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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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Knickers?
[Inks] i w t w y p d bikini? Isn't it 'itsy witsy' - you may be confusing said garment with a spider :-) NO
[Projoy] the shirt off your back? scrubbed .... but

.. YOU ARE CORRECT WITH 'LITTLE COTTON SOCKS' [Aw bless]

[Rosie] same to you :-)

*vacates the chair to make room for Projoy*
Hmmm. OK. ANIMAL & VEGETABLE (abstract too, but we needn't worry too much about that). I'm going away at the weekend, so I might hand the answer to some trustworthy person if we haven't got it by then...
A bit of further research reveals there is probably a small MINERAL part to it, but don't get too hung up on it.
A manufactured item?
[Inks, Chalky] I believe it's actually "itsy bitsy".
Is it something to eat?
[INJ] Manufactured - YES, literally
[Raak] To eat - NO.
A sporran?
[INJ] A sporran - NO (out of curiosity, is there anything vegetable in a sporran?)
A musical instrument?
Raak - musical instrument - NO, not musical
Something you wear?
Vegetable in a sporran - surely the authentic ones have real thistles?
[Irouléguy] Something you wear - NO
Is the animal part leather?
[Raak] Leather? Hm. I had to resort to a dictionary to find the answer, which is NO (but only just)
Is the vegetable part some sort of colouring?
[Raak] vege coloring? YES!
Woad?
(INJ) Itsy bitsy it is. I heard it when it first came out ca 1959. Even amongst us horny 16-yr-olds it was regarded as simply pathetic.
Is the not-really-leather part parchment?
Is the animal part a particular non-human animal?...if that makes sense
The Magna Carta?
Is it an object which can fit in the palm of your hand?
Is the animal part (which isn't leather) some other products of animal skin?
A knitted tea-cosy? [something manufactured (literally!) from dyed sheep's wool but which isn't worn]
[CdM] YES!!! - a superb bit of deduction.
and for the other questions, therefore...
[Raak] YES, vellum to be precise
[Inkspot] YES, a goat, I think, although I'm not sure
[Dandalf] NO
[Kim] YES
[Dandalf] Good guess, but NO

Well, that's handy, as I now have to go and catch my train to Manchester to see Lib singing. Over to you, CdM.
OK... This one is ABSTRACT with ANIMAL connections.
is the animal human?
Human? No.
Did it happen in the past?
Is the animal a symbol?
Fictional?
Did it happen in the past? Did what happen in the past?
Animal a symbol? That is not its primary purpose, but it can be interpreted in a symbolic way. I'm not sure that's helpful, though.
Fictional? Yes.
Capricon?
Is the animal a carnivore?
Written fiction?
A mythical creature?
Capricorn? No.
Carnivore? Yes.
Written fiction? In part, yes.
Mythical? No (unless you take a very broad definition of mythical).
The lion king?
Lion king? No.
A single specific animal?
Aslan?
A cartoon character?
Agnus Dei?
If we find out the animal, will we have the answer?
Single specific animal? Yes.
Aslan? No.
Cartoon character? Yes (unless you take a very narrow definition of cartoon) *applause*
Agnus Dei? No.
Animal = answer? Yes.
Clarification: I should probably have answered 'Cartoon Character?' with "In part, yes".
Is the cartoon part animated?
Jessica Rabbit?
A newspaper cartoon?
Animated? In part, yes.
JR? No.
Newspaper cartoon? In part, yes.
There is a noticeable lack of applause accompanying these partly correct suggestions.
Did this fictional carnivore first exist in writing?
Was it first illustrated before 1948?
First exist in writing? I could answer "in part, yes", but I think it is fairer to say that 'in writing' is not how one would typically describe its first incarnation.
First inkspotted, er, illustrated before 1948? Yes. *applause*
Rupert Bear?
RB? No.
Is the animal a mammal?
Mammal? Strictly speaking, I think the answer has to be no. *some muttering in the audience*
Was its creator Walt Disney?
Is the animal aquatic?
Disney creation? No.
Aquatic? No.
Summing up: we are looking for a fictional, carnivorous, single specific animal, which is in part a newspaper cartoon character, and in part an animated cartoon character (we don't know if those are the same parts) and in part comes from written fiction, though "'in writing' is not how one would typically describe its first incarnation." It can be interpreted symbolically, though that's not necessarily helpful, and it is not mythical. Strictly speaking, it's not a mammal (though the audience muttered about that answer). It's neither a Disney creation, nor acquatic.

Was its first incarnation in the 19th century?
No wonder the audience muttered - it's either a mammal or not a mammal - nothing in between, however strictly one speaks!
Does it appear in the works of Lewis Carroll?
Is it aimed at an adult audience?
Hobbes?
[Irouléguy] Excellent summation. Minor clues: I would not put too much emphasis either on newspaper cartoons or written fiction.
[Dandalf] Well, we can discuss that when the round is over. :-)
19th Century? No.
Lewis Carroll? No. *some smiles in the audience*
Adult audience? That's not really the target market, although many adults like at least some incarnations.
Hobbes? No.
A clue: When I set this AVMA I expected a question to which I could give a correct but misleading answer. And you fell right into my trap. Mwahahahaha!
Does the animal take human form?
Human form? Yes! *applause*
A superhero?
Superhero? Yes. *applause*
Superman?
*hands the kryptonite rod to Raak*
Superman? YES!

As for "mammal", my uncertainty was the following. As far as I know, Superman has all of the traits that are usually taken as defining a mammal. But I think that the strict definition of the term has an evolutionary basis, and thus cannot apply to someone not from earth. I expect to be corrected by either a biologist or the morniverse equivalent of Comic-Book Man from The Simpsons.
MINERAL
Largely or exclusively metal?
An engagement ring?
Manufactured?
[CdM] Mostly metal? Yes.
[I] Not an engagement ring.
[Rosie] Manufactured? Yes.
Bigger than a phonebox?
Unique?
[GL] Bigger than a phonebox.
[Néa] Unique.
A sculpture?
Is it in the UK?
[Phil] Not a sculpture.
[I] Not in the U.K. (the audience is amused)
Eiffel Tower? [CdM] You win! but (a) not mythical and (b) carnivore (are you sure?) suggested a real biological species.
[Davdand] Not the Eiffel Tower.
Beagle 2
[Inkspot] (APPLAUSE!) Not Beagle 2.
Extant?
[D] You may well be right about my answer to "mythical?". Since I had already said that the answer was fictional, I interpreted 'mythical' more narrowly. But one definition of 'mythical' is 'fictitious', so perhaps I was misleading. As for carnivore, I recently saw an episode of Lois and Clark (not my fault; my daughter is currently Superman-obsessed) in which Clark Kent ate a hamburger...
A more successful solar exploration thingy?
[Cdm]I would agree with you on your interpretation of 'mythical'. Superman could not be described as a mythical creature or person.
[I] Yes. (More applause! )
Voyager?
Not the Star Trek variety.
[Projoy] Not Voyager.
The Tardis?
I'd agree with CdM too, particulaly as Superman is a member of a particular (fictional) species. Is one difference between fiction and myth that a fiction has a specific author, but a myth doesn't? (Although that would make Robin Hood mythical rather than fictional, so hmm...)
[I] Not the Tardis. (the audience look glum)
Skylab?
I don't agree with CdM, Superman is an omnivore rather than a carnivore just like Ordinaryman.
A European mission?
[GL] Not Skylab.
[I] (pause to research this) Partly European.
Cassini-Huygens?
Yes! When I checked up on the telephone box q, I was quite surprised to find out how big it is.
Yay, thank you for that one Raak, and for my first time in the chair in this game ANIMAL
A single animal?
Mammal?
A single animal - Yes
Mammal - Yes
that should read [Irouléguy]A single animal - Yes [Gusset Login]Mammal - Yes
Currently alive?
[Raak]Currently alive - No
Human animal?
[irach] Human animal - Yes
Male?
[I] That's not a distinction I saw in my googling/dictionary checking, but it's an interesting idea. Mind you, at this point Superman certainly has multiple authors as well.
[GL] My bad: I think you're right. It is pretty clear at least that Superman is not an "obligate carnivore" (a term I just learned, meaning solely flesh-eating). And given that I also saw Superman eat a bomb in another episode, "omnivore" seems more appropriate. Googling seems to indicate, however, that the strict definition of these terms has to do with the necessity of different types of food in terms of nutrients. I actually have no idea if Superman has to eat anything.
British?
Scientist?
[Rosie]British - Yes
[irach] Scientist - No
Best known for cultural/artistic achievements?
[ImNotJohn]Best known for cultural/artistic achievements - Yes
Purcell?
[Raak]Purcell - No
Alive in the 20th century?
Musical connections?
[Raak]Alive in the 20th century - Yes
[ImNotJohn] Musical connections - No
An Actor?
You didn't answer CdM's question about maleness
ooops
[CdM]Male - Yes
[Gusset Login] - An Actor - No
A painter and/or sculptor?[sneaking in two for the price of one ;-) ]
A writer?
A mime?
[Dandalf] A painter and/or sculptor - No
[Rosie]A writer - taking the narrowest definition No
[Raak]A mime - No
A performer of some sort?
[Gusset Login] A performer of some sort - No
To do with cinema?
[Dandalf] To do with cinema - No
A poet, then?
[Rosie] A poet - YES
Siegfried Sassoon?
T.S. Elliot?
Rabbie Burns?
Ted Hughes
[CdM]Siegfried Sassoon - No
[irach] T.S. Elliot - No
[Chalky] Rabbie Burns - No
[Phil]Ted Hughes - No
Philip Larkin?
Wilfred Owen?
English?
[Rosie]Philip Larkin - No
[CdM] Wilfred Owen - YES and Yes it was he, and so the chair is yours.
An Easy One
I think the audience was being a little harsh not to give my earlier Sassoon guess at least a smattering of applause. Anyway, this is ABSTRACT, with ANIMAL connections.
Is it a fictional human?
Fictional human? No.
Is the animal connection human?
Animal connection human? Yes.
A mythical human?
Mythical human? No. *some wry chuckling in the audience*
Is this a place where humans go/gather together?
tut tut - ignore the 'together' - that's tautology, I believe.
Place where humans go? No, although it could be a cause of humans gathering together.
Is it an anniversary?
Is it your birthday?
:-)
Is it conected to religion?
Is it a specific date?
Is it an emotion?
An election?
Possibly setting a new record...
The answer is indeed, My Birthday. You can fill in the other answers for yourselves. *hands baton (lit at one end) to Chalky*
Oh, and sorry I didn't answer these sooner, but I was busy drinking margaritas.
.. and many happy returns, dear CdM :-)

OK - in the hot seat again. This time I'll go for:

V E G E T A B L E with M I N E R A L and a smidgin of A B S T R A C T
Is the vegetable wood?
Happy birthday!
A work of art?
Is it a unique item?
very good questions ...
[Iroule] Wood? YES
[Raak] Work of art? Sort of - YES
[GL] Unique? Yes, one could say that.
[Iroule] It's CdM's birthday today - mine is next week :-)
Seen in a museum?
Is the mineral metal?
[irach] Seen in a museum? No
[Dandalf] Metal? A small part is metal
Another crucifix?
[Raak] Another crucifix? No
Larger than a telephone box?
Any religious significance?
A decoration of some sort?
Smaller than a telephone box?
A wooden telephone box?
[Dandalf] Larger than a telephone box? No
[INJ] Religious significance? No
[Rosie] Decoration? Can be decorative - but not primary purpose
[GL] see above
[Raak] wooden TB? No
Is it in Britain?
A door?
[Rosie] In Britain? Yes
[Dandalf] A door? No - but you are moving towards the right area
Is it in a town/city?
A window box?
[Rosie] Town/City? Yes
[Raak] Window Box? No
City?
Is it normally found indoors?
Is it hand carved?
[GL] This one is in a city, yes.
[Phil] Indoors? No
[Inks] Hand-carved? Nothing so exotic.
The fact that Phil has joined the game is a BIG clue .
A pub sign?
[CdM] Pub Sign? YES - that's close enough for a *huge roar of applause from the audience*
Now guess which pub.
The Three Crowns?
[Inks] Not the Three Crowns
Elephant and Castle?
Is there an animal connection in the sign?
Is the pub in Ratby?
The Red Lion?
The Bull's Head?
The Nag's Head?
[Rosie] Elephant & Castle? No
[Inkspot] Animal connection? No
[Raak] Ratby? No
[GL] The Red Lion? No
[Phil] The Bull's Head? No
[all] The Nag's Head? No
Is this just one particular pub?
Head of Steam?
The Hogg's Head?
The words "Straws" and "Clutching" spring to mind
The Clutching Straws?
[Rosie] One particular pub? I'd already replied to GL earlier that it's unique - so Yes.
[CdM] Head of Steam? No
[GL] The Hogg's Head? No
[Raak] The Clutching Straws? No :-)

I'm not sure how many pub names there are in the Cities and Towns of the UK, but yu can be assured that I don't expect you to start guessing them all. C'mon - there HAS to be a hook ....
The Fisherman's Arms?
You said there had to be a hook...
Is this a single famous pub (like The Prospect of Whitby)?
Does the name relate to an MC player?
[GL] The Fisherman's Arms? No
[INJ] Single famous pub? I suppose you could call it famous [in its area] *murmurs of approval from the audience for INJ's line of questioning*
[CdM] Does the name relate to an MC player? No
Is it also the name of an underground station?
Is it in London?
One of the pubs that claims to be the oldest in Britain?
If I don't live in the area would I still have heard of it?
Bolsover Hall?
The Euston Flyer?
The Swiss Cottage?
[INJ] Underground station? No
[CdM] London? No
[INJ] Oldest in Britain? No
[GL] Heard of it? Probably not - but I have :-)
[INJ] Bolsover Hall? No
[Iroule] Euston Flyer? No
[PJ] Swiss Cottage? No
Is it your local?
Is it in Devon?
Is it in Cornwall?
[INJ] My local? Yes it is, as it happens, but I wouldn't expect you to know it because of that! It is well-known around these parts for another reason
[Inks] Devon/Cornwall? No
Is it in Dorset?
Working my around the country
Is it in Wiltshire?
Four down 35 or so to go
[Inks] In Wiltshire - where I live.

In fact to speed things up a bit, it's in Salisbury.
The Haunch of Venison?
(I googled for famous pubs in Salisbury)
The Anchor and Hope?
Loking for pubs with no animal connection
[GL] The Haunch of Venison? good guess - but not the right place.
[Inks] Anchor & Hope? No.

Tip: google for pubs that have brewed their own beer and then become quite famous for doing so ...
Surely not The Wyndham Arms - of Summer Lightning fame?
The Moonraker?
[Phil] The Wyndham Arms? Oh YESYESYES. Just round the corner from me. The answer on the card is 'The Sign Outside The Wyndham Arms' so I shall gladly hand over the chair to you, landlord :-)
[Chalky] I am so jealous, locationwise.
OK - well, I've not done one of these before, but I'm at my desk off and on all day (and night), so here goes.

ANIMAL


Human?
[Projoy] Human? Yes
Still alive?
Female?
A single individual?
[GL] Alive? Yes
[all] Female? No
[CdM] Single individual? Yes
British?
[INJ] British? Yes
Is this person in the news on a regular basis?
Is he under 50?
Associated with the arts/culture?
Is he under 30?
Is he famously involved with sport?
A musician?
Is he a regular in the Morniverse?
[Chalky] Hmmm...not in the news as such
[GL] Under 50? Yes
[INJ] Arts/culture? Yes
murmur from audience
[Projoy] <30 ? No
[all] sport? not any more mixture of confused "huh?" and knowledgeable "ah" from audience
[Inkspot] Musician? Yes another murmur
[Irguy] Morniverse? No
Ian Broudie?
[Projoy] Broudie? No
Nigel Kennedy?
[GL] Kennedy? No
Over 40?
Pop music or classical?
[Projoy] >40? Yes
[Dandalf] Pop or classical? Yes

Hint: Music is not how he makes his living.

Is he a politician?
[Raak] Politician? No
Does he make his living as a writer?
Is he a broadcaster?
Yes Pop, Yes Classical or Yes both?
[CdM] Writer? Sometimes
[Rosie] Broadcaster? Hmmm...is probably best known for TV work, if that's what you mean
[Dandalf] pop/classical? Probably a bit of both, but it's not really important.
Is he a celebrity cook/chef?
[Chalky] Cook/Chef? No

[Clarification for Rosie] Broadcaster - if a broadcaster is someone like David Dimbleby, Jeremy Paxman, David Frost, then the answer is No

An actor?
[GL] Actor? Yes - (applause and sighs of relief from audience)
Primarily known as a film actor?
FORGET THAT
Just seen the 'best known for TV work' - So
Primarily known for comedy?
Well known for his sci-fi work?
Hugh Laurie?
Vinnie Jones?
David Tenant?
[INJ] Comedy? Yes
[GL] SF? No
[Rosie] Hugh Laurie? YES!
[Projoy and all] VJ/DT? See above :-)

Congrats, Rosie, we await your teaser with baited breath. Meanwhile, I'd be curious to know how many people knew what Hugh Laurie's sporting background is?

Rowlocks
Well, I certainly didn't. To save other people having to look it up, HL rowed for Cambridge in the 1980 boat race.
out of tune
I didn't realise he was a musician either. Talented chap.
[mutter, fader] Hello!
I've got one if Rosie's busy.
Although it's not 1am yet, so he'll probably be on shortly :)
And here he is . . . .
(Chalky) Not a bad jazz pianist, Mr L.
And the next object is . . . ABSTRACT
A wild guess?
Climate change?
Sociolinguistics?
Gravity?
A human construct?
Or perhaps a natural phenomenon?
String theory?
Light?
(Irg) A wild guess? - Have another one.:-)
(Phil) Climate change? - No (It's snowing here in bleak upland Surrey)
(Néa) Sociolinguistics? - No
(GL) Gravity? - No
(INJ) A human construct? - No
(Chalky) A natural phenomenon? - Yes *a slight ripple of applause*
(Raak) String theory? - No, or brass either. :-)
(all) Light? - No, but *considerable applause*
A rainbow?
Relativity
Cataracts?
Weather-related?
It's been snowing here in bleak upland Farringdon too
Dark?
Does the answer on the card involve "light"?
sunlight?
(Raak) - Not a rainbow
(Projoy) - Not relativity
(Kim) - Not cataracts
(Irouléguy) Weather-related? - Can be, but no more than that
(Gusset Login) Dark? - No
(Tuj) No, but *a little applause* nevertheless
(all) No, but again *some applause*
Moonbeams?
The vernal equinox?
An Eclipse?
The dawn chorus?
Sunrise?
(Raak) Moonbeams? - No, nor polka dots, alas
(INJ) Vernal Equinox - No
(GL) Dawn chorus - No
(all) Sunrise? - No
Sundogs?
It's some bloody weather thing, isn't it? ;-)
Is the light natural (as opposed to human-generated)?
Aurora ?
Optimism?
(Raak) Sundogs? - No, not page 3 girls
(Projoy) Some weather thing? - No, that would be a bit corny. What do you take me for, sir?
(Irouléguy) Could be either ("Light" is not on the card though some would have put it there)
(irach) Not the Aurora
(Chalky) Optimism? - Regrettably yours is misplaced this time.
I'm possibly being a little particular, but everybody has heard of this and knows what it is.
Lengthening Evenings?
Scratch that, how about "starshine"?
Phosphorescence?
Is it anything to do with the passage of time?
(Projoy) Starshine? - No (or lengthening evenings)
(Raak) Phosphorescence - No, but *a slight murmur of appreciation*
(Chalky) The passage of time - No
Radiation?
photosynthesis?
A mirage?
(GL) Radiation - Yes. - Now, which sort?
(Projoy) Photosynthesis? - No
(Irouléguy) A mirage - No.
Electromagnetic Radiation?
infra-red?
Come to think of it, we seldom refer to infra-red light, so perhaps ultra-violet instead?
Step forth, the immaculately-tanned Projoy! ULTRAVIOLET it is. Ironically there's an article about the current tanning fad in today's Grauniad.
Hmmm...
This one might be very easy indeed or a bit of a bastard. It's NOT ANIMAL, VEGETABLE NOR MINERAL and although it is ABSTRACT in one way it's also a real thing.
Gravity?
A tan?
[Raak] gravity, no
[Rosie] a tan, no
That thing called love?
Fiction?
The speed of light?
[all] Luurrve, nope
[GL] Fiction, nope
[Ig] the speed of light, nope
Atmosphere?
Is it just one thing?
[GL] Atmos, no. [Ig] One thing, yes.
Sexual orientation?
How well you know me, dear Raak, but no, it's not that.
Is it s human construct?
Is it q human construct?
[Kim, all] It is neither, nor is it, for the sake of brevity a human construct, or even an human construct.
Can it be seen?
Is it weather related?
Electricity?
Is it a form of sound?
Is it any form of natural disaster?
[Raak] Can it be seen? No
[GL] Weather related... not really, only in the most unhelpful tangential way
[all] Electricity - no
[Raak] Form of sound - no
[Rosie] Natural disaster - debatable, but you could say yes

(Incidentally there have been a couple of answers so far where I perhaps should have used the studio audience, but thought it would make it much too easy. I'll bring them back if it seems like it's too hard)
Global warming?
[Raak] Global warming - Nope.
[Raak] I should perhaps add that a flat "no" to "Can it be seen?" is perhaps a teeny bit misleading. There are some rather specialised senses in which it can be seen, although most people would say that it can't.
Actually, after further thought, I should think even the specialists, when pressed, would say that it can't be seen.
An epidemic?
A soul?
[Rosie] Not an epidemic
[Phil] Not a soul (and my I be damned for all eternity if I ever claim without caveat that such a thing exists!)
A past event?
[Ig] Past event, yes and no. :)
The Big Bang?
[CdM] The Big Bang, no. *murmurs of interest in the audience, who are now back from their tea break*
The Begining?
[all] The beginning, nope.
Any connection with astronomy or cosmology?
The soul? It's a metaphor. Your eternal damnation is on hold :-)
Evolution?
[Rosie] connected with astronomy/cosmology, YES *applause*
[Ig] Evolution, no.
An orbit?
[Raak] An orbit, no. *sound of several members of audience leaning forward at the same time*
Black Hole?
The Universe?
[Phil] Black Hole, YES
[Kim] The Universe? Only the bent parts of it :)
Yikes - two wins now! I think it was the "can it be seen" explanation that triggered the realisation. Anyway, here goes for a new one.

Mineral - with an animal reference

Is it bigger than a toaster?
Cat's-eye (Chrysoberyl)?
A cat-flap?
Pot-shot from 50 yds hoping the goalie's asleep.
[Projoy] Bigger than toaster, Yes
[irach] Chrysoberyl, no
[Rosie] Cat-flap, no
Is it bigger than a tank? A WW2 one, that is.
Is it metal?
A fish-eye lens?
Is there just one of it?
[Projoy] Bigger than tank, yes
[GL] metal, no
[Kim] fish-eye lens, no
[Raak] Just one, yes
The Dog Star?
The Horsehead Nebula?
[Projoy] Dog star, no
[GL] Horsehead nebula, no
Is this a sea or ocean?
[Chalky] Sea or ocean, no
A sculpture?
[Chalky] Sculpture, no
Man-made?
[Néa] Man-made, no
A geographical feature?
Pluto?
An astronomical feature?
[Raak] Geog. feature, yes - smallish ripple of applause from audience
[Kim] Pluto, no
[GL] Astronomical, no
A mountain?
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