mc5 - AVMA Take 2

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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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Artistic endeavor? No. (Nevertheless, a smattering of applause.)

Anything to do with Music?

A style of doing something?

Music? No.
Style of doing something? No, except in a very very general sense. However, it is a specific abstract thing that exists in the context or a more general abstract thing.

Is it an academic study of any kind?

A form of dance?

Academic study? No. (But again, a slight smattering of applause.)
Dance? No.

Science fiction?

A particular style of architecture?

Science fiction? No.
Style of architecture? No.

Something "alternative" such as homeopathy, dowsing, etc?

A scientific theory?

Something alternative? No.
Scientific theory? No.
Hmmm... so much for my belief that this would be easy. It seems to me that you have still missed a key broad class of abstract things.

Mathematical?

Mathematical? No. (*significant applause greets the question and some "oooohs" greet the answer*)

Linguistic?

Linguistic? No. (also, perhaps the applause for "mathematical?" should not have been quite so significant)

Geometrical?

Geometrical? No. (the applause was less significant than that)

To clarify

It is not mathematical. It could however be said that there is a mathematical connection. I am not sure that is a fruitful line of enquiry, however. I would still look for the 'key broad class of abstract things' that has not yet been mentioned.

Numerology?

Numerology? No.

Is this a type of game?

Something imaginary?

Something to do with computers/worldwideweb?

topological - in ythe sense of connected with shapes etc?

Something to do with time?

Type of game? Yes! *sustained relieved applause from the audience*
Imaginary? No.
Computers, WWW? Well, I know you can find examples of the answer on the WWW, but I refer you to my previous answer concerning the 16th and 19th century.
Topological? No.
To do with time? No.

Chess?

A specific board game?

Is this a game that's often bet on?

Chess? *massive applause*. Chess is one of the two words on the card. I now refer you to my earlier answer to Tuj.
Specific board game? The answer is not a specific board game.
Often bet on? Very rarely, I would imagine.

Speed Chess?

is that what it's called??

or "Blitz" Chess

just looked it up :-)

Fairy chess?

Speed/Blitz chess? No.
Fairy chess? No, although there is some connection.

Blindfold Chess?

Blindfold chess? No.

Four-handed chess?

4H chess? Never even heard of it. So, no.

Haw about "Wizard's Chess"?

Haw/How

Wizard's chess? No.

Chess Championship?

I assume from the 'not a specific board game' answer that we are not looking for a type of chess.

Chess, the musical?

Chess Problem?

So this is 'a type of game', but 'not a specific board game' and one of the 2 words is 'chess'. Hmmm.
[Raak] Lloyd Webber hasn't been around since the 16th century, it just seems that way.

And INJ and I keep swapping back and forth: Chess Problem (actually, the word on the card was Puzzle, but I decided earlier I would also accept Problem) is the answer. INJ's careful parsing of 'not a specific board game' was correct; that was why I answered that question even after Chess had been guessed. Finally, I hope "yes" to "type of game" wasn't misleading; I was just so relieved that someone was finally on the right track!

*thinks CdM and INJ are each other's nephews*

(no, not really :-) )

[Néa] No, CdM and I are each other's uncles

I do have a tendency to get involved more towards the end of these games - the Michael Owen approach
Anyway, have a go at: Mineral

Manufactured?

[Chalky} Manufactured? - YES

Specific ("the Eiffel Tower") rather than general ("stainless steel")?

[Néa ] Specific? - YES (Eiffel Tower? - NO)

Primarily or exlusively metal?

Bigger than a telephone box?

[CdM] Metal? - NO
[Raak] Bigger than a telephone box? - YES

Is it a monument?

[Raak] a monument? - NO (but some applause)

Is it in Europe?

In Europe?

Hmph. No mere simulpost is going to stand in the way of my question.

Promarily or exclusively stone?

[Iroul] In Europe - YES
[CdM] I will let it stand in the way of a separate answer
[Tuj] stone? - YES

The Notre Dame Cathedral?

Was it built in the last 100 years?

Sacré Coeur?

In Britain?

Big Ben?

Chartres Cathedral?

[irach] Notre Dame? - NO
[Iroul]built in the last 100 years? - NO
[Rosie] In Britain? - NO
[irach] Big Ben? - NO
[CdM] Chartres - NO

A place of worship?

[CdM] place of worship? - NO. There's an untested assumption here.

Is it a building?

[Inks] a building? - NO (that's the one)

Is it a free-standing structure?

A place of worship doesn't have to be a building, you know...

Is it a statue?

[CdM] free-standing? - YES
[Raak] a atatue? - YES (loud and enthusiastic applause)

(it's also a Statue)

Is it made of marble?

Is it in Italy?

David's statue of Michelangelo?

(which is much less well-known than the other one)

[Inks] marble? - YES
[Chalky] in Italy - NO
[CdM] David's statue of Michelangelo? - NO (nor vice versa)

The Little Mermaid Statue in Copenhagen?

[Chalky] Little Mermaid? - NO (can't be long now)

In France?

suppose it would help to find out which country - NOT Britain, NOT Italy ...

In Spain?

Scandinavia?

[Chalky] France? - YES
[CdM] Spain - NO (now there's a surprise)[Néa] - NO
it's a race now

The statue of Joan of Arc?

[Chalky] Joan of Arc? - NO

Venus de Milo?

Is it in a public square/place (as opposed to in a museum, say)?

[Néa] Venus? - NO (Oooohs from the audience)
[CdM]public square/place? - NO (next one gets it I reckon)

Rodin's Thinker?

[CdM] Rodin - NO (OK, so I was wrong)

Rodin's Aphrodite of Melos?

[Raak] Rodin's Aphrodite of Melos? - NO

Nike of Samothrace?

[Néa] YES! - It was the Winged Victory or Nike of Samothrace
Over to you then

I broke the chain of uncles!

Oooh... well then. VEGETABLE AND MINERAL (with certain ANIMAL connotations)

Is the vegetable part largely or entirely wood?

[CDM] YES

The Cross?

[Raak] NO.

Are there many of these?

(Raak) Brilliant long shot. Glad it failed. :-)

Is the mineral part largely or entirely metal?

[Rosie] YES
[CdM] YES

Oh, and I said "connotations" where I meant "connections". I should only do one thing at a time - that results in fewer mixups!

Is the animal connection human?

(A deserved win if only for being the person who took notice of the marble and telephone box answers)

*blush*

[INJ] NO

A piece of furniture?

Is the metal part the fixings that hold the wooden parts together?

Am getting a feeling that this one will be quick

[furniture] YES
[fixins] NO

Bigger than an armchair?

[Tuj] NO

A rabbit hutch?

A stool?

You at the back stop giggling.

[Raak] NO
[Rosie] NO

The audience is silent (except for that one suppressed snicker at the back).

Smaller than an armchair?

[CdM] YES.

Is it made for sitting on?

[Inkspot] Oh deary me, NO.

Is it for storage? (Cupboard, bookshelf, etc.)

[Raak] NO.

Is it a piece of furniture by a particular designer?

[Inkspot] NO. (It is not entirely straightforward, but "yes" would both be untrue and misleading, I think.)

Does it have wheels?

[Raak] There are wheels, YES, but not in the way you probably think, NO.

A lava lamp?

[INJ] NO.

A clock?

[Raak] YES! *audience cheers and claps mightily*
That is not the full answer, though.

A cuckoo clock?

We have a winner!

[Chalky] YES - it is indeed a cuckoo clock! *audience starts singeing cuccu*
Over to yourself.

oh Lordy - I've finally achieved a lurker's victory . Makes a change :-)

Nice easy one:

A N I M A L

Mammal?

alive?

Mammal? YES
Alive? NO

Human?

Edible?

[N] Human? YES
[R] Edible? To cannibals perhaps :-)

~~Bigger than a telephone box?~~ A specific individual?

European?

(I like this minimalist approach, as opposed to CdM's verbosity)

[C] Specific? YES
[I] European? YES

Alive in the 20th century?

Any connection with Mornington Crescent?

♀?

A scientist of some sort?

A monarch/ royal?

Nicholas Sarkozy?

Politician?

[N] Alive 20th century? YES
[R] MC? Possibly - I haven't read ALL of the archives
[C] Male? YES
[Tuj] *cheers from audience* YES!
[i} Monarchy? NO
[I] Sarkozy? No
[R] Politician? NO

Einstein?

(Getting the obvious out of the way first. I would have asked if it was Heisenberg, but I figured you would just say that you weren't sure.)

Pierre Curie

(He might have a connection with MC - wasn't he active on the radio or something?)

Wasn't he married to MC?

Physicist?

[CdM] Einstein? NO
[I] Pierre Curie? NO
[INJ] Physicist? YES *ooohs from audience*

Feynman?

British?

[R] Feynman? NO
[INJ] British? NO

Steven Hawking

Danish?

[K] Steven Hawking? NO
[I] Danish? NO - though you're right to try and get the nationality of this person.

Germanic/Scandiwegian?

[CdM - Heisenberg - ah yes. See what you mean now. I think :-)]

[INJ] Germanic/Scandiwegian? YES ;-)

Schroedinger?

German?

[CdM - It's only Schroedinger if you don't guess him.]

A superposition of Schroedinger and Hahn, in that case?

We have a winner !

Well deduced CdM - it's that cat man Erwin Schrödinger. Was that a stab in the dark?

Me again?

OK, I'll go to the WRAVMASG one more time...
... and I will reject "a municipality in the Honduran department of Comayagua" on the basis of the Estonia experience...
... and I will also reject two succcessive entries concerning RPGs on the grounds that I would be completely unable to answer questions about them...
and so today's subject is ABSTRACT with ANIMAL connections.

A macrobiotic diet?

An anarcho-syndicalist dude ranch?

Going back to my roots

Macrobioticism? No.
a-s dude ranch? No. *more than a smattering of applause from the audience, though*

A group of people?

I mean the *name* of a group of people

Is it a symbol?

Connected with animal husbandry?

Group of people? Yes. *applause*
Name of group of people? Yes.
Symbol? No.
Animal Husbandry? No.

Anything to do with trade unions?

To do with trade unions? *some uncertain applause from the audience* Hmmmm... it depends on what you mean by "anything to do with". The answer is not a trade union.

Is this group found in one specific country?

One specific country? Yes. *applause*

In Europe?

In Europe? Yes. (OK, so maybe this isn't completely free of the Estonia problem)

Is it a political organisation?

Political organization? Yes. *applause*

Is it a political party?

The EU?

Is it in one of the former Eastern bloc countries?

Is it a left of centre?

Political party? Yes.
In EU? Not when I last checked.
Former Eastern bloc? Yes
Left of Centre? Yes.
That might be enough information to get it...

The Soviet Communist Party?

Going to feel a right plonker if it isn't . . .

Soviet Communist Party? No. [Rosie] There was a very specific clue in my previous responses.

Latvian Social Democratic Labour Party?

LSDLP? No. *The audience is silent for a moment, then applauds, then continues to applaud, then stops applauding, then applauds again.*

The Social Democratic Party of Romania?

SDPoR? *The audience starts applauding excitedly, and then stops dead, save for a tiny smattering of applause at the very end* No.

SDP of Slovakia?

SDPoS? *The audience, once burned twice shy, stays silent throughout* No.

Is it from the former Yugoslavia?

former Yugoslavia? Yes. *applause*

Croatia?

SDPoC? Yes! *passes baton*

Oh!

Goodness! I wasn't expecting that. I thought a more exact answer (including the policital party) would be expected, once the relevant country had been identified. Not that I'm complaining, mind. I've been wanting to set this one for some time. It should be quite easy and I won't be surprised if one of you bright sparks gets it in one.
It's ABSTRACT with both ANIMAL and VEGETABLE connotations.

Marvin Gaye's 'I heard it through the grapevine'?

Are there a lot of these?

Is the animal connection human?

Is it an idiom?

Is it a human construct?

[Kim] Well, I figured that the "Social Democratic Party of" bit had already been established, and all that was missing was the country.

(Oh, and my "not when I last checked" comment re EU membership was meant to be a clue to the fact that Croatia (like Turkey) is in the middle of negotiations.)

The Green Party?

(INJ) Shurely it must be if anarcho-syndicalism is involved.

An anarcho-syndicalist pot-luck dinner?

[Rosie] So right - I feel such a fool.

[Irouleguy] Nice, but no.
[Raak] No, only one.
[INJ] Yes.
[rab] Idiom? No.
[CdM] It was a generous judgement on your part, I think. Human construct? Yes.
[Rosie] Green Party? No. *A few wry smiles among the audience*
[INJ] Not this time, I'm afraid, but hang on in there, I'm sure your day will come.

Specific to some particular culture?

An organisation?

[Nea] Culturally specific? Very broadly, yes.
[Raak] Organisation? No.
I may not be able to look in this evening, but will do so tomorrow morning.

Vegetarianism?

[Rosie] Vegetarianism? No. *A few more wry smiles, mostly from the same people who previously smiled wrily*

A book title?

A gardening programme?

Is it food-related?

[Inkspot] Book title? No.
[Irouléguy] Gardening programme? No.
[rab] Food related? Yes. *applause*.

A kosher diet?

Is it a particular dish?

A cookery programme?

Cannibalism?

Related to politics?

Is it a single word?

That looks quite a dizzy question, in retrospect, I'll have another.

[Rosie] Kosher diet? No.
[Inkspot] Particular dish? No.*more wry smiles*
[rab] Cookery programme? No.
[Raak] Cannibalism? No. Yuk!
[Tuj] Related to politics? No. Certainly not as far as I am aware.
[Tuj] Single word? No.

Is it an event?

Fast food?

Is it a cuisine?

Is it related to a job realted to food?

Heh.

realted

*related

[Inkspot] Event? No.
[Irouléguy] Fast food? No.
[Tuj] Related to a job related to food? Hmmm, I think, on balance, I would have to say Yes, but I'd be hard pressed to say what the food-related job that the answer is related to actually is.

Is this anything to do with food deprivation?

[Chalky] Food deprivation? No.

Is it related to food production?

[CdM] Related to food production? Yes.

Organic farming?

The Jolly Green Giant?

Crop rotation?

Hoh, hoh, hoh!

With a single imaginative leap, Chalky lands spot on the answer, which was, indeed, the Jolly Green Giant! It was the word "Green" and the vague connection to vegetables in two of Rosie's answers that made the audience smile. Congrats, Chalks, over to you.

eek!

... and there's me thinking I wuz being a bit silly. Nice one Kim :-)

Next up - VEGETABLE

edible?

Sweetcorn?

It's gotta be.

[INJ] edible? not usually
[Kim] S'corn? As if!

Partly or wholly wood?

Is there just one of these?

[Raak] partly/wholly wood? Not really, No
[Iroul] one-off? No

A flower?

Is it manufactured or significantly processed?

Made of paper?

[Rosie] Flower? YES!
[CdM] manufactured? No
[Raak] paper? No

*is now office-based for a few days - will try very hard to look in here on a regular basis but please forgive any delays*

Does it have a conventional symbolic meaning?

[rab] symbolic? YES

Is said symbolic meaning to do with løve?

Is it National flower ?

A rose?

A lily?

[Néa] lerve? No
[Inks] National? No
[Raaak] Rose? No
[rab] lily? No

A snowdrop?

Is it a particular colour?

Associated with death?

A Bachelor's Button?

A poppy

Coming back for seconds rab] What's that?

[Irouléguy] It's a symbol either of chastity or unity, depending on who you listen to. Also known as a cornflower.

Is said symbolic meaning to do with death?

Result!

Irouléguy has the right answer! It's a poppy.
Sorry I wasn't around much to reply to the earlier couple of questions - I'm sure someone would have got it sooner. It was one of those days *sigh*

(Chalky) Poppies, at least the ones you wear, are not Vegetable but Mineral and I rejected the idea on those grounds. Rage, rage. Woman of your calibre? I dunno. :-)

awww

[Rosie] I looked into my Natural History book when it was my turn, randomly chose a page with wild flowers on it and picked an easy one. 'Twas as simple as that :-)

Sorry for the delay - got home late yesterday. Carrying on with the easy-ish themes, our next is ABSTRACT involving ANIMAL and VEGETABLE
Chalky] I knew what you meant

Is is a recipe?

Is there just one?

Is the animal connection human?

Kim] Is is a recipe? No
Raak]Is there just one? *applause* Singularity is a key part of the definition.
ImNotJohn] Is the animal connection human? No

Is it a fictional character from a book?

The Eco-system?

The Last Rose of Summer?

(A Victorian drawing-room song)

Inkspot] Is it a fictional character from a book? No
Rosie] The Eco-system? Gaia-d guess, but no.
Raak - The Last Rose of Summer? A great song, but no.

Is the animal connection alive?

Is a religion involved?

Is it the symbol of some organisation?

Is it a geographical location?

ImNotJohn] Is the animal connection alive? Yes
rab] Is a religion involved? *more applause* Yes
Raak] Is it the symbol of some organisation? No
Rosie] Is it a geographical location? No

Holy Communion?

The Feeding of the Five Thousand?

Miracle of The Loaves and Fishes?

rab] Holy Communion? No
Rosie, irach] The Feeding of the Five Thousand? No - see INJ's question about the animal connection being alive.
The wording of rab's previous question is important.

Is it Christmas-related?

Kissing under the mistletoe?

Is it connected to Christian ceremony?

Is it related to an object of religious veneration?

I think we also need to explore Iroul's statement that 'Singularity is a key part of the definition'

A partridge in a pear tree?

On the 3rd day before Advent, Raak has it! (with a strong assist from INJ) It is originally a religious song, and each line has a particular religious significance. One baton handed over.

[I] According to snopes, the religious significance is an urban legend.

ABSTRACT and MINERAL.

The snopes URL was wahwahwahdot snopes.com/holidays/christmas/12days.asp.

Hmmm... you should have been able to type that in. Let's try again. Yeah, that works - Raak, you probably mis-typed 'href'. I'll set about producing a warning when this happens.

Anything to do with Christmas?

The Anarcho-syndicalist Tennis Championships Cup?

Santa's Sleigh?

[Rosie] Indirectly.
[INJ] No.
[irach] No.

A building?

Is the mineral metal?

Well, you live and learn. I grew up Catholic, so I knew the 'underground Catholic' thing was wrong, but I had always though it was a memory thing like 'Deck of cards'. Sorry if I misdirected anyone.

[Tuj] No.
[I] No.

Is it an idiom?

A natural phenomenon?

[rab] No.
[Rosie] Yes!

Something related to the weather?

related to snow?

An 80% chance of rain?

[Inkspot] Yes.
[INJ] Yes. (Applause!)
[rab] No.

The dissimilarity of all snowflakes?

Anything to do with the colour of snow?

[CdM] No.
[I] No.

A snow drift?

A blizzard?

The snowman?

[Chalky] No. (More applause.)
[rab] No. (Applause continues.)
[I] No.

A particular way in which snow falls?

I'm trying to work out the abstract connection...

Being snowed-in?

[Tuj] Close...
[Chalky] Yes! Being snowed in.

I'm not sure whether it was really justified to call it abstract. I think we sometimes use the word too readily.

ooops

sorry - all contributors - I seem to have barged in at the end and found the right phrase. After a few months of playing and never quite getting the right answer, I think I'm learning how certain minds work - ie. I would not have posted that particular phrase if the chair had been anyone other than Raak. Weird eh? :-)

Here goes ...

A N I M A L and I, too, will play down the abstract nature of this one ..

Human?

(Raak) It's true we are a bit free-and-easy with the abstract occasionally but there's nothing wrong with the last one. Being snowed in is a "state", so cannot be anything other than abstract.

[Rosie] Human? Indeed, yes

alive?

Female?

I think I agree with Rosie -- perfectly legitimate to call that last one abstract. I was less sure that the partridge in the pear tree should have been so classified.

[INJ] Alive? Yes
[CdM] Female? No

[Chalky] A propos the discussion at mcios, you should have chosen "George Best", hoping that someone would have asked the inevitable "alive?" question in time for you to answer "yes" and throw us all off the scent.

European?

CdM] I was following the convention that if it's fictional, it's abstract.

Over 50?

In the news lately?

Elton John?

[CdM] I started my 'go' a couple of hours too late for that ruse :-)
[Iroul] European? Yes
[Kim] Over 50? No
[Raak] In the news lately? No
[irach] Elton? No

British?

[Inks] British? Yes

A sportsman?

A musician?

[R] sports? not in the way you probably mean
[I] musician? yes
Am out and about for much of the weekend - will try and look in tonight ..

A sports commentator?

Instrumentalist?

[Inks] commentator? No
[Rosie] Instrumentalist? Yes

Are albums released under his name?

[Inks] Nooooo. Did I say he was famous? [that was a clue]

Colin Sell?

[Rosie] Colin Sell ? No

Is he a pianist?

Herr Bratsche?

[Inks] pianist? yes
[Néa] HB? No - but excellent guess :-)

Is he, ahem, one of us?

[Rosie] He .. ahem ... is :-)

Rosie?

Mick Smetaphor?

JLE?

(Raak) Can't be me - he's under 50.

Projoy?

I think that we have just about exhausted the list at this point...

shouting above audience cheers

[Raak] Not Rosie
[Iroul] Not Mick Smetaphor
[Rosie] Not JLE
... but Projoy plays the piano amongst other musically things - so the winner is CdM! :-)
*hands baton overseas*

Oh. That was unexpected. All right then, this one is ABSTRACT. And apologies in advance -- I will not have much net access for the next 36 hours.

Merry Christmas?

[Raak] Thank you?

If the various accusations that have been flying about are true, then it has to be:
Anarcho-syndicalism

A-s? No.

Does this abstract thing arouse strong emotions?

Arouse strong emotions? In itself no, though certain examples of it certainly do.

Is this a natural phenomenon?

Football?

A period of time?

Anything to do with science?

An idea or concept?

Natural phenomenon? No. *significant non-applause*
Football? It is an example of the answer, but not the answer.
Period of time? Perhaps an example of the answer, but not the answer.
To do with science? Many things to do with science are examples of the answer.
Idea or concept? *applause* These are examples of the answer, but not the answer.

An abstract noun?

Abstract noun? Well, "abstract noun" is an example of the answer. The answer is also an abstract noun phrase.

the right answer?

Right answer? This is an example of the right answer, but is not the right answer. (Besides, I already did that.)

Abstractness?

Otherness?

The English language?

Abstractness? No.
Otherness? No.
English Language? No.

A word?

A word? No.
By all rights you should have got this one long ago. It is Chalky's fault that you are having such difficulty.

Things which are examples of the answer, but not the answer?

hmmmph

A human construct?

That which is different from every possible guess, including this one?

we have a winner!

Raak's Russellesque guesses were nice, but the answer is indeed "A Human Construct". *passes baton*

Yes, we should have got it from the 'significant non-applause'.
On a less esoteric note, this one is VEGETABLE & MINERAL

Salted peanuts?

[Raak] Salted peanuts? - So far and yet, so far.

Is it edible?

Manufactured?

A postage stamp?

[Iroul] edible? - Strictly - NO
[CdM] Manufactured? - YES
[Chalky] postage stamp? - NO

Can you wear this?

[Iroul] edible? - Strictly - NO
[CdM] Manufactured? - YES
[Chalky] postage stamp? - NO
[Chalky] wear it? - NO

Don't know what happened there - I couldn't see my response and was told I'd simulposted. Still, at least the answers didn't change.

Is the vegetable part wood?

Is this a weapon?

[Raak] Is the vegetable part wood? - NO
[Chalky] a weapon? - NO
I think it only fair to mention that there were some mutterings in the audience at my last answer to Irouléguy

If one ate it would the consequences be dire?

[Rosie] dire consequences - YES (though that's probably not helpful)

Is this a medicine?

[Chalky] medicine? - NO, although some would claim medicinal properties for it (some laughter in the audience)

Larger than a telephone box?

[CdM] Larger than a telephone box? - NO

A bottle of whisky?

[CdM] bottle of whisky? - NO (but loud and prolonged applause from the audience)

Some type of alcohol?

[Néa] alcohol? - YES

Tequila?

This could take a while by this method

[Iroul] Tequila? - NO
To clarify. The answer is 'A bottle of .......', which explains the mineral, the dire consequences on eating etc. We're now just looking for the contents.

I thought someone would be there by now

I'll be away from t'interweb until about 0800 GMT now. I'd go out and look for some inspiration for the answer (could be hard for Flerdle).

A bottle of beer?

A bottle of methylated spirit?

Poteen?

Is the missing word (or words) a generic type of alcoholic drink (e.g., beer, wine) or more specific (e.g., Samuel Adams, 1960 Chateau Petrus...)

Is it a spirit?

[Raak] beer - NO
[Rosie] meths - NO
[MadC] Poteen - NO
[CdM] generic/specific - YES (Oh, all right, it's more towards the generic end of that spectrum)
[Iroul] spirit - NO

A bottle of Pastis

(which I think is not distilled and therefore not a spirit, although I may be wrong on either count there (and can't be bothered to google to check))

A bottle of cider?

A bottle of schnapps?

Just noticed that no-one has asked the (probably too obvious) A bottle of wine? question. Consider it asked.

A bottle of champagne?

Let us spray

A bottle of champagne for the lucky lady!
It's over to Chalky.

eeeek

oh blimey - again! I like these quick-fire ones.
Here's another that should also be guessed in less than 20 questions ...

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

Aslan?

Human?

[Raak] Aslan? No, but damn fine guess.
[CdM] Human? No

Anything to do with Narnia?

An example of anthropomorphism?

[Iroul] Narnic? Funny you should ask but ... not really.
[INJ] anthropomopomomorphinismic? nn-n-n-n-n-no

Anything to do with the world of Harry Potter?

[Kim] HP? Nah

Fictional?

Lamb of God?

[Rosie] Fictional? More FictITional - but also fictional - 'though some might say not :-)
[CdM] Lamb of God? No

Shub-Internet?

[Raak] No - whatever it is

Found in a particular book?

Something to do with computing?

Anything religious connection?

[Tuj] Particular book? Found in many books
[Raak] Computing? No
[Rosie] Religious connection? Yes :-)

Is the animal bit a real animal?

Connected to the Christmas story?

*cheers from the audience for both questions*
[Iroul] Real animal? Based on a 'real' animal, yes
[CdM] Christmas? Yes!

The ass?

[CdM] ass? No.
Remember this Animal is also tagged with the Abstract definition.

Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer?

drum roll

[Raak] Rudolf? YES!

Nice and easy does it. 15 guesses. Over to you Raak :-)

MINERAL. I confidently expect Chalky to get it in one.

Chalk?

A nut behind the wheel of a car?

An empty champagne bottle?

Is the mineral metal?

[rab] No.
[Inkspot] No. (The reference to Chalky should not be taken too literally.)
[INJ] No; no.

Hail?

The salty deposit left on cars and stuff after it's snown then melted

[Rosie] excited murmurings from the audience No.
[Chalky] more of the same No.

A meteorological phenomenon?

Snow?

[Chalky] Where is the religious connection of R the RR?

[Néa] Loud applause! Yes, but that is not yet the answer.

Sleet?

[INJ, missed earlier] Yes.
[Rosie] No.

A blizzard?

[Rosie] No.

Being snowed in?

[CdM] Again? No, the weatherr's not that bad.

Rain?

Slush?

[I] No.
[Rosie] No. However, your last three answers are all examples of the answer, but are not the answer.

Ice?

Gotta be!

[Rosie] Nope.

Is the answer some form of frozen water that falls out of the sky?

[Rosie] Yes. CLUE☞You just have to find the CLUE ☞ right ☜ CLUE sort.

Precipitation?

Graupel (i.e. snow pellets)?

[Chalky] Yes.
[Rosie] No.

Freezing rain?

Snow grains?

[Néa] This is an example of the answer, but not the answer.
[I] This is an example of the answer, but not the answer.
The reason that these are not the right answer is exactly the reason they are examples of the right answer.

Solid precipitation?

The wrong sort of snow?

[Rosie] Yes, but etc.
[I] Yes! The wrong sort of snow.

I like it when being wrong is right. Staying with the topical theme, our next is ANIMAL, ABSTRACT and has again a Christmas connection.

The fairy on top of the Christmas tree

Is it a male animal?

Human?

ImNotJohn] The fairy on top of the Christmas tree? No
Inkspot] Is it a male animal? Yes
Raak] Human? No

One of Santa's reindeer, other than Rudolph?

Is it a panto character?

Kim] One of Santa's reindeer, other than Rudolph? No
Inkspot] Is it a panto character? No

is this an animal that might appear in the nativity scene?

Is it four legged?

Is it Biblical in a Christmas-related way?

Chalky] is this an animal that might appear in the nativity scene? No
Inkspot] Is it four-legged? No
Raak] Is it Biblical in a Christmas-related way? It's not Biblical

Kim's move should have provoked an "oooh" from the audience.

Sorry - the answer to Inkspot is "yes".

an elf?

Sorry - confused by the correction to Inkspot. So
Santa's little helper?

Is this a cartoon character/creature?

INJ] Yes! (the second one) Another nice fast one. One slighly-chewed, drooled-on baton being thrown your way.

Ooh, that was quick!

One to ponder overnight
OK, the next one is MINERAL (with ABSTRACT connections)
I'll only be around to answer questions for the next 15mins or so, so you can think about it.

Anything to do with the weather?

The cornerstone of anarcho-syndicalism?

[Raak] weather? - NO
[Rosie] cornerstone of anarcho-syndicalism? - NO (though it will be one day)

A work of sculpture?

Manufactured?

Looks like this might be quick too

[Raak] - work of sculpture? - YES (applause)
[Iroul] Manufactured? - YES (see previous answer)

Nelson's column?

A statue of an anarcho-syndicalist?

[Iroul] Nelson's column? - NO
[Raak] an anarcho-syndicalist? - NO

Topical just now?

Please forgive tautology.

[Rosie] topical? - NO (I'll happily be pleased to forgive the tautology)

Is it in Britain?

Is it more than 500 years old?

[Raak] in Britain? - NO
[Inks] more than 500 years old? - NO

Is it in Europe?

Does it commemorate a politician?

Rodin's "Thinker"?

[Iroul] in Europe? - NO
[Rosie] a politician? - NO
[Raak] Rodin? - NO

Is it made of metal?

[Inks[ metal? - NO

Is it in Asia?

Does it commemorate a religious figure?

Getting warm

[Néa] Asia? - NO
[Phil] religious figure? - YES (considerable applause)

The Buddha?

[Iroul] Buddha - NO

Christ the Redeemer?

(in Rio de Janeiro)

Was the person it commemorates alive within the last 200 years?

And the baton is passed

[Néa] - YES It is the Statue of Christ the Redeemer on the Corcovado in River of January

Gah, I need to stop guessing when I'm sure I'm right...
All right, then - ABSTRACT.

With ANIMAL and MINERAL connections.

A human construct?

(trad)
[Néa] Just as well you got that as I could have had a problem answering Raak's question.

Human construct? YES.
Feel free to answer it now if you like!

sedevacantism?

Salt cod?

[Sede vacante] NO
[Gadus salinicus] NO

Is the animal connection human?

Anything to do with Christmas?

[Human] YES
[Christmas] NO

One particular human?

Is there a literary connection?

[One particular human] NO
[Literary] NO (the audience doesn't look entirely convinced of this answer)

Is it a class of human identified by reference to geographical location?

[Geography] NO

Fictional?

[Fictional] NO

Is the abstract notion always obvious in any of the humans involved?

Connected with a branch of the arts?

Is gender relevant?

[Always obvious] I think the answer must be NO, depending on what you mean by "always".
[Arts] NO
[Gender] NO

Is the mineral connection water?

[Water] YES

Any religious significance?

Connected with folklore/faerie or the like?

[Religious significance] There is a definite religious connection, YES, but it doesn't intrinsically have to be there, NO.
[Folklore/faerie] NO

Is it some form of ritual?

[Ritual] YES! (Big applause)

A rain dance?

[Rain dance] NO

Is it water in a particular form?

[Particular form] YES (audience smiles)

A snowball fight?

Does it involve the sea?

[Snowball fight] NO.
[The sea] YES!

Is the religion Christianity?

[Christianity] YES, but NOT exclusively.

Is the particular form of water snow?

[Snow] NO

Anything to do with Christmas/New Year?

[Christmas/NY] NO

Is it something to do with precipitation?

[Precpititita... er... falling water] NO

A ceremony performed on crossing the equator?

[Equatic ceremony] NO.

Any sea, or a particular sea?

Burial at sea?

*applause!*

[Any sea] YES - because...
[Burial at sea] YES! Well done, that Raak.

The next one is MINERAL.

Anything to do with snow?

[CdM] No.

Man-made?

[Rosie] Yes.

Mostly metal?

[Rosie] Yes.

Is there just one of this?

[I] No.

Entirely metal?

Is it found in the home?

[Phil] No.
[Rosie] No.

Is it bigger than a telephone box?

[Kim] No. (But not much smaller either.)

Does it have moving parts?

[Kim] Yes.

A machine of some sort?

A car? A particular type of car?

[INJ] Yes.
[Wol] Um, not really.

A Sinclair C5?

[INJ] Well guessed! (laughter) No.

A motor vehicle?

A mainframe computer?

A Motor Bike?

Housed in a building?

[Kim] Yes.
[rab,Chalky,Rosie] No.

An autorickshaw?

[rab] No.
[Hint] Guessing different types of "motor vehicle" is unlikely to get any closer to the answer.

Used for transporting people?

[CdM] No.

Does it fly?

[Néa] No.

Used for transporting a cargo of some sort?

[INJ] No.

Is transportation its primary purpose?

Is it fixed in place?

[rab] Yes.
[Rosie] No.
(Remember, there's more than one of these.)

Is it electrically powered?

[I] Yes.

A quantum teleportation device?

Robots from Robot Wars?

Did you play any role in the development of any such vehicles?

[rab] No.
[Phil] (Applause!) No.
[CdM] I wish. No.

Does this device normally travel through the air?

[Kim] No.

Daleks?

[rab] No. (Daleks can fly these days, anyway.)

A Mars rover?

[I] Close enough. Specifically, The Mars Rovers.

Sorry for the delay everyone - Xmas party season is upon us. And I'm off out again, so it'll be late tonight when I log in again, assuming I'm not too drunk. Our next is VEGETABLE with ANIMAL connections, and no seasonal connotations at all.

Can you eat it?

Not in the sense that you can eat a cork mat, given the will. :-)

Vegetarian meat-imitation?

A turnip amusingly shaped like a todger?

A triffid?

Rosie] Can you eat it? Yes - fully edible
Raak] Vegetarian meat-imitation? *shudder* No
Chalky - A turnip amusingly shaped like a todger? In one sense possibly close, but no.
Kim - A triffid? Triffic guess, but no.

An edible item in which has miraculously appeared a holy image?

Is any of it actually Animal?

Normally eaten raw?

Raak] An edible item in which has miraculously appeared a holy image? No
Rosie] Is any of it actually Animal? No - but most of the words on the card are the name of an animal.
ImNotJohn] Normally eaten raw? *cheers and cries of "Encore" from the audience* YES

Back after lunch - which may well feature one of these

Lady's fingers?

Black Sheep Bitter?

Vodka Red Bull?

King Edward potatoes?

Granny Smith Apples

?

CdM was right the first time - no question mark necessary. The answer is GRANNY SMITH APPLES. A nice quick one, and some excellent guesses. Over to CdM...

I had an unfair advantage, since I really did have a Granny Smith on my mother's side. Only problem is, I am leaving in 4.5 hours to catch a plane to Hong Kong and San Francisco, and I don't think United Airlines is wiffed in the air yet. So I won't be around the internets for the next 36 hours or so. Does someone else want to take the baton?

I'd vote for Raak, as he got nearest.

Well, if that's nem con since yesterday afternoon, here's an

ABSTRACT
There is a topical connection for people in the UK, but not strongly connected with Christmas or winter. Snow is not involved.

The leader of the Conservative Party?

I've just remembered that I'll be off travelling from Sunday midday to Tuesday midday, so on second thoughts I should have passed the baton on to someone else. Anyway...
[Chalky] No.

Combustion?

[Rosie] No.

The weekend lull... I suggest someone else does one instead. Got to catch a plane to Amsterdam.

Allow me...

Never backward in coming forward, I'll offer this festive little number: ABSTRACT

Season's greetings?

Good will?

Would the average person regard this as a Good Thing?

[rab] No.
[Tuj] No.
[Rosie] Average person....hmmm...difficult. Probably. Can you be more specific?

Santa?

A carol?

Radio 3's Bach Christmas?

[Irouéguy] Yes! If my one was still running.

[Raak]No.
[rab] No.
[Irouleguy] No.

Is it a condition, either mental or physical?

[Rosie] No.

No room at the inn?

Raak] I've never been so pleased to be off work before Xmas.

[Irouleguy] No.

Shopping?

[Rosie] No.

Is it s human construct?

[Kim] Yes.

Is it connected with the media?

Is it connected with the biblical Christmas story?

[Raak] No.
[Irouleguy] Yes. *Some applause*

Rising from the dead after three days?

[Irouleguy] No.

There are clues in my opening remarks.

A Happy New Year?

The Salvation Army?

A New Year resolution?

A Silent Night?

12 Days of Christmas?

[All of the above] No, but CdM and Phil are in the right ball park.

New Year's Eve?

"I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus"?

Christmas Day?

Bingo!

Raak gets it on the nose. The "little number" in question was 25. *Hands baton to Raak*.

Ok, this had better be a non-seasonal something. Or perhaps not. VEGETABLE, possibly including MINERAL and ANIMAL as well.

Something you can eat?

[Rosie] No.

Is it some form of habitat?

An object made largely of wood?

I don't know how that happened - but that last one was me. A preview would've helped, of course. :-(

[Kim] No.
[Rosie] No.

Man-made?

[Rosie] Yes.

Is there just one of these?

Happy New Year, everyone

An item of clothing?

[I] No.
[Rosie] No.

Found in most hoseholds?

Getting sloppy. That's households, of course. Of course.

Anyone else playing?

[Rosie] Found in many, perhaps even in most, but I can't be sure.

Would it generally be regarded as welcome in the households in which it is found?

[Kim] Sort of, though it's not like these things just show up by chance and get welcomed.

Xmas tree?

[Projoy] No.

Does it weigh more than 3lbs (1.3608 kg)?

Groping about in the dark here.

[Rosie] No.

Is the mineral element metal?

[INJ] Yes.

Is it alive?

[jim] No.

Does it have a handle?

[irach] No.

Is it decorative?

-Is it flammable?

Does it have moving parts?

[Jim] The usual protocol in this game is that questions are put into the "a propos" box.

[I] Generally not.
[jim] Yes.
[Kim] I suppose yes, though that's rather misleading.

Is it a tool?

Is it usually to be found in the kitchen?

Is it a container?

[Saxon] No.
[Kim] No.
[Inkspot] No.
At least, narrowly speaking. It is used for a purpose, might as easily be in the kitchen as anywhere else, and does, in a sense, contain things. But it lacks the toolness of a hammer, the coquiniosity of a sink, and the envelopaciousness of a bottle.

Is the animal bit hair?

[I] No.

Is it a standard geometric shape?

[jim] Yes.

That's about twenty questions so far, and the audience is still asleep. A hint: there is a slight seasonal relevance, although the relevant season is not Christmas.

Does it have an effect on the temperature around it?

[Kim] No.
Another hint: the standard geometric shape that it is, is rectangular.

A calendar?

An Advent calendar?

Is it a box of something?

[CdM] (APPLAUSE!) No.
[I] No.
[Kim] No.

A diary?

[Kim] YES!

Didn't think that would take so long. Is interest waning?

Nah - just the time of year.

Me again? Shucks...OK, ABSTRACT with plenty of ANIMAL and MINERAL associations and probably some VEGETABLE ones to boot.

Is the animal, human?

A human construct?

A dream about a panda sitting on a rock?

- just a stab in the dark.

Manchester United?

speaking of booting vegetables...

Is there only one of this?

[Inkspot] Predominantly.
[INJ] Yes.*Some applause and a little laughter*
[Wol]< irony> Oooh! So close! < /irony>
[Irouleguy] No.
[INJ] No.

Paleontology?

An activity of some kind?

[Raak] No.
[Rosie] No.

Is it a cultural production?

[Irouleguy] Not sure what you mean. Can you clarify?

Is it an event?

[Irouleguy] No.

Is it a belief system?

Kim] Apologies for posting ambiguously and then buggering off for the weekend. I was trying to ask a number of questions at once - cultural production meaning book/film/play/musical/song/whatever else - hence the awkward wording.

The sport of building huge rows of dominoes and then making them fall over?

Is it competitive?

[Irouleguy] No, not a cultural event.
[Inkspot] No, not an event.
[Irouleguy] No, not a belief system.
[Raak] *Some laughter and a little applause* No, but....
[Tuj] No, not competitive.

Is it a pastime?

Is this an emotion?

[Raak] No a pastime.
[Chalky] No, not an emotion :-(

Gravity?

Is this a place?

[Raak] No.
[Chalky] Yes.

A single, specific place?

Is it a ruin?

Kim

[Raak] Yes.
[Projoy] *Some laughter and applause* No. At least, not in the conventional sense (it's not Lullingstone Villa, or some such.)

Is it a controversial work of architecture?

[Raak] No.

Stonehenge?

I have to admit to being a little bit puzzled by the fact that this is 'A single, specific place' but that there isn't 'only one of this'

A work of art?

Is it in Britain?

Given it's abstract, is it a fictional archaic site?

Could I replace that question with "is it a fictional geographical site, like Hy Brasil?"

My back yard, as in "Not in my back yard"?

[INJ] No. You're right and I think I may come in for some criticism. By answering Chalky's question "Is this a place?" with a Yes and not directing her and following questioners to the fact that there is more than one of these, I think I have unwittingly misled people into thinking that there is, in fact, only one. Even as I think about it, I am beginning to doubt whether this is really abstract at all, but merely animal, mineral and (to a lesser extent) vegetable, but I will stick to my guns and take the flak if it comes.
In the light of this, the answer to each of the five questions following yours is No.
Raak and Projoy are currently the strongest links and, moreover, have already used the words that are on the card here in separate questions.
Questioners may get more benefit focusing on the non-abstract qualities.

Are these tourist attractions?

So the answer is somewhere in:

is a abstract and archaic architecture art Brasil building controversial Could dominoes fall fictional geographical Given Gravity huge Hy I is it it's like making of over Paleontology pastime place question replace rows ruin single site specific sport that the them then with work

Oh Raak - you DO make me laugh sometimes :-) Spot on.
Now I shall ask a question ...

Is this a place that might be visited by tourists?

Might have helped if I'd actually read your question aswell ... sorry Kim, I'll do another one

Would people pay to see this?

Sporting venue(s)?

[Raak] Tourist attractions? Unlikely, but then some tourists would go to see a hole in the ground.
[Raak] Yes! Now, perm any three from forty-four in alpha order.
[Chalky] Unlikely, but then some people would pay to see a hole in the ground.
[Irouleguy] No.

A building site?

A type of public building?

A burial site/graveyard/gravesite?

The site of an archaeological dig?

Whew!

Chalky wins! The answer on the card is, indeed, "A building site". Well done, Chalky. Now, was I right or wrong?

[Kim] I agree it's reasonable to call it abstract. As for one or more: I see your problem, but I think you needed to answer Raak's 'single specific place' differently - otherwise it is no longer abstract.

the incredible rightness of being ..

[Kim] Thanks M'dear :-)
hmmm - I wonder if you had answered Raak's question "A single, specific place?" with a No and a Yes - it might have been obvious that, although having a singular purpose, this type of place was not unique. As for the 'Abstract' label, I can understand your misgivings. Probably not, I'd say.
I'll post a new one a bit later - give others a chance to comment ..
[simul'd with INJ]

The incredible siteness of building

Kim] Nice one, first of all. I tend to think of 'abstract' as meaning fictional or unreal, so I would have labelled this as MINERAL (with qualifications) rather than ABSTRACT, but I do think it's a fine distinction. I agree with Chalky about your answer to Raak's question, but I don't think it led us too far astray. And I thoroughly enjoyed it, which is what really matters.

Thanks for the comments. I think you're all being far too nice. The fact is that I intuitively chose to describe it as ABSTRACT without really considering the issue. During the course of the game I had to start considering first of all whether a building site really is more than the sum of the materials and people that fill it up; then I agonised over whether "a building site" meant "that building site, there", or "some building site, somewhere" or "any building site anywhere". Also, is a building site a place, or is it in a place? So, I still think that my problem started with my answer to Chalky's question "Is this a place", rather than Raak's "A single specific place?". Even questions such as "A human construct" (INJ) "The sport of making huge rows of dominoes and then making them fall over" (Raak) and "Is it a ruin" (Projoy) I found difficult and thought-provoking, but, hey, it was fun to wrestle with and I hope you all found it as entertaining as Irouleguy did.

Let's draw a line under it and move on.

Now? Yes?

A N I M A L

Four-legged?

A single, individual creature?

Alive?

Winged?

Human?

[Kim] I think all of us who have set AVMAs have grappled with this problem -- you pick some subject that seems quite straightforward, and the next thing you know someone asks a question that also seems quite straightforward, and yet you find you have no idea how to answer it. And, usually, the more you think about it, the worse it gets...

Food?

Mammal?

grappling

[Raak] Four-legged? No
[Wol] single individual creature? After much thought - No
[Phil] Alive? In this instance, Yes
[Puckoon] Winged? No
[Rosie] Food? Not in the sense you may mean
[CdM] Human? Do you mean A Human? Yes and No
[Iroule] Mammal? Do you mean A Mammal? as above

[CdM] How right you are - a couple of my replies above took considerable thought. I should know by the next batch of questions whether I have misled ... and reserve the right to review :-)

Is it a category of person (eg, left-handed people)?

[Kim] Category of person? No

A part of a creature?

Three, yet one?

Is it a role? (e.g. Leader of Conservative Party)

Is it a part of a human?

The Dalai Lama?

The current Crystal Palace goalkeeper?

I only put that up to say I think we're getting warm.

significantly warmer

[INJ] A part of a creature? Yes *applause*
[Raak] Three, yet one? No
[Phil] Role? No
[Kim] Part of a human? Yes *more applause*
[iroule] Dalai Lama? No
[Rosie] The goalkeeper? No :-)

Do all humans have this part?

[Iroule] Do all humans have this part? At birth, Yes, I suppose they do.

Placenta?

The umbilical cord?

[irach] Placenta? No
[Raak] Umbilicus? No

Do most adults have this part?

[Raak] Most adults? Yes

Would it's absence be visible to another person (assuming no clothes)?

AAAAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!! *Climbs to the top of nearest greengrocer and throws himself off*

*breaks INJ's fall*

[IN'J] Naked Absence Of Body Part - probably not.

Is it an internal body part?

Is it an appendix?

Spleen?

Do both men and women have this part?

Would the absence of this part be a serious medical condition?

.. today we have naming of parts ..

[irach] Internal? Yes, but nothing as obvious as the appendix :-)
[CdM] Spleen? No
[Raak] Men & Women? Yes
[Rosers] Absence causing serious medical condition? No, not on its own.

Is it something that all humans are born with, but lose after being born?

[Kim] Born with, yes, but lose after birth, as a matter of course, No.

A secretion of some kind?

A secretion of some kind?

Preview, you silly boy!

[Rosie] Not a secretion, No [was trying to avoid mineral/vegetable connections] although your guess gets a *smattering of applause*

Tonsils?

[Iroule] Tonsils? No

Hair?

[Raak] Not hair - [see my last reply to irach]

The organ of Zuckerkandl?

Appendix?

Gall bladder?

[Raak] Zuckerkandl's thingy? No
[Kim] Appendix? Ni [see my last reply to irach]
[Rosie] Gall Bladder? No, but very very close!

Pancreas?

Surely its removal would lead to serious medical problems, such as instant diabetes?

[Rosie] Indeed it would, which is why the pancreas isn't the correct answer :-)

Prostate?

(if I can intrude) Bile duct?

[Kim] Prostate? No
[Dandalf] Bile duct? No. (intrude more! It's good to have new players in this game)

Duodenum?

[Kim] Duodenum? No

Am thinking about Rosie's remark re: Serious medical condition. I know of people without this part who have what could be termed a medical condition but wouldn't label it serious. S'pose it's a matter of opinion.

Large bowel?

left kidney?

[Raak] Large Bowel? Close - location-wise - but No. * audience frantically points to one of Rosie's guesses*
[INJ] Left kidney? No

Urethra

The navel?

Bladder?

Haven't had the gall to guess that one previously.

[Inks] Urethra? No - but SO close
[Raak] Navel? No
[INJ] Bladder? Cheeky but CORRECT! *relieved cheers from audience*
Over to you ....

That's a relief

OK in that case we'll have an ABSTRACT with ANIMAL connections

A work of art?

[Raak] - work of art? - NO

Character from fiction?

[Kim] Character from fiction? - YES (some hesitant applause)

Any religious connothingies at all?

Human?

Character from a novel?

A character in a film?

A character from mythology?

Is the character human?

(intruding more) From science fiction?

Robin Hood

This is going well

[Néa] - religious - NO
[Tuj] - human - YES
[Iroul] - from novel - NO
[Raak] - in film - Has been depicted on film, but originally NO
[Inks] - from mythology - NO
[Kim] - see above
[Dandalf] - SF - NO
[Inks] - Robin Hood - NO - *Huge round of applause*

Someone else who figures in the Robin Hood stories?

Soon be there

[Raak] in the Robin Hood stories? - YES

Maid Marian?

Sheriff of Nottingham?

Friar Tuck?

Little John?

Obviously not you, squire.:-)

BUGGER!, done it again. That last one was me. These drop-down lists are a pain in the posterior passage.

Will Scarlett?

[now firmly intruded) A merry man?

Well, there you go

[Rosie/Rock] Little John it is.
That wasn't very hard then, was it. Just as well, given my infrequent appearance on here in the last few days.

[ImNotLittleJohn] It was good to have a nice short one for a change.

agree .. although Inkspot landing on the precise area of fiction was inspired. How did he know that?

oooh

Maybe Inkspot is INJ's evil twin?

The clue was in how INJ answered Kim's first question it' a middle age thing.

Inkspot] You being middle-aged, or the historical Middle Ages?

[Irouléguy]It was just a poor cross server play on words type joke.

[Inkspot] I don't see how "(some hesitant applause)" would lead you to "Robin Hood", but I can see how INJ's answer to Raak's second question would help.

[Kim] I took the reply to your question to be a fiction based on someone, it was a toss up between 'mythology' or legend. When almost a day had passed I took a shot at the fella in green tights.

Sorry for the delay.

This one is MINERAL. Nothing whatsoever to do with steam engines.

Anthracite?

Diesel?

A manufactured object?

Are there more than one of these?

Is more than one mineral substance involved?

Anything to do with the weather?

(irach) - No
(Irouléguy) - No
(INJ) - Yes
(CdM) - Oh yes.
(Kim) - Yes
(Raak) - Not even a teensy little bit.

Clarification

(Kim) The object itself is one mineral substance in the way that the term is used in this game.

Is it made of plastic?

Is it used inside the house?

Small enough to pick up with one hand?

Inkspot - No
(Irouléguy) - No - *chuckles from a few members of the audience*
Raak - Yes

Is it made of metal?

Chalky - Indeed it is.

Could it be a component of other things (like a ball-bearing)?

Does it explode?

Is it a dream deferred?

InNotJohn - No
Raak - No
CdM - No, nothing as fancy.

does it always have a defined shape that is chaarcteristic to it, e.g. circular, square...?

Is it a weapon of some sort?

A boule?

A tool of some sort?

A sporting implement?

irach - Yes, a shape but not a simple geometrical one.
Chalky - No
Raak - Non
(ImNotJohn) - Only in an extremely broad sense. The answer really is No.
Kim - No.

Does it have moving parts?

A sculpture by Bathsheba Grossman?

As seen at http://www.bathsheba.com/.

Inkspot - No
Raak - No; functional rather than artistic.

Mobile Phone?

Phil - No (metal only)

Housekey?

A spoon?

A coin?

Is it made of steel?

Forget the coin question; geometric shape.

A car key?

We have a winner! Well done, Dandalf. The "word on the card" is front-door key, but that's near enough. That was too simple, wasn't it? Next time.....evil grin

ABSTRACT with ANIMAL and MINERAL connections

A work of art?

An organisation?

Picasso's 'Les demoiselles d'Avignon'?

A human construct?

(oblig)

Raak - No Rosie - No Irouleguy - Non! ImNotJohn - errrrrm....Yes and No (sorry!)

Oh Dear! - Sorry about lack of linebreaks. (hangs head in shame)

An activity?

A state of mind?

Raak - No
Irouleguy - That could describe the object on the card. *sprinkling of applause*

An emotion?

Thirst?

"The artist in despair at the magnitude of antique fragments"?

The Golden Age of Mankind?

Kim - No
Rosie - No
Raak - No - (laughter)
irach - No

Anarcho-syndicalism?

It had to be right eventually.

Patience on a monument?

(INJ) I'm thinking monkeys, typewriters and Shakespeare. :-)

INJ - No
Rosie - No - no link, however tenuous, to monkeys, typewriters and/or Shakespeare :)

An aspect of conscioussness?

[Kim] Too many "esses", precioussss

Hunger?

Kim - No
Inkspot - No

A hangover?

*yawns*

As this is going so slowly, I'll do a quick recap:

It is NOT:
a work of art, an organisation, Picasso's "Les demoiselles..", an activity, an emotion, thirst, "The artist in despair ..", The Golden Age of Mankind, anarcho-syndicalism, patience on a monument, an aspect of consciousness, hunger.

It IS:
a state of mind, and may or may not be a human construct.

Is it a state of mind that a normal person would experience on a regular basis?

Is it an agreeable state of mind?

It the mineral part a liquid?

[Chalky]With Dandalf calling in once every couple of days this one is going to take weeks.

A mind as quick as quicksilver?

A cunning plan dancing naked upon a harpsichord and singing "Cunning Plans Are Here Again"?

Is the animal part human?

L'esprit de l'escalier?

Thinking of a snappy comeback ten minutes after the conversation

Absence?

To liken the sound of a harpsichord to two skeletons copulating on a tin roof?

Profound apologies to all for the long pause - I've been having modem problems.
INJ - No
Rosie - No
Inkspot - No
Irach - No (laughter)
Raak - No
INJ - Yes
Irouleguy - No
Rosie - No
Raak - No
Think entertainment. (One of my answers to Rosie contains a hint!)

Can it be experienced on ones own?

Is it an anthropomorphism?

Inspiration?

A film?

Paranoia?

INJ - The entertainment? - Yes
Kim- Yes
Snorgle - No
Chalky - No
Botherer - No

Is it connected to the weather?

Is it religious in nature?

Sorry again - can only use office computer [ ; ) ]
KIM - No
Projoy - No
Time for another hint? I've used one of the three words on the card in one of my answers to R.....

Anything to do with computers?

Anything to do with monkeys?

Is one of the words "no"?

Tears of Laughter?

Pretending to be a snail - literally hours of fun.

[Projoy] No - since it's not an activity.

Hm. Surely the fact that it's "an anthropomorphism" should be the main giveaway, except that I can't really put parameters on what that is, precisely.

Is the anthropomorphism male?

*is bored*

sorry Dandalf - I know it's not your fault - but up until 11 days ago this was the snappiest, sharpest game on this server. Forgive me - you see, I started this game and there's a sense of personal pride. How shallow am I? :-)

(Chalky) You make Hamsey Green pond look like the Marianas Trench. No, not really, honestly.

Methinks its time to put this one to sleep. If you don't get it after this you are all "The w------ ----" and you leave with nothing!

The Weakest Link?

I think I may be right. Hahahah! Thanks Dandalf :-)
In the interests of the game I shall decline the 'chair' - mainly because I won't be able to post regularly during the daytimes.
[Rosie?] would you care to take my place?

Shame

I can't help feeling we should have got closer to that. The 'state of mind' is what put me off the track for quite some time. I sympathise with Dandalf though as I also often find it difficult to look in more than a couple of times a day and once at weekends if I'm lucky.

Chalky - You are the strongest link.

(Chalky) Strictly we ought to wait till Dandalf rubber-stamps it, even though you're obviously right. OK, I'll do one even thought I got nowhere near the answer.

This one is ANIMAL

Non-human?

Non-alive?

non-edible?

Is it native to a particular country?

irach - No
CdM - Yes
ImNotJohn - Probably not, now
Inkspot - Was (see answer to irach and CdM)

Clarification - (INJ) Probably not edible, I meant.

Non-fictional?

Male?

rach - Yes
Raak - Yes

Is he European?

Mozart?

Anything to do with either monkeys, typewriters or Shakespeare?

A broadcaster?

Inkspot - Yes
Irouléguy - No
Kim - Not a thing
Phil - No

Might I make a suggestion? This game went through a period [I think CdM started the trend and I'm sure you, Rosie, amongst others, followed the initiative] of putting the Yes/No replies next to, not just the name of the questioner, but also a C&P of the question. For those folks, like me at the moment, who can only rush in for a few moments, there isn't time to trawl back through the questions to match them to the replies .. so I end up not bothering to frame a question of my own. It may make for more participation ..

Born in the 18th Century?

Is he Welsh?

(Chalky) OK, not a bad idea.
Kim - Born in 18th C - No
Inkspot - Welsh? - Nag'dy (No)

Musically inclined chap?

A poet?

Well that's me stumped.

Born in the 19th Century?

(irach) Musical? - Not known for it.
Inkspot - Poet? - No
Kim - Born 19th century? - No.

- Born in the 20th Century?

Did he hold a political office?

British?

A scientist?

A cultural figure?

Dandalf - Born in 20th C? - No
Raak - Held a political office? - Well, sort of. Not what he's known for
ImNotJohn - British? - No
Inkspot - A scientist? - Yes *considerable applause*
Irouléguy - A cultural figure - No.

An astronomer?

Einstein?

Oops, not borh in 19th or 20th century. Ignore that, try this:
Galileo?

ImNotJohn - An astronomer? -Yes
Raak - Not Galileo.

Was he German?

Inkspot - German? - No

Did he have a silver nose?

.. Or Copper Knickers?

Is it indeed Copernicus? If so, award the win to Chalky.

Kepler?

Yes, his underwear was unusual and cupric, so courtesy of irach, CHALKY is the winner. (Raak) Don't geddit. :-(

[Rosie] Raak is referring to Tycho Brahe.

Here is The Straight Dope on the subject.

Marvellous - y'learn something new every day

V. generous [irach] :-) I now have a little more time to do one of these, so I think we'll go for ...

V E G E T A B L E

Tony Blair's Cabinet?

Does it grow on trees?

Is it edible?

Is it manufactured?

Hey Chalky, it's been more than an hour since Raak's question...

Is it just one species of vegetable?

[Raak] TB's cabinet? No *chuckle*
[Inks] Does it grow on trees? No
[INJ] Edible? Yes
[CdM] Manufactured? um .. Yes
[CdM] Yes - he's very eager, isn't he?
[Iroule] One species? Yes

Does it require cooking to make it edible?

[C/C] I just asked the question, I can wait...

[Raak] Cooking? Yes [with hesitation]

Is it a (culinary) dish?

Does it grow underground?

Porridge?

Is it a root vegetable?

(Raak) re Tycho Brahe - I didn't know that. What is also not too well known is that he died of a burst bladder and the consequent peritonitis. At a boozy banquet with the King of Denmark he dared not leave the table until His Maj had got up despite a certain degree of urgency. Awful.

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