mc5 - AVMA Take 2

The Kakapo of Ludlow?

The Po Bird?!

Is it someting along the lines of the Oomegoolybird?

This was posted via Eh-Oh L.

"Something". I have not gone Jamaican.

Penguin?

Projoy has it!

Apart from the Ludlow bit, as far as I'm aware...
[Gusset] A droll lol...
It is indeed the endearingly hopeless Kakapo, which I learned about from Douglas Adams' wonderful Last Chance To See and the later TV series with Stephen Fry and Mark Carwardine revisiting the species from the book years later.

[Rosie] I remember that joke, is it from Clue? "very short legs..."

OK, here's an ANIMAL, VEGETABLE and MINERAL

France?

Some form of food and drink?

[GL] France? NO
[blamelewis] Edible/Imbibable? NO

Can you wear it?

A gold embossed, leather bound book?

Arty?

Does the animal part relate to humans?

Is this an object once used in war and hunting?

[GL] Book? NO
[Raak] Art-related? NO
[Phil] Animal human? PARTLY/MAINLY, I suppose.
[Dujon] An object? NO. Used in war? ARGUABLY (but probably not that helpful an angle).

[Softers] Wearable? NO.

Is/was there just one of it?

[Raak] Just one? YES is the best answer.

The Earth, and all that is upon it?

A man-made environment?

[Raak] The cloud-capp’d towers, the gorgeous palaces, the solemn temples, the great globe itself, yea, all which it inherit? NO
[Rosie] A man-made environment? YES, I GUESS YOU COULD CALL IT THAT.

The Anthropocene Age?

[Raak] Humantime? NO

Is/was it in space?

[blame] In space? NO (except in the sense that everything is).

Blamelewis

A theatre?

Can you see all of it at once?

[blame] Not a theatre.
[Rosie] Can you see it all at once? NO, not from most angles.

(I guess it depends how strict your definition of 'it all' is).

Bigger than a phonebox?

[Software] Much bigger than a phonebox.

Bigger than Ireland?

[GL] Smaller than Ireland.

About the size of Wales?

1 standard unit.

[Rosie] Smaller than a Wales.

Bigger than Kent?

[GL] Smaller than Kent.

A man-made island?

Bigger than Central London?

Within the M25

[Software] Not an island
[GL] Smaller than London, both in M25 and 1965 and 1899 boundaries terms.

er, 1889, I meant.

Bigger than the London Eye?

[GL] Yes, bigger than the biggest ferris wheel.

Is it an organisation?

[blamelewis] Organised? No, not as such.

A specific urban area?

[Rosie] A specific urban area? YES.

Slough?

In the UK?

[Software] Come, friendly bombs? NO
[GL] In UK? YES!

Is this an area which might be loosely termed as an 'entertainment' district?

[Duj] Entertainment? NO.

Is it a City?

Is it in Wales?

Is it a distinctive part of some large city?

[blame] City? NO
[GL] Wales? NO. *audience cries of 'bad luck, old chap'*
[Rosie] Distinctive part? NO.

Is it in England?

Shropshire?

[GL] England? YES!
[Software] Shropshire? YES!

Gotta be Oswestry.

[Rosie] Oswestry, home of the famous duck-man? YES! Please take this very short section of the England-Wales border.

Well, well, I've been Offa'd a Dyke. Oswestry was "town" to my Dad's family from Glynceiriog.

Enough of this rambling - the next object is

ABSTRACT with ANIMAL and MINERAL connections.

A human construct?

(Pj) A human construct? - YES.

CdM

Particularly linked to a specific human?

(CdM) Linked to a specific human? - NO.

Is there a religious theme to the answer?

(Phil) Religious theme - NO.

Clarification/Correction: The "human construct" applies to the wording rather than the idea itself.

Phrase or saying?

(Software) Phrase or saying? - YES.

Wales-related?

Is the animal element specifically human?

(Projoy) Nothing to do with Wales, or its border towns.
(Phil) Animal element human? - YES.

Is there anybody there?

(Rosie) Not a soul.

A fool and his money are soon parted?

I am

(Softers) So true, but not this time.

Hint: The AOTC contains no verb - it's a description.

So that'd be along the lines of a 'Man Mountain' then?

(Dujon) Possibly along those lines, YES.

Duck Face?

(Gusset Login) Not "Duck Face". *some aduience murmurings of approval*

Selfie?

(Gusset Login) Not a selfie.

Is the mineral naturally occurring?

(Dujon) Naturally occurring mineral? NO.

A photo bomb?

atomic or otherwise

Is this something related to some thing people wear?

(GL) Er, not sure what that is, but it ain't the answer.
(Dujon) No relation to anything worn.

Related to "The Arts"?

Something somebody does?

(Phil) The Arts and How They Was Done? NO.
(Software) Not a thing anybody does.

A type of person?

(Raak) Strictly, NO, but we may be getting somewhere. *audience, previously somnolent, now considerably animated*

A fictional character?

A role that someone plays?

(Phil) Fictional? NO. This is about real people.
(Raak) NO, not a role.

A job title?

(Phil) Job title? NO.
Raak's penultimate: The AOTC is not a type of person but describes a type of person.

A Fat Bastard?

A jobsworth?

(Software) Not a Fat Bastard.
(Raak) Not a jobsworth.
It's figurative - see the original definition.

Is this something one would be pleased to be described as?

(Raak) A nice description? Someone described thus may well say yes, but the vast majority, no.

Is the mineral metal?

Trying different line of attack...

(Phil) Is the mineral metal? YES.

Man of iron?

(Software) Not Man of Iron, nor Thatcher. Try just a little further up the Periodic Table.

Is it related to Polonium?

(Gusset Login) Polonium? NO. Not that far up the Periodic Table, nothing like it.

copper?

(Phil) Copper? YES, but not solely.

Bronze Age Man?

(Phil) Bronze Age Man? NO.

Brass neck?

(Software) Damn cheek, but the right answer! A Brass Neck it is. I hand you the brazen stick.

Gosh, I must get out the Brasso.

Now what have we here? The laser display board is showing the audience and the players are getting the clues:

This time it is ANIMAL

An individual?

A human?

Living?

Multi-YES!

In the entertainment industry?

Female?

[Raak] NO, would be the right answer
[GL] NO

Involved in politics?

[GL] In a way, YES.

Seen on TV?

Billy Bragg?

[Chalky] oh YES
[Pro} NO

In charge of a programme?

A presenter on current affairs?

[Rosie] NO
[Raak] NO

A comedian?

Anything to do with sport?

[Rosie] NO
[Raak] NO

An actor?

A peer?

[Phil] Not as such, NO
[Raak] NO

Something to do with 'reality TV'?

[GL] Big Brotherism? NO

Someone's side-kick?

[Rosie] Subordinate? NO very much his own man

Jeremy Clarkson?

Host of a TV programme?

[Raak] Wheel Spheel? absolutely NO
[Phil] Still not a TV presenter NO

known primarily for tv work?

Host of tv programme is not necessarily the same as in charge of one, or a news presenter.

[Phil] forget tv as a main issue NO

Involved in "the Arts"?

A scientist?

[Phil] arty farty? NO
[Rosie] Boffin? NO

Part of the financial world?

cfm

A doctor?

[Rosie] Wheeler dealer? NO
[cfm] Dr Whom? NO

Is the TV presence of primary importance?

[Rosie] NO not really but it is of some interest

cfm

Well-known primarily in the (still) United Kingdom?

[cfm] NO, pretty well known worldwide I'd say

Recap:
male, well known, not especially TV oriented, not an actor or a presenter but (clue) newsworthy.

[cfm] NO, pretty well known worldwide I'd say

Recap:
male, well known, not especially TV oriented, not an actor or a presenter but (clue) newsworthy.

A tycoon?

[Rosie] NO.

A musician?

[cfm] NO

Journalist?

You forgot to mention 'vague link to politics' in the recap.

[GL] Horrah! YES

Works for the BBC?

Mainly journalises for newspapers?

Piers Morgan?

[Rosie] NO
[Projoy] YES
[GL] Smarmy? NO

Would he be an ex-pat Australian?

[Duj] wizard of Oz? YES now we are cooking with gas!

Clive James?

[Phil] That Oz? NO

Not Rupert sodding Murdoch?

[Rosie] Absolutely NOT! - NO

John Pilger?

[Rosie] Not him either, but stick with the Oz theme. NO

Does this chap have a surname which is also a common given name?

[Duj] Daily Telegraph top 10 boys names? NO

Peter Greste?

Chalky

Mark Austin?

[Phil] PG? NO
[Chalks] MA NO stick with the Oz theme

Aged over 50?

Leftish tendencies?

Regularly published in a UK Newspaper?

[Phil] > 50? NO
[Rosie] Red under the bed? YESish
[GL] Regular contributor? NO

Given your emphasis on OZ: Was this person involved with the OZ magazines?

Clarification: Oz = Australian. Anyway, the AOTC is under 50

Is this ex-pat Australian now based in the UK?

Richard Flanagan?

[Phil] In the UK? Well, technically, NO (but ponder on that)
[GL] had to Google him NO

Oh, it'll be that moron Julian Assange then, is it?

[Phil] That moron? - YES!

I didn't think that this would have taken so long, never mind, I now hand over the leaky baton to Phil!

Ithangyew, Software! Indeed, I think we could have got there earlier with the right questions. So lets be pressing on with

Animal

Human?

[Software] Human? YES

Alive?

[GL] Alive? NO

Died this century?

Begins with P?

Male?

Western?

Entertainer?

[Raak] 21st century death? NO
[Tuj] P-prefix? NO
[Rosie] Male? YES
[pen] Western? YES (unless you mean in the John Wayne sense)
[GL] ENtertainer? NO

Died before 1950?

[GL] Dead pre 1950? YES

Died before 1850?

Political connection?

[GL] Dead pre 1850? NO
[Software] Political connection? YES-ish

A scientist?

[Raak] Scientist? YES-ish, again

Was he an American inventor?

[Dujon] US Inventor? NO

A non-American Inventor?

Just to cover all bases.

Pre WWII?

German?

[GL] Any other inventor? NO
[Software] pre WWII? Yes
[Raak] German? NO

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle?

[Software] Sir A C Doyle? NO

Lewis Carroll?

[Rosie] Lewis Carroll? NO

72 hours without a question.

Time for a quick summary: A non-German western man who died between 1850 and 1939. Minor scientific and political connections. Neither an inventor nor an entertainer. Neither Arthur C Doyle nor Lewis Carroll. In addition, neither his Christian name nor surname begins with P.
On reflection I may have understated his scientific side, but would not call him a scientist.

Was he famous for something other than science and politics?

[GL] Famous outside of Science and Politics? YES *audience awakens from a short snooze*

Known as a philosopher?

Was he a neurologist?

[Raak] Known as a philosopher? NO
[Dujon] Do. neurologist? NO

A strong connection to medicine?

[GL] Strong connection to medicine? YES *some applause*

Louis Pasteur?

[Rosie] Pasteur? NON

Writer?

Was he a native English speaker?

(Yes, Americans and Australians count in this category don't be mean)

[gil] Writer? YES (be careful)
[GL] Native Anglophone? YES

Fiction?

[gil] Fiction writer? NO

British cinematic connection?

[Software] British cinema connection? YES, but only rather tenuously

A week since the last summary

So, all the previous summary plus: he has a strong connection to medicine and is a native English speaker who has written non-fiction works, has a rather tenuous connection to British cinema, is a native English speaker, and not Louis Pasteur, a philosopher or a neurologist. Other than "Western" we still don't know what nationality he is!

Canadian?

[GL] Canadian? NO

Scottish?

[GL] Scottish? YES *More Applause*

Dr Livingstone, I presume...

[gil] Correct. And have a bonus point for the question I was hoping to be asked.

A, V, M, a combination of these, or A

Begins with P?

Smörgåsbord?

[tuj] Doesn't begin with P
[Raak] not sm... what you said

A Scottish 'dish'?

[dujon] not a Scottish dish

Edible?

A collective noun?

Edible? While some varieties of this object are edible, the majority are not. It would mislead you to follow that line.
A collective noun? No. A noun? Yes.

Is the animal part a reptile?

[Dujon] The object on the card may be constituted from one or a number of components, one of which might conceivably be reptilian, though it's unlikely. Equally, another meaning of the above-mentioned object may be abstract. You may therefore assume that the object on the card is general rather than specific. Hope that helps. Actually, I once heard a team on the radio deduce this object in 20 questions to which the answers were restricted to Yes or No.

A work of art?

[Phil] Not a work of art, though I suppose someone could construe a particular example of this object as one. But the general run of objects like this have relatively mundane purposes.

An elephant's foot umbrella stand?

A Ball?

[Software] .... Almost...
[Gusset Login] You Win! Well done.

[Software] .... Almost...
[Gusset Login] You Win! Well done.

Double keypress glitch... Sorry

Next is MINERAL

Metallic?

[gil] Metallic? - No.

Solid?

[Raak] Solid? - No. (Assuming room temperature)

Liquid?

[Phil] Liquid? - No. (Assuming room temperature)

Would the liquid form of this element be rather nippy?

Part of the atmosphere?

[Dujon] Melting point more than 10 degrees Celsius lower than water? - Yes
[Rosie] In the atmosphere? - Yes, but probably not naturally to any great extent.

One of the rare gases?

[Raak] Rare/Noble gas? - No

CFCs?

Methane?

Flatulo ergo sum.

[Software] CFCs? *A smattering of applause* - No
[Rosie] Methane? - No

ozone?

Carbon dioxide?

[gil] ozone? - No
[Raaak] CO2? - No

helium?

Does it have a smell?

[gil] He? - No.
[Rosie] Smelly? - Yes.

Butane?

Hydrogen sulphide?

[Software] Butane? - No.
[Rosie] Hydrogen sulphide? - No.

Is this an NH compound commonly used in fertiliser and cleaning products?

[Dujon] NH? - No. Compound? - No. Commonly used in fertiliser and cleaning products? - Yes and No.

Chlorine?

[gil] Cl? - Yes. Have a baton made of purest chlorine. (Best hold your breath for a bit).

Abstract

Phrase or saying?

An emotion?

Begins with P?

Phrase? No
Emotion? Yes
Begins with P? Yes

Do some people suffer attacks of this for no obvious reason?

Panic?

Anything to do with fear?

Rosie wins. Raak a close second.

(Forgot to mention that Dujon was third. That was more like an attack of mass telepathy than an AVMA round)

Right then, it's ABSTRACT

Justice?

Is this usually a good thing?

(GL) Justice? NO
(gil) To most, YES, but in moderation.

Christmas Cheer?

(GL) Christmas cheer? NO.

Connected with the current season?

An emotion?

(Raak) Advent? NO. (nor any other season)
(Phil) An emotion? NO.

A condition, like peace?

(gil) A condition, such as peace. NO

An attribute, such as speed?

(gil) An attribute? YES, I'd say it is.

cfm

A skill?

Is the attribute associated with human beings?

(cfm) A skill? Not as such, but you may need it to bring this about.
(gil) A human attribute? NO.

Existence?

rpm?

(gil) Existence? Rather less all-encompassing, so NO
(GL) The angular velocity of Resale Price Maintemamce? Sorry, but NO.

... stumped.

A sense?

(Phil) A sense? NO, but you need one of the senses to appreciate this.

A sound?

(Phil) A sound? YES.

The sound of one hand clapping?

Anything to do with steam engines?

(GL) Monochiral applause? NO.
(Phil) Steam engines? NO, although this has been mistakenly attributed to some of them by some writers. Hint I have another great interest.

AOTC is one word, a noun.

Thunder?

The sound of a trombone?

Music?

(Phil) Good guess, but alas WRONG.
(Raak) NO, not the 'bone.
(GL) Music? Well, actually, NO *audience now hyperventilating*

A whistle?

(Phil) A whistle? NO. (nothing to do with steam locos)

"Music" is not the AOTC, but.....

A Fanfare?

(GL) NOT a fanfare.

Muzak?

Melody?

(GL) Muzak? NO.
(gil) Melody? NO.

Jazz?

(Phil) NOT jazz, but heavily related.

Does this noun also describe animal droppings?

Sorry I'm late. The train was delayed.

(Duj) Can't quite see what you're getting at, but NO. molto con cowpat.

Blues?

A particular chord?

(GL) - NO, not the Blues.
(Raak) NO, not as particular.

Improvisation?

Is it a specific piece of music?

(Phil) Not improvisation.
(GL) Not a specific piece of music.

A musical form?

(Raak) A musical form? Strictly speaking NO, but that is in some ways misleading. Call it a feature.

A glissando?

(Phil) A glissandOOOOOoooooo? NO, but you're in the right area.

A trill?

crescendo?

(Raak) NOT a trill.
(gil) NOT a crescendo.

AOTC is one word.

Rhythm?

(Raak) Rhythm? You're getting very close.

Pitch?

Tempo?

(Phil) NOT pitch.
(GL) NOT tempo.
Not all music has the AOTC.

Swing?

(Raak) NOT swing, but swing often has this.

Syncopation?

(Phil) YES! Sin-coper-shone it is. Take this rather confused conductor's baton and proceed strictly alla marcia to The Next Object.

Ooh, a magical music stick

OK, for today's new guess-target, I am going to opt for:

Abstract and Animal

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer?

Human?

Santa?

[GL] Rudoplh? NO. Although I wish I had done that now.
[Rosie] Human? YES
[Raak] St Nick? NO

Currently topical?

[Rosie] Topical? NO ... apols for the delay. And happy Christmas

Female?

[GL] Female? YES

Holder of an office?

[Rosie] Office-holder? NO

Alive at this moment?

Fictional?

A witch?

[Rosie] Alive at this moment? NO (although see below)
[GL] Fictional? YES
[Raak] A witch? NO

Did she have a few friends who were small in stature?

Did she once throw a metal bar torn off a street light at a talking lion?

Did she die in the work of fiction for which she is best known?

[Dujon] Friend of little people? NO, at least no more or less than anyone else, on average, I would surmise.
[Raak] Talking-lion-abuser? NO (I'm pretty sure that would have been mentioned, if she had)
[GL] Dead in fiction? NO

Is she best known for appearing in a film?

[GL] Best known as a film role? The answer would be different depending on whom you asked. For me it's a NO

Did she first appear in a book?

Was she created before July 12th 1956?

Raak - first in a book? YES
GL - Pre 12/7/56? YES

A child?

A children's book?

[Rosie] A child? NO
[Raak] Children's book? NO

Is she the title character of the book?

[GL] Title character? NO

A literary character?

[Rosie] Literary? YES

Nineteenth century?

A correction

[Rosie] On reflection "literary" can be taken by some people to mean "from great works of 'Literature'", although I don't know how one would define them. The AotC is a character from fiction, and I have seen her mentioned as a "literary character", although I wouldn't rate the "literature" as "Literature", but some probably would. In all, she's a character from a book or books.

[gil] C19? YES, but not exclusively.

Was the book in English?

Mrs Hudson?

[Raak] In English? YES
[GL] Mrs Hudson? When one has eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, is indeed Mrs Hudson. CORRECT. Congratulations!

Hmm... OK, next up is: ABSTRACT with ANIMAL connections.

Is the animal connection human?

[Phil] Human? - No.

Is it a characteristic of a particular animal?

A fictional animal?

[Rosie] A characteristic of a particular animal? No, but there is a connection.
[Phil] Fictional animal(s)? Yes

Mammalian?

[Knobbly] Mammals? Not primarily but some.

Do they talk?

Is it the cast of a particular childrens' book?

[Raak] Talking animals? Thankfully, No.
[Dujon] Cast of a particular children's book? No.

Do such animals also exist (or have they) in the real world?

[Raak] Real animals? Yes. (Or at least something similar in most cases)

Native to UK?

[Software] Native to UK? Some might be, others certainly aren't.

The story so far...

Fictional animals of multiple species almost all of which are non-mammalian and in as far as they can be identified, are probably based on real animals but not UK natives (probably). They are not from a children's book and they don't talk. The character of the animals is important but is not likely to be guessed in a "____ as a [Name of animal]" sense.

Taking a backward step: Did they originally appear in a book?

[Dujon] originally from a book? No but apparently books have been made since (including children's books)

Mythical?

[Raak] Mythical? No.

Bunnyish?

[Software] Non-mammalian bunnies? No.

Earth-based?

[Phil] Earth-based? Yes, but not earth-based versions exist.

Unicellular?

[Raak] Mono-celled? No

Clues

I think everyone is as bored of this as I am. Here are some hints to push the game forward to less boring, more finishing moves.

1. The AOTC is two words. One of these describes the non-mammalian animals and the other is an attribute that sets them apart from the majority of their real world counterparts. The whole is the name of a 21st century abstract that was not originally literature but has since spread to various other media.

2. The mammalian animals are a less well known aspect of the AOTC and except with regard to colour, clearly represent an animal that is common in the UK, US and several other places. The primary animals are less easily identified.

Desert Rats?

Rak

Cat girls?

An alarmingly intelligent species of ostrich

[Phil] Dessert Rats? No (Rats are mammals)
[Rak] Cat Girls? No (Cats and Girls are both mammals)

lizards?

[Raak] lizards? No

Fish?

[Raak] Fish No

Birds?

[Raak] Birds? Yes

Angry Birds?

[Raak] Angry Birds? YES Let me fire this avian baton at you.

**>>PECK<<**

Next: MINERAL

Manufactured?

Metal?

[Rosie] Manufactured.
[GL] Partly metal.

Can you (or I) lift it?

Can we lift it? No, yes, or no, from various points of view.

Unique?

[GL] Unique.

Does it belong to a single person?

[Tuj] Does not belong to one person.

Is it a pyramid?

[Dujon] Not a pyramid.

In UK?

(amusement in the audience) Not in the UK.

Bigger than a phone box?

[GL] Smaller than a phone box.

Could it be called art?

Smaller than a breadbox?

[Rosie] Not art. [GL] Larger than a breadbox.

Is it assembled bit by discrete bit?

[Dujon] Assembled piece by piece.

A triangulation point at some particular place?

[Rosie] Not a trig point.

Does it have a technical application?

[Rosie] Yes, it has a technical application.

A light?

[Rosie] Not a light.

Does it begin with P?

[Tuj] Yes! Yes, it DOES begin with a P!

Kim

Was it manufactured in the twentieth century?

Is it associated with a particular type of geographical feature?

[Kim] Made in the 20th century.
[Rosie] Not associated with a type of geographical feature.

Would it be a product of WWII?

[Dujon] Not a product of WWII.

Oops, my answer to Kim was wrong. On searching out the date of its completion, I find it was not in the 20th century.

A telescope?

[Rosie] Not a telescope.

Philae lander?

And Knobbly scores a hole in one! Have this genuine Rosetta stone. My answer to the weightlifting question is explained by the fact that on Earth, it would weigh about 100 kg, which is more than I've ever bench pressed, but sitting on the comet it's estimated to weigh about 1 gram -- but you can't get there to lift it.

Sorry Tuj, was that where you were heading?
Next up is Vegetable

Is it edible?

Well, someone has to kick it off.

Alive?

Wooden?

Is it unique?

[Knobbly] One letter at a time? No =)

Does it have a practical use?

[Raak]

Hidden text

Measuring weight in g/kg rather than N?

Some catching up to do...

[Dujon] No, not edible (is the least misleading answer, although everything is edible once)
[GL] Yes, alive
[Phil] Yes, wooden *ripple of applause*
[Tuj] Yes, unique (or at least specific)
[Raak] No practical use