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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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The Tardis?
*waves at CdM*
Have just taken the trouble to read back and it seems that it's BIGGER than a breadbox but you can LIFT it - the plot thickens
Bigger than a thimble.
Not the Tardis. And smaller than the outside of the Tardis.
[Chalky] Lots of things bigger than a breadbox that you can lift...or does breadbox not mean what I think it means?
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
A continental shelf?
À la Lara Croft, he muses, with a silly grin.
Magma?
Tsunami?
An Earthquake?
A Glacier?
An Iceberg?
A continental shelf? *the audience muses on the fact that there are about 21,500 Google hits for "Lara Croft" and "the answer"* No
Magma? No
Tsunami? *the audience seeks diversion in a spirited discussion of the correct plural of 'tsunami'* No
An earthquake? No
A glacier? No
An iceberg *the audience nods knowingly at the ironic appropriateness of Chalky and irach's moves*

Looking back, I may have mis-directed people with the answer to the solid question. Perhaps a better answer would be "Yes, partly."
Do we want a clue?
Antarctica?
Antarctica? *the audience sits up straight, puts away their papers, Sudoku puzzles and knitting* No, but in some ways the closest answer yet
The ocean?
The North or South Pole ?
The Arctic Ocean?
[irach] that's TWO guesses - very naughty!
Well then, North Pole?
The South Pole?
[Chalky] Nothing wrong with irach's question -- it has a yes-or-no answer, and if the answer were yes, then it would simply be all fingers on the buzzers to guess which one!
Oh, and if I am right, I hereby transfer my win to irach.
The ocean? No
The North or South Pole? *the audience giggle quietly* No
The Arctic Ocean? No

I'm with CdM on irach's question - people do bend the one-question rule (me included), and a single question can anyway turn into a mutiple answer (see "terrestial object" above).

Chalky has now got the geographically closest answer, but in other, more important ways, irach is still closest.

I am going away this afternoon, and work means I'm unlikely to be able to play more than once again before I go. Any volunteers to take over as quizmaster/mistress? Email me at pubsalesatbaafdotorgdotuk .
No e-mails, so...for your safety and convenience, this game will not contain any further replies from me until Monday (maybe) or Tuesday (more likely. Have a good weekend, everyone

Parting thought - the speed of this game is somehow appropriate.

Parting clue - there's a coincidental connection with both Bob Dylan and organised religion.
Glacier?
The North Magnetic Pole?
Well, of course a b&b in St Austell will have a broadband connection - silly of me to assume otherwise

Glacier? No
The North magnetic pole? *the audience breaks into small groups to find any connection between Bob Dylan, organised religion and the north pole, magnetic or otherwise, but fails to reach any conclusions, rejecting the theory of the small group arguing for a metaphysical interpretation of "Quinn the mighty Eskimo".* No
The Greenland Icecap?
Does this have a direct relationship to air movement?
The Greenland icecap? *the audience wonders if their earlier tumultuous reaction to one of Rosie's moves has perhaps been overlooked* No. Direct relationship to air movement? Hmm...perhaps Rosie can shed more light on that once the answer's been revealed. Locally, yes, almost certainly; more generally, don't know.
Anything to do with drifts?
Drifts? (snow or continental?) Either way, no.
Auroro australis?
A volcano?
Aurora australis? No.
A volcano? *considerable applause* No.
fergawdssakeRosie - guess the damn thing!
Well, I'm FIIK, m'dear. The quizmaster has turned it into his own show and the audience are pissed.
The Arctic ice sheet?
Not being clever when it comes to Bob Dylan and religious sects I'm probably well adrift.
The Canadian Archipelago?
The Arctic ice sheet? No
The Canadian archipelago? No.

On present progress, it doesn't look like pure guesswork is going to get there - time for more general questions, perhaps? And another clue?
Is it an oilfield?
Geysers?
An oilfield? No
Geysers? No
Is the liquid water?
Deep-sea volcanic (hydrothermal) vents?
*yawns*
Liquid water? What liquid? There is some liquid present, but it's not really the defining characteristic. And yes, it's water.
Deep-sea volcanic vents? No
*yawns* *some applause* An apt description (of both game and answer)
By the way - what IS the 'earth's crust?'
[Irouléguy] I'm usually pretty hopeless at these geographical minerally ones so I leave them to more worthy participants, which I guess doesn't help much. Trouble is, if these posers are not guessed within 3 days, the game tends to lose its momentum. It is now Day 8 of this one so perhaps a chairman's summary of the positives might help? Then a clue?
It is Iceland?
Is it specifically in either the north or southern hemispere?
Chalky] Fair points all, though I have been trying to steer people away from the more detailed minerally answers (and I was away for most of three days). It's really not obscure - I feel sure that everyone will have heard of it.

Summary - it's terrestial, partly solid, sort of an object. (Those are the answers which I think have caused people to go astray, but it's problematic because of what exactly "it" is. Let's say that "the answer" is defined by solid objects.
There's a strong connection to the earth's crust (which is just the top bit of the earth itself -between 5 and 65km thick), and specific geographical features have got strong applause. It's NOT - man-made, either of the Poles, Antarctica, a tectonic plate, an oilfield, a continental shelf, a volcano, the Canadian archipelago, the Greenland icecap (or any other form of ice).
Clues 1) It's very aptly named; 2) it has a university named after it; 3) over four million people went there last year.

Iceland? No
Is it specifically in either the north or southern hemisphere? Yes, the northern.
Is the name metaphorical? eg "The roof of the world", "The home of the blizzard" etc, etc.
Is its location in Northern Europe?
Is the suffix or word "land" part of its name/identity?
Metaphorical name? No, if anything the reverse
Northern Europe? No
Is the suffix or word "land" part of its name/identity? *cheering, the audience all put their hands to their ears as through participating in charades* No
Is it in Nothh America?
...that should read "North America"
North America? *the orchestra strikes up "My country, 'tis of thee" as the audience jump up and down in anticipation* YES!
A part of the U.S.?
A National Park or part thereof?
The Grand Canyon ? ( It is in North America, there IS a Grand Canyon University, there is a lot of earth's crust to see there, there is some liquid-the Colorado among other forms found there, it sure does fit the bill).
[If the above IS the answer I would argue its classification as purely "Mineral" though, as the flora and fauna are also an integral part of the Grand Canyon as a whole].
*exhausted, the audiience can do nothing but sigh in pleasure* We have a winner - it is THE GRAND CANYON! Purely mineral? Not sure about irach's argument, but I'll think about it.
Anyway, the baton finally gets passed on - take it away, irach!
[Irouleguy] Thanks.! What was the Organized religion connection though? Bob Dylan I think I know.
Here goes. Well, its MINERAL once again.
[irach] hmmmm - hope it's snappier than the last one :-)
[Iroulé] GCanyon - classification, perhaps Mineral with Vegetable [and possibly Animal] connections?
Is it man made?
I have never seen a more self-indulgent and comprehensively misleading set of comments as in the last AVMA. The Grand Canyon has no more to do with the earth's crust than has the Vale of Evesham. It's a surface feature FFS. So why did the audience wet themselves, generally an indication that one has very nearly hit the bull?
[Chalky] Not man made.
Sorry.. [Inkspot] Not man made.
It is a geographical feature?
Call me pedantic, but I would argue that the Grand Canyon is composed entirely of air.
Chalky] Possibly - but then you'd have to apply that to practically every place or geological formation. Would that definition help you to get Everest, for instance?

Rosie] I may have misunderstood what I Googled - I'm no scientist. But this is from the GC National Park's website: The Canyon’s mile-high walls display a largely undisturbed cross section of the Earth’s crust extending back some two billion years.
from http://www.nps.gov/grca/pphtml/subnaturalfeatures14.html
and lots of sites talk about the GC being made by upheavals in the earth's crust, so that was the basis of my reaction. I'm sorry if it was misleading, and you're right about the self-indulgent bit - sorry again.

Kim] Well, that was why I was unsure about the answers to "solid" and "object". But it can't be all air - what about the floor or the sides of the canyon?

move] Is there just one of it?
[Kim} No. Not a geographical feature. [Irouleguy] There are more than one of these.
Is it a weather phenomenon?
(Irouléguy) Talk of the earth's crust made me think the answer was something to do with the material of the earth well below the surface whereas the Grand Canyon (and Cheddar Gorge) were gouged out by running water, i.e. surface erosion. Not to worry. :-)
[Rosie] No.
Is it metal?
[Irouléguy] Yes!
[Chalky] Not metallic per se, though there may sometimes be metal salts or ions embedded within it.
A precious stone?
{Rosie] No.
Is an individual one of these bigger than an elephant?
Chalky] OK2
A component of a man-made object such as Stonehenge?
[Irouleguy] Generally it is considerably larger than an elephant.
[Rosie] No, it's not possible to make any man-made object from it/them using any known contemporary technology.
An asteroid?
Or, more specifically, a meteor (or even more specifically, one or more Perseid meteors)
FWIW, I'll come to Irouléguy's defence here: (i) I think the categorization of the GC as mineral is entirely reasonable, since the flora and fauna are not an essential part of the Canyon; (ii) I think the positive response to the earth's crust was also reasonable (although I agree that the audience went a bit over the top), since a "no" would have been a more misleading answer; (iii) "self-indulgent" is an unfairly harsh term, given that he was just injecting some humor.
(CdM) Agree on (i), not on (ii); (iii) is more a matter of taste. BTW a meteor the size of an elephant would fall to earth and cause a lot of damage and would then be classed as a meteorite. Can't be that, but we'll see.
[Rosie] Not an asteroid or meteorite [CdM] Not a meteor, Perseid or otherwise. (However, the audience sits up in rapt attention, biting its nails in great anticipation of the next guess. Not quite cigar yet, but close).
A comet?
[Rosie] You are absolutely right about the elephant, of course.
[CdM} A Comet ? YES!!! Congratulations! How spatial! What a brilliant win! The tail end of this guessing game was great! Here's to many more, the sky is the limit! The baton is passed, so take it away...
[CdM} A Comet ? YES!!! Congratulations! How spatial! What a brilliant win! The tail end of this guessing game was great! Here's to many more wins, the sky is the limit! The baton is passed, so take it away...
[Irouleguy] Wouldn't that be like saying that a hole in the ground comprises not only the hole but also the ground around the hole? I think the GC is just a big hole.
All right, let's get back into the ethereal world of the ABSTRACT.
(with ANIMAL connections)
The bee's knees?
(or should I move that apostrophe?)
Nope. Nor the cat's pyjamas, or a dog's dinner. However, the audience applauds for the fact that the answer is indeed of the form: Definite article + 2 words.
Is the answer of the form "The + animal's + part of animal"?
No. But since I am feeling generous, I will tell you that the answer is of the form: "The + part of animal + something that is not an animal at all".
The skin of one's teeth? ...and thank you, though even I think I was being self-indulgent.
Kim] Yes. If the GC's just a great big hole, what defines where the hole ends?
The heart's desire?
(CdM) Useful generosity. :-)
The heart of the matter?
The foot of the stairs?
The brains of the operation?
Is the something that is not an animal at all an abstract noun?
[CdM] So what if there's more than one bee?
Or rather, why is it just one bee? I suppose I'm just hoping someone round here happens to know a lot about the phrase...
The Lion's share?
[Tuj] I've always thought it came from a colloquial bastardisation of business - in the sense of "he's the beeesneees" - meaning suited.
Ingnore that post. It's part of an animal. Go back to sleep, Duj.
skin of teeth? No. Some applause from audience, though.
heart's desire? No.
heart of matter, foot of stairs, brains of operation; No, no, no. The + two words, remember.
third word abstract noun? Yes.
lion's share? No.
Is the animal human?
The tooth fairy?
We have a winner! The tooth fairy it is. *places baton under pillow for Rosie to find*
(CdM) It's gone. But I'm richer by 25 pesetas. What joy!

Right, this is MINERAL and ABSTRACT

Does it appear in a particular work of fiction?
Is it man-made?
(Inkspot) - No
(Irouléguy) - No
Does the abstract have something to do with measurement?
(Dujon) Not a thing, I'm afraid. I'm going to bed now - it's 3 a.m. :-(
Cassiopeia?
Is the mineral metal?
(CdM) - No
(ImNotJohn) - No
Is the abstract because it's fictional?
Is it one particular thing?
(Gusset Login) - No, certainly not. Abstract is a valid part-classification but don't concentrate too much on it.
(Irouléguy) No, there are lots of these.
A lodestone?
Is it a human construct?
(Software) - No
(ImNotJohn) No. The abstract nature is not an idea.
The Philosopher's Stone?
(irach) - No.
The Giant's Causeway?
Rock of Ages?
Is it found in a particular place?
Is the mineral solid?
(Kim) - No
(pper) - No
(Tuj) There are lots of them (see above) and there are certainly preferred places.
(Irouléguy) A small amount of it is in some cases, otherwise no.
Ocean currents?
(ImNotJohn) - No
Clouds?
(Irouléguy) - No, but *some applause*
Precipitation?
Can you drink it?
(CdM) - Not the answer, but always involved *more applause*
(Tuj) - You can, and ultimately you do, in some cases.
Rain?
April Showers?
Singing in the Rain?
(irach) - See the answer to CdM's question
(ImNotJohn) - No
(RedSnapper)- No
Tornados?
A meteorological phenomenon?
(Irouléguy) - No - but *some polite applauase*
(Tuj) - Yes *rather more fulsome applause*
The monsoon?
(Raak) - No
Floods?
(irach) - No, but a strong connection.
A spring thaw?
(Dujon) - No, not quite that strong a connection.
Does this involve significant air pressure differences?
A hurricane?
The hydrological cycle?
Is it a one-word answer?
well waddya know - I return after a few days away and here's Rosie - doing a weather one!
(Dujon) - Can do, but that is possibly misleading
(CdM) - No
(Raak) - No
(Chalky) - One word preceded by the indefinite article.
A tsunami?
A thunderstorm?
A cloudburst?
A shower?
(Chalky, ImNotJohn, all) - No, but
*Thunderous applause* for Irouléguy with his bolt from the cumulonmimbus. It it indeed a thunderstorm. Carry on, squire.
Squire tat work this afternoon. A lightning-quick round there - let's hope this one is as quick. I promise to keep the audience sober this time. It is ABSTRACT, involving ANIMAL, VEGETABLE and MINERAL.
An Anarcho-syndicalist protest march?
[Rosie] Is the existence of precipitation what makes it a thunderstorm rather than an electrical storm (c.f. your reply to CdM)?
INJ] One of these days, but not today.
An organisation?
(INJ) Technically, and probably in popular parlance too, a thunderstorm is defined by the electrical phenomena but there has to be precipitation for this to happen, but it need not be at the point of observation and a there's a specific meteorological code number for this (17, for the anoraks, of which I am one). There is no code figure for "freak storm" BTW. Top whack is 99, "heavy thunderstorm with hail", the "heavy" referring to the precipitation rather than the lightning and thunder. Also, I've noticed that "anarcho" is an anagram of "arachno". What have spiders got to moan about? There are 1014 of them, apparently.
An organisation? No.
Is the animal component human?
Is the vegetable part paper?
Does it move?
Is it a country?
irach] Human? *sustained applause* Yes
Raak] Paper? No
Kim] Does it move? *cries of "OOOH!"* More accurate to say that it involves movement
Chalky] A country? No
Is it a sport?
Is it geographical?
Relocation?
Does it involve dancing?
Rosie] Is it a sport? *cheering and loud applause* Not a sport, exactly, but close...
Tuj] Is it geographical? No.
Chalky] Relocation? No
Dujon] Does it involve dancing? No
tai chi?
[Rosie] I lived in Africa for a year and for a few weeks before the start of the rains there were repeated electrical storms but no rain reached the ground. Would the precipitation have been contained within the cloud structure? (feel free to transfer to the banter page if there's a long explanation - or tell me to go and look it up for myself!)
INJ] Tai chi? No
Extreme Ironing?
If not a sport, then a performance of some kind?
(ImNotJohn) OK - See Banter Page.
Does it involve a group of people doing something?
ImNotJohn] Extreme Ironing? No
Rosie] A performance of some kind? Yes, in the sense of Raak's answer below, but not more than that.
Raak] Does it involve a group of people doing something? *a mighty cheers rises from the audience* A perfect definition.
After-work drinks now, so no more for a few hours.
Does this collective activity require a fair amount of skill and practice?
Don't get too pissed; we need answers. :-)
A beer festival?
Rosie] Does this collective activity require a fair amount of skill and practice? No, neither (you can do it pissed, though there is an attendant danger).
Raak] A beer festival? No, but it is a mild form of exercise.
A Mexican Wave?
An orgy?
well - someone had to say it
Are the Vegetable and Mineral components essential equipment for this activity?
Is it a type of dancing?
Rosie] A Mexican Wave? No
Chalky] An orgy? No - this is perfectly SFW
CdM] Are the Vegetable and Mineral components essential equipment for this activity? *sustained applause* Yes - one of them is part of the name (though equipment isn't quite the mot juste for most of them)
Raak] Is it a type of dancing? No
Is it a traditional activity?
ImNotJohn] Is it a traditional activity? Depends on the definition. The name of this activity dates from the last century, but people almost certainly did it before then.
Is the mineral liquid?
ImNotJohn] Is the mineral liquid? *cheering and stamping of feet* Yes, liquid is one of the necessary components, though other minerals may also be involved in another component.
Ye Olde Timme-Tamme Sucke?
CdM] Ye Olde Timme-Tamme Sucke? Ouch - I wondered how long it would be before that came up. No, and not remotely close. Hint - finding the vegetable would help.
Is the vegetable edible (by which I mean normally eaten, not just that it won't actually kill you7)?
Is it that game where you have to dunk your head into a bucket of water and grab an apple with your teeth?
[I feel sure there must be a simpler name for it]
Is the liquid water?
[Chalky] I know it as 'Bobbing for Apples' or 'Apple Bobbing'.
Is it normally carried out indoors?
ImNotJohn] Is the vegetable edible (by which I mean normally eaten, not just that it won't actually kill you)? No
Chalky] Is it that game where you have to dunk your head into a bucket of water and grab an apple with your teeth? No
ImNotJohn] Is the liquid water? Yes
Rosie] Is it normally carried out indoors? No
Is the vegetable wood?
Water Divining?
CdM - Is the vegetable wood? *cheers and whooping from the audience* Yes. There are four necessary components of the answer - three you've got, the fourth is either vegetable, mineral or a combination of both.
Could this be descibed as an outdoor leisure pursuit?
Messing about in boats?
Chalky] Could this be described as an outdoor leisure pursuit? Yes
Raak] Messing about in boats? No
Angling?
Rosie] Angling? No
Poohsticks?
Croquet?
sorry - strike that. It doesn't involve water.
Water Polo?
We have a winner! Raak takes the baton - yes, it's Poohsticks. Good game, everyone.
ABSTRACT
Tiddly pom...
A drunken Brit in Australia?
A human construct?
[Rosie] No; yes.
A property of the physical world?
[Rosie] No.
A philosophical concept?
A single noun?
The sound of one hand clapping?
[irach] No.
[Tuj] A noun phrase.
[CdM] No.
A description of some human endeavour?
Is it specific to some particular historical period?
[i] Yes.
[I] No.
Is this endeavour in any way heroic, such as climbing Everest, or Leith Hill, come to that?
[Rosie] Only by humorous hyperbole.
Is it specific to a geographical location/area?
[INJ] No.
Is it a sport or recreational activity?
[CdM] No. Quite the opposite, really.
Bone idle?
[I] No, a different opposite.
Are the endeavouring individuals typically in receipt of renumeration for their participation in this abstract human construct? Does it pay?
[CdM] Yes. *murmurs from the audience of "oooh, they're getting warm!"*
Is it being in/on Big Brother?
[bl] No.
The working day?
Is it a routine administrative task?
Bringing home the Bacon?
[INJ] No (but you're getting warmer).
[R] No.
[Rs] No (also warmer).
Working up a sweat?
[i] No.
Working nine to five?
Is the answer a figurative phrase?
Putting one's nose to the grindstone?
[irach] Close...
[Rosie] No.
[ResSnapper] Also close...
Does it apply to a particular trade or profession?
[INJ] No.
Working all hours?
Overtime?
[I] No.
[R] No.
The players are hot on the track...
the day job?
[INJ] No.
Working like a dog?
A Hard Day's Night
?
(ahem...)
Burning the midnight oil?
[All] No. These could all be involved, but there's a crucial component no-one's mentioned yet.
A hint: the words on the card do not make any explicit reference to work.
Does the "crucial xcomp
Does the "crucial component" occur in all types of work?
Stuttering.
All work and no play?
[Rosie] No.
[irach] Inching closer...
Whistle while you work?
Does the answer contain an explicit reference to time or a period of time?
Working day and night?
[i] No.
[INJ] Yes.
[RS] No.
Working until you drop dead?
[irach] No.
Working overtime?
Is the referenced time a season?
Does this only occur in/refer to manual work?
The night shift?
Remember guys - there is no specific reference to work
[irach] No.
[Dujon] It can be called one, but not one of the canonical four.
[I] No.
[INJ] No.
Is the referenced time a holiday period?
Does the answer relate to the licensing laws?
[CdM] *riotous applause* Yes!
[CdM] No.
Is the referenced time period Christmas?
[CdM] No.
Wakes week?
[I] No.
A Bank holiday?
Begins with an M?
[I] No.
[Tuj] Er, no.
Summary of what has been established: it's connected with holidays, and connected with work, while not being either.
A working vacation?
[irach] No.
Days of wine and roses?
[I] No.
Anything to do with preparation for a holiday?
Labo(u)r Day?
[Rosie] Absolutely not.
[irach] No.
Leisure Time?
[Chalky] No.
Anything to do with the aftermath of a holiday?
[CdM] *riotous applause* Yes!
Boxing Day?
Something to do with the holiday you need after having been on holiday?
[irach] No.
[Rosie] No. Think simpler.
A tan?
How simple is that?
[Rosie] No.
Holiday Pay?
[Chalky] No.
Monday morning?
Er, except it doesn't begin with an M. OK,
is the holiday the weekend?
[CdM] No; no.
Your earlier guess that drew the applause was the closest yet, and I might just give it to you if no-one comes up with something closer by the end of today.
Post - holiday blues
and if I'm correct - I shall say thank you to CdM
[Chalky] No.
...although it could be involved.
Jet Lag?
[GL] That can also happen when this happens.
Is it to do with the aftermath of the holiday as experienced by the holidaymaker (as opposed to, say, those who have to clean up after the revelries)?
[CdM] Yes.
Back to work after the holidays?
[RS] YES!
Well, well... The next one is ABSTRACT WITH VEGETABLE CONNECTIONS
Is it a fictional piece of vegitation?
[GL] No.
With apologies, I'd like to amend the first clue to ABSTRACT WITH VEGETABLE AND ANIMAL CONNECTIONS for indeed there is one of each.
Is the animal connection human?
Anything to do with heraldry?
[Rosie] Yes, but not exclusively.
[Raak] No.
An anarcho-syndicalist picnic?
a piece of literature?
[INJ] No. However, one might well consider taking the vegetable part to picnic, anarcho-syndicalist or otherwise. [Rosie] No.
Is either the vegetable or the animal part figurative? (eg a carrot as enticement)
(RedSnapper) No to what? Should I have bothered with this question? :-)
[Chalky] Not a piece of literature.
[Rosie] Yes. The vegetable part is used figuratively. (I had answered Chalky's question with a No, and mistakenly used your moniker in parentheses. Apologies to Chalky too. Nominative dyslexia!)
Is it associated with a particular country?
Does the animal part refer to the whole "animal"?
(RedS) The nominative dyslexia explains all. I wasn't trying to be accusative. :-)
[Tuj] No. [Rosie] No. A part of the animal. Reiterating an earlier answer to you, I remind you that the animal part could be human.
Would this be a phrase such as an adage, old wives' tale ... ?
Is the vegetable part wood?
Is it a work of art?
[Dujon] Yes. It is a phrase. [Inkspot] No. [Raak] No.
A long shot - The apple of one's eye?
[Rosie] Yes!!! You're right!! The baton is all yours
Well, that's nice - I don't often score with a long one these days.

This next one is simply ABSTRACT.

Is it a title something?
Is it a philosophy?
(Inkspot) - No
(Raak) - No
Is it a type of human behaviour?
well guessed Rosie!
(Chalky) - No It works every now and again. :-)
Is it a mental phenomenon?
(Raak) - No
A saying or phrase?
(irach) - No. Despite all the No's so far this is not obscure or difficult.
Is it anything to do with time?
(Inkspot) Yes - *hesitant but approving noises from audience*
Is this a scentific theory?
(Dujon) - No, nothing so abstruse.:-)
Daylight Saving/Summer Time?
(Dujon) - No. The connection with Time is very general, hence the audience's reaction to Inkspot.
any connection with meteorology? *ducks*
(Chalky) Yes, but you don't need to be a weather nut to have put up this subject, far from it.
The shipping forecast?
(Raak) - No (too particular)
A weather forecast?
(Raak) - No The answer is not only about meterology, and is ONE WORD.
Aeromancy?
(Divination by cloud shapes.)
(Raak) - No Nothing as fancy as aeromancy.
Sunrise? (in the general sense)
(Dujon) - No
Summer?
(Raak) - No - but a lot of audience applause.
I'll let someone else guess another season...
Summer Solstice?
oh dear - sorry - forgot it was just the one word.
Solstice?
Narrowing ayes or extending noes: Is it one of the 'four seasons'?
heatwave?
Autumn?
(Chalky) - No
Dujon - Yes - nearly there...
(ImNotJohn) - No
(Lurker Kim) - No - even nearlier there...
OK, I'll try Spring
Winter
Tough luck, INJ, but all is the winner. Well done, sir/madam. Your go.
Thank you
OK people this one is VEGETABLE/ANIMAL
Is the animal human?
[INJ] No (at least I hope not)
Is it man made?
Is it a type of food?
Mmm, beef and vegetable stew.
[Inkspot] Yes
[Raak] Yes, but not beef and vegetable stew
Is it a associated with a particular country?
Is it a well-known food recipe (eg. Shepherds Pie)?
[Inkspot] Yes, possibly two particular countries
[Kim] Yes
Does it involve noodles?
[Raak] No.
Is/are the particular country/ies European?
[INJ] The main one is, but the optional one isn't.
Chicken Tikka Marsala?
An 89, a 34, and an egg fried rice, please.
[INJ] No
[Raak] It'll be about 20 minutes, cash only please.
Pizza?
[irach] Yes.
This one is VEGETABLE WITH AN OCCASIONAL ANIMAL CONNECTION
This one is VEGETABLE WITH AN OCCASIONAL ANIMAL CONNECTION.
Waiter, there's a fly in my vegetable soup!
[Raak] Good and amusing try, but no.
Edible, in the normal sense?
Is it related to the generally accepted term 'The Arts'?
[Rosie] Yes. Very edible.
[Dujon] No, not really.
Welsh rabbit?
Caesar Salad (optional chicken)?
Is it a created dish, as opposed to just a particular fruit/vegetable?
apple (optional maggot)?
[Raak] [Kim] No.
[CdM] Yes, a created food. No, not an apple, and neither is an arthropod of any kind involved.
Fly cemetery? (a currant tart or slice)
[Raak] Not a currant tart, but inching ever so closer.
A kind of pudding?
[Néa] No.
Is the vegetable part fruit?
[Irouléguy] No.
A pie of some kind?
[CdM] No. (Getting warmer, but not quite toasty yet).
Something stuffed with something?
[Raak] Not generally.
Does this include raisins?
Please ignore that, irach. Not a fruit; sorry.
Is pastry part of its make up?
(egg) fried rice?
Is it a vegetarian imitation of meat?
[Dujon] It is a bakery item.
[IMJ]{Raak] No. No.
An angel cake?
[Raak} No.
Sweet, rather than savoury?
Generally savoury, in its most common incarnation.
oooh, Cornish pasty? (although, given the suet in the pastry, I'd question the occasionalness of the animal ...)
[Wol] No.
A type of bread?
[Raak] Yes, of sorts.
A sausage roll?
[I-guy] No.
Sandwich?
Toast?
[all][Chalky] No.
are we to die of boredom?
[Trotterman] Not if you go to France and think French.
A baguette?
I might add, in defense of my following of Bolton Wanderers and general insanity as a result thereof (which might lead some to think that I had adopted a nom de plume), I was and am not 'Trotterman'. :-)
Pizza?
Pitta?
[Dujon] There's no defence for following Bolton Wanderers ;-)
A gallette?
Croque Monsieur?
Is it French then?
INJ's view is seconded, soundly.
[Dujon] [Raak] [INJ] [Inkspot] [CdM] No.
[Tuj] Yes it's as French as Au Claire del la luna, and that's a clue.
Croissant?
(although I wouldn't say that was generally savoury...)
Yes. A (butter) croissant.
Me again?
OK, this is ANIMAL and VEGETABLE
Is the animal human?
Human? No.
Is this edible?
I don't think of croissants as being savoury, either
Edible? Yes. (*some applause* )
Is it savoury?
savoury? Yes
Is it a drink?
A drink? No (*smatterings of applause, however* )
Soup?
Soup? No.
Is it French?
French? In part, yes. (*some applause* )
Is it liquid?
Liquid? In part, yes.
A banana milk shake?
Banana milk shake? No. In fact, impressively far from the correct answer.
Is this meat in a sauce, say Coq Au Vin?
Meat in a Sauce? *tumultuous applause* At least by the usual definitions, the answer is almost yes, but not exactly.
Cod in parsley sauce?
Is pasta involved?
Cod in parsley sauce? *further sustained applause*   No.
Pasta? *sudden dead silence*. No.
Is it a type of soup?
Pickled herring?
Soup? *tut-tutting noises from the audience, together with mutterings of "young people today have no attention span, that's the problem"*
Pickled herring? No.
Moules Marinière?
Popeye? No, but inching closer.
Is the animal bit seafood (crustacea, etc) rather than fish?
Crustacea? No, the animal bit is fish.
Grilled red snapper with rougaille sauce?
Fish and chips?
Oops, no attention span, liquid involved...
[Raak] ... drenched in vinegar?
Caviar?
How about Oysters dripping in Oystery thingy ... ?
sorry, I was out for dinner...
Red snapper with rougaille sauce? *ecstatic applause and much fainting in the aisles*. The fish is indeed red snapper. Now you just have to figure out the key ingredient of the sauce.
Fish and chips and vinegar and caviar and oysters? No.
Is the key ingredient alcoholic?
Way back there was a little ripple at the mention of a drink...
Alcoholic? Yes. (*applause* ) And, as a reminder, just for free, the key ingredient is also French.
Is the name of the sauce the name of the alcoholic beverage?
If anyone comes in and steals this one, I'll throw a wobbly :-)
Red Snapper Provencale?
The thing is, I don't eat fish as a rule so I'm just taking a culinary flyer ....
A poached fish with mushrooms in a white wine sauce?
The French supermarkets I saw on hols had a wonderful wide selection of fresh seafood that beat Sainsbury's regimented display of mackerel, salmon and kippers into a cocked hat.
Refusing to name my sauces
Name of sauce = alcohol? Yes. Though, to be precise, the sauce doesn't have a name as such. I simply want a key French alcoholic liquid ingredient.
Provencale? No.
poached with mushrooms in white wine? It could be.
Red Snapper Chasseur?
.. which is loosely connected to mushroom and white wine, which on reading the above has been indicated as a possibility. This may be my last guess. I simply don't know of any other sauce one might serve with Red S. And if someone else guesses the right sauce I WON'T throw any wobblies because I'm busy from now on and so don't really care :-)
Pernod or Ricard? [the sauce that is]
He MADE me type this :-)
Who made who type it? You're both pissed. Disgraceful.
Red Snapper in Bouillabaise Sauce?
Chasseur? No.
Pastis? No.
Bouillabaisse? No.
I say again, the words on the card are not so much a particular sauce as a particular ingredient (French, alcoholic, liquid). In that sense (although only in that sense), the guesses of Pernod/Ricard are on the right track. And although the RedSnapper could be poached in mushrooms in white wine, the mushrooms are irrelevant, and there is a sense in which that particular recipe is unlikely, given what is on the card.
You might make more progress at this point if you stop thinking of this as a culinary puzzle...
Champagne?
Champagne? No.
Is the other element of the dish also the name of an MCer (like RedSnapper)?
In a Rich sauce? In an Orange sauce? In a (Prof) Plum sauce? In a Chalky sauce?! Can't think of anyone who posts as Campari, but....
another MCer? Yes! *audience rises to their feet as one and cheers*. OK, now just how hard can this be...?
Rosé? ;-)
Brown Sauce
Or maybe not
Krug?
I'd thought of Sauce à l'anglaïs, but decided against it
Red snapper in Ros(i)é wine?
[Iroul] I think I've guessed that already :-)
Chalky *blushes deeply* I don't even have the excuse of being pissed...
Brown, Rosie, Krug? No. This is evidently more obscure than I thought. I am particularly surprised that neither INJ nor Irouléguy have got the answer.
(Or even if they haven't got the answer, I'm surprised they haven't gotten it.)
Red Snapper in Bernaise Sauce made with wine vinegar?
OK, The weekend is coming up
Béarnaise sauce? No.
The missing ingredient is French and alcoholic, and would be suitable as a basis for a sauce. There have been suggestions that this ingredient might be a wine of some kind, and I have done nothing to discourage those suggestions. It is also the name of an MC player who plays regularly in this game. And, no, it isn't Chateau Flerdle.
RedSnapper with Iroulëguy Wine sauce
Finally...
*hands over the baton* (although you might want to microwave it before you eat it)
Just returning from lunch, dining not on Red Snapper but a rather measly soggy tuna sandwich unaccompanied by any fine wine, Iroulëguy or otherwise... This one is ABSTRACT BUT WITH A NECESSARY ANIMAL CONNECTION
Is it Narnia?
[Kim] No.
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