AOTC - though there are several which incorporate most of it, at least one of which is by a well-known writer. I don't think it's a useful approach for you.

Is the non-human a mythical creature?

Beginning to get somewhere

[Tuj] Non-human mythical? - NO

Is the human from the Mediterranean?

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