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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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Is it powered by human effort (like a bicycle)?
A suit of armour?
[INJ] Yes.
[Chalky] YES! Over to you.
Oo-er! That was rather unexpected. OK - as I'm here ...

A N I M A L / A B S T R A C T

Is it a fictional human?
Are they male?
The Cheshire Cat?
[I] Fictional Human? Yes
[GL] Male? Yes
[R] The Cheshire Cat? No
Are they best known for being a character in a film?
Is he an adult fictional human?
Appears in Victorian-era literature?
Is he a comic book or cartoon character?
Is he a character in a novel?
Is it a specific single individual?
[GL] character in film? Arguable, but I'd say No
[i] Adult? No
[RS] Victorian era? No
[i] comic/cartoon? No
[I] novel? Yes
[INJ] specific individual? Yes
Does the name of the novel include the name of the answer?
Does this non-adult fictional male character that appears in a novel hail from the British Isles?
was the novel written in English?
Harry Potter?
Going for the obvious...
Adrian Mole?
Going for very nearly as obvious...
sorry for the long wait - I went out tonight
[INJ] name including name? No
[i] British Isles? Yes
[E] English? Yes
[Ra] Harry boy? Nah - 'though going for the obvious may not be a bad move - this is a relatively well-known child character in a novel which, I think, most of us will have, or been forced to have, read at some point in our lives.
[Ro] Adrian? No
was Dickens the author of the novel?
Was this young fellow involved with pirates?
William Brown?
Is the child the main protagonist of the novel?
Does he appear in one novel, as opposed to a series?
[E] Dickens? No
[D] Pirates? If you're thinking R L Stephenson, then No
[R] William? No
[I] main protagonist? certainly one of them, Yes
[Néa] one novel? Yes

[I'll be away until lunchtime]

Piggy (from Lord of the Flies)?
I'm reasoning along the lines that it's 20th Century (although we only know that it's not Victorian) and that Chalky said we may have been forced to read it, which suggests something slightly more serious than HP or the Famous Five.
Was the novel written in the 20th century?
Just to confirm.
Wart?
Peter from 'The railway children'?
A Result
[I'm Not John] Your reasoning is exemplary - Piggy it is!

Well played - here's the baton ....

Well, what do you know?
Thank you, though you might have given the baton a bit of a wipe down before passing it on. The next one is
ANIMAL & VEGETABLE
Sausages and mash?
[Raak] No (but think how good you'll feel when one of your stabs in the dark does work)
A partridge in a pear tree?
The New Forest?
Is the vegetable part still attached and growing ton the plant or is it detached, and parts now combined with the animal product in question?
Hamburger and French Fries?
Irish stew?
[GL] No
[Chalky] No
[Irach] No ;-)......Oh, all right then - No and Yes(ish), but you've made a lot of assumptions
[RS] No
[Irach] No
Is this something you eat?
I was wondering when someone would ask that
[Raak] Yes
Would this be served as a meal on a plate?
2 questions
[Chalky] No, but the answers you probably want are - No and Yes
[INJ] ah yes - was meaning: 'meal on a plate' as opposed to 'lolly on a stick' type of thing. But as you have vair kindly given me a precise answer ....
Would this be considered British food?
[Chalky] Yes
That's it until tomorrow morning now
Fish and chips?
Is the animal part meat?
Haggis?
is this an accompaniment to a meal?
[RS] No
[Raak] No
[Iroul] No
[Chalky] No
Is cheese involved?
Is it savoury [as opposed to sweet]?
[Chalky] No (small ripple from the audience)
Meetings until lunchtime now.
Cheesecake?
Is cheese involved?
I know I asked before, but you didn't answer
Jaffa cakes?
Pastry?
ice-cream?
Buttered toast?
Is the animal part eggs?
Cookies and milk?
Back online
[Raak] cheesecake - NO
[GL] cheese - NO (sorry)
[Iroul] Jaffas - NO
[Chalky]Pastry - NO
[GL] Ice cream - NO
[irach] toast - NO
[RS] animal part eggs - YES (Partly)
[irach] Cookies & Milk - NO
Some kind of cake?
An omelette?
Yorkshire pudding?
French Toast?
Is is a McDonalds Egg McMuffin?
pancake?
[Chalky] cake - NO (applause at the question and a bit of tutting and shaking of heads at the answer)
[Raak] omelette - NO
[Iroul] Yorkshire pud - NO
[GL] French Toast - NO
[Kim] Egg McMuffin - NO
[Chalky] Pancake - NO
Is the vegetable part a fruit?
Is a cow in any way involved with its origins?
[irach] a fruit? - Mostly NO
[RS] Is a cow involved? - YES
.The audience sits in stony silence through those questions and answers
Is it a well-loved traditional British pudding?
Custard?
Spam, sausage, spam, spam, bacon, spam, tomato and spam?
[Chalky] - YES (applause)
[all] custard? - Each to his own taste, but for me the answer is NO
Oh, you meant, 'is it custard?' - NO.
[Néa] - NO (I think most people would regard that as a touch savoury - unless you ignore the Spam, Sausage, Bacon and Spam)
Pineapple upside-down pudding?
Spotted Dick?
[Raak] - NO
[Chalky] - NO (avoiding all the obvious comments)
Is it bread and butter pudding?
Can't be long now
[all] - NO
Jam roly-poly?
Yorkshire Pudding?
Is it typically eaten at Christmas?
Rice Pudding?
[Raak] Jam roly-poly? - NO (but on the right lines)
[irach] still NO
[Néa] xmas - NO
[Chalky] Rice Pud? - NO
How many words "on the card"?
I think this is a legitimate question, traditionally.
[Rosie] - it depends which version of the game you're thinking of, but I'm happy to answer. 3 (though there is a two-word answer which I might consider close enough).
Caramel pudding?
Dumplings?
lemon meringue pie?
[irach] Caramel pudding? - NO but sooooo close
[Raak] - NO
Sticky Toffee Pudding
(not sure if that is any different from caramel pudding, mind you...)
Death By Chocolate?
Sussex Pond Pudding?
Sorry for the previous guess, didnt see it had 3 words.
And the winner is
[CdM] - YES - Sticky Toffee Pudding it is
I did have a little debate with myself over caramel pudding - I'd already decided to accept syrup/treacle sponge. I just wasn't quite sure what was meant by it exactly (for example is 'Crème Caramel' a caramel pudding. So, butter, eggs & milk for the animal and the fruit was because traditionally, it should be made with date sponge. So it's over to CdM.
[Dazed5] I wish I'd thought of that - I would have used it if I had.
All right -- I think this should be an easy one, actually.
ABSTRACT
anarcho-syndicalism?
Can I buy a vowel please?
anarcho-syndicalism? Oooh, very close, in the sense that "anarcho-syndicalism" contains all but one of the letters in both acceptable versions of the actual answer.
Monday morning? (or mornings?)
Is it a book?
Mondays? No.
Book? No.
Is the missing letter in "anarcho-syndicalism" an 'e'?
e-missing? No. And to clarify: it is a different letter that is missing for each of the acceptable answers. But in neither case is the missing letter an "e" (and in only one of the two cases is the missing letter a vowel).
Is the missing letter a "y"? As in anarchy?
Is it, in the broadest sense, a philosophy?
Is it a human concept?
missing y? No, in neither case.
philosoph_? No.
human concept? yes.
Is it a munificent human concept? Or the contrary?
Munificent or the contrary? Er. I think I would say No and No.
Is it a work of art?
Work of art? No.
Does it primarily or largely appear in a book?
Primarily or largely appear in a book? *considerable applause from audience* No.
Is it popular?
Is it to do with books or reading?
Is there a religious connection?
Is a book part of it?
Would Socrates have found use for it?
Is it fiction?
Popular? Somewhat, depending on what you mean by "popular".
Books or reading? It need not have anything to do with books or reading, but having said that, there is a definite connection.
Religious? No.
Book part of it? No, although there is a connection to some books.
Socrates? No.
Fiction? No.
A cataloguing scheme?
Cataloguing scheme? No.
Is it anything to do with colour?
Is it a general human concept, or specific to a particular culture or cultures?
Is there only one / one manifestation of this?
Colour? No.
General human concept? *applause from the audience* It is a specific cultural example of a general human concept.
One / one manifestation? Yes. (See above: the answer is one specific manifestation of something more general.)
Is it generally considered a positive attribute?
Is it generally considered a negative attribute?
Anything to do with, ahem, desire?
Is it a thing called Love?
Anything to do with religion?
Positive? It is not an attribute. People would probably view it neutrally. Some people might view it positively (I know some people in the Morniverse do.) I see no reason why it would be viewed negatively in general.
Negative? See above.
Desire? No.
Love? No.
Religion? Still no.
Scansion?
Philology?
Is, it: Punctuation?
Rhythm?
Language?
Scansion: No.
Philology: *some applause from the audience* No.
Punctuation: *tiny smattering of applause* No.
Rhythm: No.
Language? *applause from audience* No.
Is it a particular language?
Particular language: *major applause from audience* Yes!
Finnish / Suomi?
(though isn't the language actually Suomen?)
The Queen's English?
Chinese/Mandarin?
European?
Do (does?) more than a tiny minority of the Morniverse understand it?
Is it a computer language?
html?
Is it the language of luuuurve?
Japanese?
Kyllä!
Finnish? YES! *throws baton at Néa* I never quite worked out all those Finnish cases, but I think "suomen" is the indirect passive fifth person ablative.
[CdM]I think you left out non-neuter
ooooooh
Wow, this is quite a responsibility. *catches baton deftly and drops it on her foot*

[CdM] I believe you'll find that all those cases is a reason that some people do, in fact, view it negatively :-) (I don't!)

ABSTRACT
Anarcho-syndicalism?
It's got to be right some day.
This is not that day
[INJ] No. Some people would probably say that there is a connection, but that's not a very helpful clue.
The long dark night of the soul?
Summer?
Sarcastic anachronisms? (Why not?)
Political?
[Raak] No. *a few people in the audience clap, though*
[Iroulé] No.
[RS] No. (Cos it isn't.)
[Rosie] No.
A Finnish winter?
[Raak] No.
FYI
My Internet access will be patchy the next few days, but I should be able to log in at least once or twice a day.
Does darkness have something to do with it?
Hmmmmmm
[Raak] I would say that darkness is implied but not necessary.
Does it have anything to do with the weather?
The long dark teatime of the soul?
Hello Néa :-) Is this an emotion?
Does the connection between the answer and anarcho-syndicalism have anything to do with Spain?
[Irouléguy] No.
[all] Hmmm. No.
[Chalky] Hello. No. (*applause*)
[Irouléguy] No.
gothdom?
Is it a state of mind?
Is it anything physical?
Is it a human construct?
[Raak] No.
[Chalky] No. *some applause*
[Rosie] Yes but no but yes but no.
[INJ] It is not a construct.
Gloom? Despair? Dyspepsia?
Fannishness?
No, no, no and no. You are not really on the right track at the moment.
Is it some sort of game?
Hoping the points have been set right.
Sleep?
[Rosie] Not a game.
[Raak] No, but now you are most definitely on the right track. *audience claps and cheers*
A dream?
I think he's getting it...
Yes, but that's not specific enough.
A nightmare?
A dream of a better world?
A Midsummer Night's Dream?
Boo!
[Rosie] YES! *hands over baton with a flourish*
ABSTRACT, with MINERAL CONNECTIONS
Should have added ANIMAL CONNECTIONS also.
Anything to do with Harry Potter?
Raak - Absolutely nothing. :-)
Are the animal connections human?
Irouléguy - Yes
Anything to do with King Arthur?
Raak - No, not a thing.
Is the mineral connection metal?
Is the human connection to a non-fictional human
(ImNotJohn) - Both yes.
Camilla's new coat of arms?
Is it a human construct?
(That was original, wasn't it?)
Raak - No.
CdM - Yes. It has to be asked, and you are a couple of inches nearer the Holy Grail. :-)
The Sword of Truth and the Shield of British Fair Play?
Is the non-fictional human alive?
Raak - No
Irouléguy - No
Is the mineral connection a weapon?
Is the mineral connection a precious metal?
[CdM] Wot you doin' aksin my question?
The Holy Grail?
Raak - No, but it can be used as one.
ImNotJohn - No.
all - No.
Lord Byron's bicycle?
Raak - No, but the format of your answer is getting warm.
X's Y for some animate X and inanimate Y?
Davy Jones' Locker?
Pandora's Box?
Midas' Golden Touch?
Raak - That's right
Dazed5 - No
irach - No
RedSnapper - No

Don't forget the meaning is essentially Abstract.

Any political connection?
Dazed5 - No
Newton's three laws of motion?
Is there a musical connection?
Irouléguy - No

Dazed5 - No (Surprised that hasn't been asked earlier).

Is transport involved?
determined to narrow it down
Foucault's pendulum?
Dazed5 - No.
Raak - No. Don't forget the answer has an essentially abstract meaning.
Although the answer could be classed as a little arcane or academic it should be known here, and has 172,000 Google hits worldwide.
[Rosie] So does F's P, a certain novel...
The King's shilling?
Raak - No (Yeah, it means bugger all really. :-) )
Is there a scientific connection?
Is there a religious connection?
Irouléguy - Yes, this could be used in science.
Dazed5 - No.
Did the person live before the 20th century?
Was the person male?
Raak - Yes.
Dazed5 - Yes.
Was he English?
Raak - He was.
So, although this was a real person and a real metal thingy [that could be used as a weapon, or in science] essentially this is an abstract notion? Is it a 2-word answer?
Was the person involved a 19th century Englishman, or did he live (and die) prior to that?
Was the 'weapon' a pen?
Morton's Fork?
Chalky - Yes and yes. The whole thing could be used in science, among other things. The metal thing is part of the abstract idea but as an actual object could be used as a weapon.
irach - Died before 1800.
Dazed5 - No, but some appreciative murmurs from the audience.
ImNotJohn - No.
Chalky - (PS) See my answer to Raak's Lord Byron's bicycle query.
Anything to do with Newton?
Is there a literary connection?
Is the metal thing a hammer?
irach - No. Pre-dates Newton.
Dazed5 - No.
Raak - No.
Predates Stonehenge?
irach - No, not by a long chalk.
Anything to do with Freemasonry?
Any connection to medicine?
Occam's Razor?
Funny you should ask that [Raak] because Occam's Razor attracts exactly 172,000 Google hits worldwide. I reckon you've got it. I've never heard of it mesself :-)
Raak - YES! Well done. A rather obscure one which I thought might just get by, particularly in a place like this. It's meaning is this: If someone says those lights in the sky are UFOs then the application of Occam's Razor makes one ask "couldn't they be aeroplanes, or unusual reflections in the glass, or were you just a bit pissed?", i.e always think of the simple explanation first. Do not elaborate unnecessarily, etc. etc.

Carry on, Raak

VEGETABLE, with ANIMAL and ABSTRACT connections.
Is it edible (or drinkable?)
Is it a constructed object?
Could this be held in your hand?
Is the animal connection a human one?
Edible/drinkable: No.
Constructed: Yes.
Held in the hand: Some could be.
Human connection: Yes.
Is the vegetable wood?
Any religious connection?
Is it purely decorative?
A Water Diviner?
Wood? No.
Religious? Yes.
Purely decorative? Nothing to stop anyone from having one as an ornament.
Water diviner? No.
Correction of my previous answer about being small enough to hold in the hand: as far as I can tell from Google, none of them ever are, when called by the words on the card. The hand-sized ones have a completely different name, so should be excluded.
OK - re. the human connection - does this thing have to be in contact with a human in some way in order to fulfil its function?
Re: religious connection: Eastern religion?
(and I don't mean "originating in the Middle-East")
[Chalky] Not nowadays.
[Néa] No.
A crucifix?
Is the religious connection christian?
Crucifix? No.
Christian? No.
An item of clothing?
Pagan?
Clothing? No.
Pagan? Yes. (applause)
A wicker man?
[Dazed5] Yes!
Here we go with....
MINERAL
Jumping the gun...
Should read MINERAL with the possibility of some VEGETABLE in it also.
A carrot encased in a slab of crystal?
[Nea] That's even better than mine, but sadly, no.
A long shot - coal?
Something to do with fossils?
Is the mineral pure or a mixture?
Rosie. Not coal.
Raak. Nothing to do with fossils.
Irouleguy.Yes, a mixture.
(Apologies to Nea and Irouleguy, I do not know how to do an 'e' with an accent over).
A pearl?
Is the mineral (semi-)precious?
Dazed5 - re. the acute accent - just type [(the ampersand symbol)eacute;] - when you would normally type the 'e' - the semicolon is important.
As for a question ... I expect I'll think of one soon
Another frivolous long shot - Soil?
If I'm right it's my question, otherwise it's Chalky's. Another way to do e-acute is Alt+0233. Look, é.
Does this occur naturally, or is it a human artefact?
A cute accent
INJ. Not a pearl.
INJ(2). Not precious, nor semi-precious, although some older versions may be of considerable value.
Rosie/Chalky. It is not soil (thanks for the pointers).
Irouléguy. Yes, a human artefact.
Is the vegetable part wod?
Or wood?
Raak. Yes it would be, but on the whole, it is quite insignificant.
Is it a toy?
Chalky. It is not a toy.Very slight murmers from the audience.
Is it a weapon?
Made of metal?
Chalky. Not a weapon.
Raak. The relevant bits are metallic, certain bits may probably be wood or even perhaps plastic, but this is not significant.
Is it small enough to hold easily?
A musical instrument?
Is it normally a particular colour or colours?
INJ. No.
Chalky, yes. Major applause from audience.
Iroulegéguy; I don't think so.
A saxophone?
Harmonica?
Rosie, irach. Both no. See INJ question above.
A church organ?
A barrel organ?
A drum kit?
irach. No
Raak. No
Rosie. No
Trinidad steel drums?
Tubular bells?
To produce sound from this musical instrument does one ( a) Bang it (b)Blow on it ? (c)Hit on some keys (d)both b and c (e) Turn a handle (f) Turn on a switch (g) None of the above?
Church bells?
[RedSnapper] While you are waiting for Dazed5 to get back, I can tell you that the answer to your question is "yes".
irach. No
Raak. No
Red Snapper. a)No. b)No. c)No. d)Therefore, no. e)no. f)Not in isolation. g)see f)
irach, No.
Does it require electrical power?
Can it be strummed?
Oversized Karaoke machine?
A mechanical carillon?
A choir of metallic singing robots?
Raak. Yes
irach. No
RedSnapper. No
Raak. No (had to look that one up)
irach, lovely idea but wrong.
Jukebox?
Update
irach, it is not a jukebox.
Whilst doing further research, I have learned that some modern instances of these can be held in the hands, but not the type I was thinking of. Apologies if this has mislead anyone but size is quite irrelevant, or so the females in my life would have me believe.
It's a
I think I know what this is - but I'll leave it for someone else
A Moog synthesiser?
Irouléguy. Not a Moog - Murmers of appreciation from the audience
A Yamaha Synthesizer
irach. It is not a Yamaha synthesizer.
Is it an electronic musical instrument?
Raak. Yes -More excited murmers and much shuffling in seats
Trying not to awaken anyone
I would have thought the musicians in here would have killed this long before now. I will give a further clue if requested.
207,000 Google hits worldwide
Chalky, I get 368,000, but who knows?
Go on, have a guess.
Is it known by its brand name?
Rosie, not a brand name as such, it is named after it's inventor.
The Hammond organ? (171,000 hits)
Irouléguy. It is not a Hammond organ. (Clue: if you find out how it is played you will get there)
A theremin?
BINGO!
Well done CdM, it was a theremin.
Wow, something of a lurker's victory there.
This next one is NONE OF THE ABOVE.
The instant of the Big Bang?
BANG No.
Another fungus?
an emotion?
fungus? No.
emotion? No.
Something Infinite?
Is it connected to the game of MC and/or the Morniverse?
Is it alive?
a vacuum?
<gloat>I hope I'm wrong as I probably won't be logging on more than a couple of times in the next 16 days</gloat>
A sound?
The number zero?
Not a very auspicious start
infinite? No.
connected to MC? No.
alive? No.
a vacuum? No.
A sound? No.
Zero? No.
Is it Animal, Vegetable, Mineral or Abstract?
AVMA? No. Hence my introduction.
The spatio-temporal continuum?
Nothing?
spatio-temporal continuum? No.
Nothing? No.
Might I respectfully suggest that if you just guess without gathering more information this is likely to take you a long time...
Has it ever been alive?
ever alive? No.
Has it ever existed?
Can it be seen?
An elementary particle?
(CdM) Sorry for being a bit thick. :-(
Has it been theorised but not proven?
Could it be better described as real or virtual?
Is there a religious connection?
Is it something one might aspire to?
Why isn't this abstract?
I assumed that all four categories [or any combination thereof] covered everything - are we in danger of becoming über-pedantic?
ever existed? It often exists.
can it be seen? Yes. *applause*
elementary particle? No. *some applause*
!proven? No.
real or virtual? Yes. Oh, all right then, real.
religious connection? Hmmmmm... There were once several religious connections, but nowadays the best answer is No.
aspire to? No. At least, it does not make sense to aspire to the answer on the card, although one might have an aspiration connected to it. Sorry if that sounds cryptic; it is meant to be straightforward.
AVMA Redux? Let me say the following. It is definitely not animal, vegetable, or abstract. If it is anything, it is mineral, but I thought is was misleading to describe it as such. (Apologies in advance if people end up disagreeing!)
The aurora?
The Northern Lights?
A rainbow?
A solar eclipse?
Light?
getting right to the point...
The words on the card were either "aurora borealis" or "northern lights". Thus, although Rosie's answer got massive applause, it did not exclude the possibility of the aurora australis. Thus the judges award victory to Chalky!
taking a bow
Aww shucks - thanks CdM.
Hand on heart, I wasn't influenced by Rosie's guess possibly because I recall this very subject cropping up in the original Pants game a few years ago - I think we labelled it Abstract/Mineral, although I'm sure someone who was there will correct me if I'm wrong ...

And now for something completely tangible ...

A N I M A L

Is this one specific individual?
[Raak] Specific? No. [good question]
Human?
Vertebrate?
Ungulate?
Homo Florensis?
[Rosie] Human - Yes
[Irach] Vertebrate - Yes
[RedSnapper] Ungulate? No
[Raak] Homo Florensis? No, probably not :-)
A group with a common purpose? Eg, The Cabinet, Crystal Palace Football Club. No, scrap that last one.
Is this a species of man?
Meaning Cro-Magnon or its ilk.
Genus Homo?
Are all members of this group of the same gender?
[Chalky] I have to say, I don't see how the aurora would be abstract, since it certainly has a physical existence...
Is this group culturally specific?
[Rosie] Common purpose? They certainly have something in common
[Dujon] species of Man? Yes
[irach] Genus homo? Of course - as previous answer
[CdM] Same gender - No
[Irouléguy] Culturally specific? If I said yes, that might be misleading. Can you be more culturally specific? :-)

[CdM - Abstract as an adjective. Yes, agree in principle. The word should mean something that only exists as a mental concept, but I have noticed is often used in this game to suggest a wider/popular interpretation of the merely physical. I chose not to tag it on to the ANIMAL label in this round, because I felt sure that this 'group of people with something in common' would be established fairly early on.]

Us?
[Raak] Us? As in Us? No.
Is this group linked by a common language, religious or cultural practice?
A musical ensemble?
The ISIHAC teams?
Homo-sapiens?
Person(s) specifically known to carry outd certain particular actions or follow particular professions?
[Irouléguy] Linked? As I've already stated that they have something in common, the answer must be Yes - sort of
[Rosie] Musical ensemble? No
[Gusset Login] ISIHaC teams - No
[all] Homo Sapiens? I think that's been established
[RedSnapper] particular actions or professions? Yes *discernible muttering in audience*
The thing that links these people, is it what they do for a living?
Person(s) of a particular profession?
Persons with a particular hobby or penchant?
A Greek chorus?
Chalky] My question was about how they were linked.
[Raak] making a living? No
[irach] particular profession? No
[Redsnapper] Hobby or Penchant? No and Yes
[Irouléguy] Greek Chorus? No
[it would probably be safer to say that there is no cultural link in the way that you mean]
Are these people fans of something?
Anything to do with sports?
Commuters?
[Raak] Fans of something? Mmmm - I have to say Yes. *polite applause*
[irach] Sports? No
[Dazed] Commuters? No
Does this 'group' number in millions?
[Dazed] Millions? Probably not in the UK
Is this group then specific to the UK?
This thing that they are, one might have to say, fans of, are they practitioners of it?
Do these people go out of the house to indulge their interest?
Would you expect many of the Morniverse's inhabitants to be among these people?
Would many of them gather together in one place to experience this thing for which they have a penchant?
... sorry - been busy
[Dazed] specific to UK? No
[Raak]practitioners? In a manner of speaking, Yes.
[Rosie] Out of house indulgence? No - not necessarily
[Irouléguy] Crescenters? Can't say I know them all well enough, but No *chuckles*
[Kim] Gathering? Some may, some may not.
When somebody gets the right answer, will this site become NSFW?
*laughs out loud*
[CdM] I only practise safe chairwomanship
Would this shared interest be considered risqué in a polite society?
Does it involve any aspect of procreation?
[Dazed] Risqué? No
[irach] Procreation? No

... so that's eliminated any saucy shenanegans :-)
However, both questions are the type of questions that need to be asked.

Are particular types of clothing involved?
[Irouléguy] Clothing? No
Would most people say these people are anoraks?
[Rosie] Anoraks? No
Does this shared interest require any specialist equipment?
Does the shared interest require ambulation of any kind?
Are there roughly equal numbers of both sexes involved?
Does it involve the playing of a game?
[Dazed] specialist equipment? Equipment isn't really the right word, but it certainly requires a certain something to belong to this group
[irach] ambulation? Not really [see Rosie previous question]
[Rosie] equal numbers? I should think so
[Raak] game playing? No

CLUE: The word 'hobby' got a thumbs down, if you read back. This isn't an 'interest' either. It is something that a certain group of people have in common. 'Fan' [as in fanatical] and 'penchant' have both been given a cursory nod ..

Is it connected with either eating or drinking?
[Dazed] Yes! At last :-) * audience wakes up and overcompensates by whooping and hollering *
Wine connoisseurs?
Are they linked by food from a particular part of the world?
[Raak] Wine Connoisseurs? They may well be [but that's not the word on the card]
[Irouléguy] Linked? Food? Part of World? No, No and Thrice No
Alcoholics?
Gourmands of any kind?
Is the "certain something" that is required inherent in the individual?
Vegetarians?
Four very good questions, but only one is correct:

Well done Raak - Alcoholics is the right answer. Over to you ...

I'm off to the Worldcon on Wednesday, but I'm sure you'll get this before then.

MINERAL

Something made by humans?
A natural phenomenon?
[I] Yes.
[K] No.
Uses electricity?
[Rosie] Yes.
Used in the preparation of food?
[nights] No.
Used for recreation?
Normally used in the home?
[irach] Can be.
[Rosie] No.
Is it noisy when in operation?
Can it be used to get from one place to another?
Bigger than one metre cubed?
Ever used in the office?
[irach] No.
[RS] Yes.
[Chalky] No.
[irach] Yes.
Can it be used for communications?
[irach] No.
Is its primary use as a means of transport?
[I] Yes! (applause)
A mode of transportation that's used in the office? (you said above it WAS used in the office). Or primarily to get you to work at the office?
[irach] You asked "Ever used in the office?" so the answer was yes, because I've heard of it happening. But that's an unusual use.
An electric scooter?
An electric wheelchair?
[I] Erm...not entirely sure whether "scooter" would cover this or not.
[R] No.
A Segway?
I was going to post this guess on Friday, but thought that RS's comment would have earned applause if it was right... however, it seems to fit with some of the later Q and A...
[CdM] Yes, a Segway.
OK, an easy one: MINERAL
The new planet 'Xena'?
not that easy
warrior princess? No.
Man-made?
Is it a specific object?
Man-made? No.
Specific object? No.
A type of rock?
A present from Brighton? No.
Is it a solid in its normal state?
Solid in normal state? No. *applause*
Is it bigger than a phone box?
Given that it is not a specific object, the question does not really make sense. However, in the individual instances in which it is normally encountered, it is smaller than a phone box.
Is it mobilel?
A snowman?
mobile? If you mean can it be easily moved, the answer is yes.
snowman? No.
A snowflake?
Is it fluid?
Does "not a specific object" mean "not a named object", so it could be "a mountain" but not "The Matterhorn" even though a mountain could be classed as a specific object?
Is this a type of metal (e.g. mercury)
?
snowflake? No.
fluid? Yes.
clarification of 'not a specific object'? The words on the card are a fairly generic term that refer to a category or class (using those terms loosely) of which there are many different instances, some of which are named. In terms of your example, it is more like the answer being "mountains". Which isn't the answer.
metal? No. silence? No.
A spring?
boingggg? No. *substantial applause from audience, together with stamping of feet and a chant of  "Ro-SIE! Ro-SIE! Ro-SIE!"*
Is the answer the container of a fluid?
Water?
container? No, although the 'specific instances' that I referred to above do involve containers.
water? *applause* Water is one of the words on the card. It is not a sufficient answer, however.
Would the water in question be considered potable?
potable? Yes. *some applause*
Bottled water?
God knows what the audience will do if this is right. I'm a quiet sort of bloke really, you know. :-)
Mineral water?
Soda water?
Water-ed down drinks?
and the winner is...
...Irouléguy. MINERAL WATER it is. I just wanted to be sure there were no disputes about the AVMA classification this time.
Wahay! Nice team-work there, everyone. I'm away after Friday lunchtime for the weekend, so another easy one:
MINERAL
Man-made?
Solid?
Man-made? No
Solid? No is the most useful answer, though there could be some discussion about this
Is it a terrestrial object?
Terrestrial? Yes Object? Yes, but see qualification above
The earth's crust?
*the audience cheers, hoots, stamps and lets off fireworks, and several shouts of "RO-sie, RO-sie" are heard from the balcony* No
Atmospheric particles?
The earth's mantle?
Atmospheric particles? No
The earth's mantle *the audience pull shawls round their shoulders, button up cardigans and tighten scarves* No
A tectonic plate?
Let's see what this volatile lot will do with this one.
Molten lava? (It is not solid, but does solidify soon after emergence from the nether regions, so there could be some discusion regarding its physical form.)
Mineral-laden hot springs?
A tectonic plate? *a low approving approving murmur rises from the audience* No
Molten lava? *the audience passes around Damart catalogues as the ushers attempt to turn up the radiators* No
Mineral-laden hot springs *"We could use some of those here", think the audience* No
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