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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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Acorn Atom?
.. the one that was launched in 1980, she says knowledgeably.
Google? Wassat then :-)
Acorn Archimedes
Absolutely fascinated when reading the story about what they did back then
[Dujon] Yes.
[Chalky] No, too early.
[Inkspot] No, too recent.
The clues, together with Inkspot's posting of the history, strongly suggest the Electron.
[Raak] Absolutely so. It is indeed the Acorn Electron. CORRECT! It's Raak's turn.
The next is VEGETABLE
Is it edible?
Is it edible?
Sorry.
Is it commonly found indoors?
Is it a vegetable?
Is it something that has been processed?
[Darren] No.
[Tuj] It can be.
[Chalky] No.
[CdM] Yes.
Is it an item of furniture?
[Darren] No.
A crucifix?
YES
Game to Irouleguy.
Wow, that was quick.
Hell's bells!
I suspect telepathy!
Raak set it on Good Friday - what else could it have been? Do I sense someone else who grew up Catholic? Anyway, our next subject was also a cause of anguish and tension, albeit on a much smaller scale. It's VEGETABLE/MINERAL, ABSTRACT and the colour's a sort of clue.
Anything to do with Ireland?
Desultory Church of Scotland, actually.
Raak] Anything to do with Ireland? A very faint connection, but a misleading one
CoS? Is that like Anglican?
The green eye of the little yellow god?
Anglican? Certainly not, Anglicans are almost Papist idolaters from the point of view of the CoS. On the other hand, it can't really be described as Protestant either. It's full, Sunday best title has the word "Episcopalian" in it somewhere, but I don't have much idea what that means. Just one of the meaningless background elements of childhood.
Raak] The green eye of the little yellow god? No - actually 'clue' may be something of an exaggeration. More of a set of lateral thinking connections, really. The colour's really not the best way to get there.
Is it the title of a book?
Does it have punctuation in it?
Is it a fictional object?
Is this something to do with grass?
Inkspot] Is it the title of a book? No
Tuj] Does it have punctuation in it? Yes (odd question)
Darren] Is it a fictional object? Yes
Dujon] Is this something to do with grass? No. Really, I'm sorry I ever mentioned the colour.
Is the vegetable part wood?
Would it be found underground?
Irouleguy] Of course an odd question! What else would be expected though? Anyway, could be more useful than the green thing.
Raak] Is the vegetable part wood? Yes
Tuj] Would it be found underground? No
It was a comment, not a criticism, and it probably will be more useful than the green thing.
Is the mineral part metal fixings of some sort?
Raak] Is the mineral part metal fixings of some sort? Yes, but there's other (more important) mineral parts as well.
Is this a tool with a wooden handle and metal business end?
Is it part of the folklore of a particular people?
Is this a weapon?
Is the apostrophe a possessive one?
Raak] Is this a tool with a wooden handle and metal business end? No
Inkspot] Is it part of the folklore of a particular people? No
Dujon] Is this a weapon? No
Tuj] Is the apostrophe a possessive one? Yes
Harry Potter's staff?
Is the mineral a gem stone?
Raak] Harry Potter's staff? No, but thinking along the right lines
Inkspot] Is the mineral a gem stone? No *audience launches into karaoke version of Michelle Shocked's 'Anchorage'*
The Mona Lisa's Smile
Does have connections with Lords of the Ring?
'Cos if it does I'll back out as I know sweet nuffin' about it.
Inkspot] The Mona Lisa's Smile? No
Dujon] Does it have connections with The Lord of the Rings? No
Does the fictional work date from 1950 or later?
Is it from a television series?
Does it have any magical properties?
Raak] Does the fictional work date from 1950 or later? No
Inkspot] Is it from a television series? No
Darren] Does it have any magical properties? No

Do we want a clue?
Is the object man made?
Prospero's staff?
With Inkspot's and Raak's questions immediately above to be answered, the state of the nation seems to be (I hope I've not missed something):

It is not/does not:

The eye of the little yellow god
The title of a book
A tool with wooden handle and metal business end
Have anything to do with grass
Not found underground
Part of fokelore of a particlar people
A weapon
Harry Potter's staff - but the right line of thinking
Contain a gem stone
The Mona Lisa smile
Have connection with Lord of the Rings
From a television series
Have magical properties

It is/does:

Have a very faint connection with Ireland but this would be misleading
Have punctuation in it
Fictional
Wood in the vegetable part
Contain a possessive apostrophe
Have metal fixings of some sort - but there's (more important) mineral parts as well
Pre-date 1950

Inkspot] Is the object man made? Yes
Raak] Prospero's staff? No, but the answer could be said to lie on a point midway between two of Raak's guesses
Dujon] A good summary
Is it somebody's staff?
Darren] Is it somebody's staff? No
Was it supposed to belong to a particular person?
Does it have a knob on the end?
Darren] Was it supposed to belong to a particular person? Not sure what this means. It does belong to a particular person - the form of the answer is {person's name}'s {object}.
Raak] Does it have a knob on the end? I refer the honourable gentleman to my last answer but one.
Is it any sort of ship?
Was the owner a real person?
[Irouleguy] Re: the "particular person" question. That was what I meant.
Is it too heavy for a single person to lift?
Is it something that is worn?
Raak] Is it any sort of ship? No
Darren - Was the owner a real person? No
CdM - Is it too heavy for a single person to lift? Good question - yes
Inkspot - Is it something that is worn? No
Is it something large enough that a human could get inside?
Is it a building?
Darren] Is it something large enough that a human could get inside? No
Raak] Is it a building? No
Is the object made from stone?
is it connected with transport?
Would it help me if I understood your reference to "Anchorage"?
'Cos, like, maybe I'm being dumb, but I know that song pretty well, and yet I have no idea what you were getting at...
Was Shakespeare the author of the fictional work in question?
Inkspot] Is the object made from stone? No
Chalky] Is it connected with transport? No
CdM - Would it help me if I understood your reference to "Anchorage"? No.
Sorry - it was just a joke about being cold. It's the only song I know about Alaska.
CdM - Was Shakespeare the author of the fictional work in question? No
Could a human wrap his/her arms around it?
When you said "Harry Potter's staff" was the "right line of thinking" did you mean something more than that it was of the form {person's name}'s {object}?
Is it time for me to shut up and let someone else ask a question?
19th century?
Is the person's name more than one word?
CdM] Could a human wrap his/her arms around it? Almost certainly not
CdM] When you said "Harry Potter's staff" was the "right line of thinking" did you mean something more than that it was of the form {person's name}'s {object}? No
CdM] Is it time for me to shut up and let someone else ask a question? Not at all - they're good questions and it's not that busy today
Raak] 19th century? Yes
Darren] Is the person's name more than one word? Yes
A clue for Friday afternoon
The person in the answer shares a name with the author of the fictional work.
Lady Windermere's Fan?
Is the fictional work - a film?
Is the fictional work - a play?
Raak] Lady Windermere's Fan? No, but in several respects the closest approach yet.
Chalky] Is the fictional work - a film? Not originally, but it has been filmed.
Chalky] Is the fictional work - a play? No
Was the fictional work originally written in English?
Was the film made before 1950?
Is there more than one filmed version (including cinematic and television versions, if applicable)?
Is it an item of furniture?
Is it anything to do with Oscar Wilde, or in fact Dorian Gray, and am I allowed to ask more than one question at a time?
Tom Brown's Schooldays?
As abstract as you get
buit it's not the title of a book.....*retracts already abstract answer*
CdM] Was the fictional work originally written in English? Yes
Inkspot] Was the film made before 1950? No, for all versions (see below)
Darren] Is there more than one filmed version (including cinematic and television versions, if applicable)? Yes, according to IMBd three (one cinematic, two television). Obligatory trivia - the actor playing the person in the answer in the first TV version was once in Blake's seven, and also has a connection to the colour clue.
Raak] Is it an item of furniture? Yes, though that's not its primary function
ZK] Is it anything to do with Oscar Wilde, or in fact Dorian Gray, and am I allowed to ask more than one question at a time? No, and no, and apparently yes
ZK] Tom Brown's Schooldays? I refer the honourable gentleman to his subsequent answer
Is the entire answer a phrase that is in reasonably common use?
(For example, do you think it would be an acceptable solution in a crossword?)
CDM] Is the entire answer a phrase that is in reasonably common use? No - it'd only really be acceptable in a crossword if the whole crossword was themed around the author.
Is the author Dickens?
Is the person male?
is it a musical instrument?
Regarding the mineral part: (a) is it in part glass? (b) you said there are "metal fixings" but are there also other metal parts?
is it a timepiece of any kind?
Raak] Is the author Dickens? No
Darren] Is the person male? No
ZK]Is it a musical instrument? Yes
CdM] Regarding the mineral part: (a) is it in part glass? (b) you said there are "metal fixings" but are there also other metal parts? (a) No; (b) Yes
ZK] Is it a timepiece of any kind? No
Is it a piano?
I can't think of anyone who has a piano except in Jane Austen novels so I don't know why I'm asking!
Having a guess
Did Jane Fairfax have a piano?
*applauds*
You have definitely got the right person (having checked all the imdb clues). And I am guessing that the piano is right as well.
ZK - YES!!! Congratulations! I'd thought after the last round of answers that someone must get it soon. The colour clue is that everyone thought that the piano was a gift to Jane Fairfax from the Dixons, which leads by association to Dixon of Dock Green, which Ania Marson, who played Jane Fairfax in the first TV version of Emma, appeared in a number of times. I did say it wasn't so much a clue as a lateral association which wouldn't help...
I'll shut up now and hand over the baton to ZK.
thank god for that
I don't know why, but I developed an obsession with this round! I'm glad my brain worked the right way....eventually.....shame on me because I've only read Emma once! I do own that version, though. I think I got it for my 13th birthday. I must say I didn't get any of the Dixon clues. Anyway...
What was the irish connection?
I guess this is ABSTRACT with ANIMAL connections.
A constellation?
[Raak] No. But cool :)
Are the connections to a specific animal?
[Tuj] Yes.
Would this animal have appeared in an animated film and a musical?
[Dujon]Certainly, but I suspect you're barking up the wrong tree.
Toto?
Is the animal human?
[Raak] No.
[Gusset Login] Yes! Yay :)
Are they female?
Are they best known for the animated film/musical?
Sorry, the Irish connection. JF had been with the Dixons in Ireland before she came to Highbury.
Anything to do with Gilbert & Sullivan?
Is it connected with religion?
Anything to do with Walt Disney?
Would you like an extra strong mint?
Female?
What are your major influences?
Is it one human or a group of them?
Could you hold this for a second?
Can I quote you?
Did you threaten to overrule him?
Was the person written about before 1900?
Did you *threaten* to overrule him?
Would you like a cup of tea and a Hob-nob?
Is there any truth to the rumors?
Did you THREATEN to overrule him?
Can I count on your vote?
I say, are you still there?
If not, where are you?
Is your absence some sort of clue?
When do we give up waiting for ZK to come back?
Is "ZK's absence" the answer?
Anyone for a picnic?
Does anyone else have sand in their sandwiches?
Did anyone bring a corkscrew?
Is it anything to do with Thora Hird?
Did they walk with a limp?
Did they walk with a lisp?
Did they float in the air?
Is it "Walking in the Air" sung by Aled Jones?
Is it time to start a new game?
Are they Roman?
As ZK is away in Rome on a student jolly, would someone like to step into the breech wilth an alternative AVMA?
Inkspot] Me, Raak and Darren have all had recent goes - why don't you do it?
Since Inkspot hasn't stepped up to the challenge, and since I handed one over earlier, here's a new one. It is:

VEGETABLE
Is it made from more than one vegetable?
Well jumped in CdM...on with the game.
Is it normally eaten by humans?
Is it processed?
[Inkspot] Made from more than one vegetable? - No
[Rosie] Normally eaten by humans? - Yes, in part
[Darren] Processed? - No.
A banana?
[Raak] Banana? - No
Is it a fruit?
A pomegranite?
[Irouleguy] Fruit? - No.
[Raak] Pomegranite? - No.
A cereal?
[Chalky] Cereal - No.
Is the 'normally eaten by humans' bit a seed?
(Long shot) - RHUBARB?
[Dujon] seed? - No
[Rosie] Rhubarb? - No.
Clarification: I go back and forth on whether I should say this is "normally" eaten by humans. Perhaps it is most accurate to say that part of this is sometimes eaten by humans, and that this is in no way unusual.
Is it grown on farms?
Is it eaten in all societies?
Is it a root crop?
Is it tobacco?
[Raak] Grown on farms? - No. (Although had you phrased the question differently I might have given a different answer.)
[Irouleguy] Eaten in all societies? - Strictly speaking no. However, to the best of my knowledge, all societies eat something somewhat similar to part of this thing.
[Inkspot] Root crop? - No.
[Chalky] Tobacco? - No.
Is it a liquid?
Is it grown in frames?
Is it a tree/s?
Is the part that is eaten a leaf?
Is the part that is eaten a stalk?
Is it a nut?
[Inkspot] Liquid? - No.
[Irouleguy] Grown in frames? - No.
[INJ] Part that's eaten = leaf? - No.
[INJ] Part that's eaten = stalk? - Part of the part that is eaten is a stalk.
[Raak] Nut? - No.
Is it a fungus? (if so I'll go for porcini/cèpe)
[INJ] Is it a fungus? - Yes.
[INJ] porcini/cepe? - No.
cinnamon?
[all] Cinnamon? - No. *points to last answer but one*
Is the answer the name of a specific mushroom?
Is it a generic mushroom?
[INJ] Name of specific mushroom? - No. (But had you phrased the question differently I might have given a different answer...)
[Raak] Generic mushroom? - No, I don't think so (although I am not exactly sure what you mean by a generic mushroom).
Is it a specific variety of mushroom?
[CdM] That answer hadn't been posted when I typed my question
[CdM] I just meant, is the answer "a mushroom".
A mushroom?
Is the answer the name of a specific fungus?
A toadstool?
[all] Specific variety of mushroom? - No, or at least not exactly, but see my answer to INJ below.
[Raak] A mushroom? - No.
[Raak] A mushroom? - Still no.
[INJ] Specific fungus? - It is a specific variety of fungus. However, it is not sufficient to identify the variety.
[INJ] A toadstool? - No.
Black truffles?
Magic mushrooms?
[Irouleguy] Black truffles? - No.
[Raak] Magic Mushrooms? - No.
Is it a specific fungus rather than a specific bit of a mushroom stalk?
Clumsy question - but having picked my way through your replies ..
Is this a fungus which people eat unknowingly (i.e. if they knew they'd rather not)?
No, I don't suck my toes. ;-)
[Chalky] Specific fungus? - It is a very specific fungus.
[Dujon] - Eat unknowingly? - No.
Yeast?
Does this specific fungus have anything to do with Edible Fungi?
That gigantic white truffle in the news recently that was exhibited for so long that it went off before it could be used?
[Chalky] Yeast? - No.
[Chalky] Edible Fungi? - I don't understand the question. Part of this specific fungus is edible, but that has already been established.
[Raak] Gigantic white truffle? - No, but a ripple of applause from the audience.
[Chalky] Just noticed that I missed a question of yours way back there -- back at a time when every time I tried to post there was another question. :-) Er, anyway, no, it isn't a tree.
Is it any sort of truffle or part thereof?
Not many edible fungi beyond mushrooms, toadstools, and truffles.
Hmmmmmm... I have tried to answer very carefully, but I think I have still ended up being misleading. The edible part is a specific variety of mushroom, but it is not strictly correct to describe the whole as a mushroom. The whole is a specific variety of fungus, but as I said before it is not sufficient to identify the variety.
Is it a mushroom that grows on some other type of fungus?
Would you find the edible part for sale in a supermarket?
[Raak] Continuing my clarification, the answer is a particular fungus, which has as its fruit (spore) an edible mushroom. I would guess that the mushroom is sold in some supermarkets, but I do not think it is commonly found for sale. (By the way, some of my reading has led me to the discovery that fungi are not necessarily classified as either animal or vegetable, but are a class on their own, so we may have to rename the game AVFMA.)
Oh, and it is highly unlikely that you or I would find the edible part for sale in a supermarket, but Dan or Dunx might.
[CdM] If you went down the AVFMA road, you'd have to add a couple of others to the list, too.
Does it grow in a mutually beneficial arrangement with conifers?
[flerdle] Mutually beneficial relationship with conifers? - Definitely not.
(But despite that, the audience applauds, somewhat confusedly.)
Would this be ingested as a medication rather than a food?
[Dujon] Medicine rather than food? - No.
[CdM] Many of your answers seemed to be pointing to the fruit of Tricholoma magnivelare, but that's obviously not right. Sorry.
[flerdle] Tm? - No, but in some ways you are getting very close.
Shiitake mushrooms?
[Irouleguy] Shiitake mushrooms? - No.
Mycelium?
I'm thinking it can't be the cultivation of mushrooms on hardwood logs because you would've given a hint when I asked about trees some time ago - I still think this is some form of parasitic mushroom.
Chanterelle mushroom?
The Honey mushroom? [ Armillaria mellea]
Forgive the multiposts - I've only a few free minutes today - and I've been googling. S'amazing what you learn ....
[Chalky] Mycelium? - No, but the audience applauds the parasitic mushroom comment.
Chanterelle? - No.
Honey mushroom? Major applause from audience. The mushroom is indeed a honey mushroom (the fungus is actually Armillaria ostoyae, but to be honest I haven't quite figured out the differences among the different armillarias). However, as I said before, identifying the variety of fungus is not sufficient to answer the question. For clues, see some of my responses to Raak's recent questions.
Are we looking for a specific Armillaria ostoyae, ie. a single organism which exists somewhere on the planet?
[Darren] Specific Ao? - Yes. (The audience is getting very excited, and a couple of individuals have been escorted from the room.)
The Giant one found in Oregon in 2000?
"Officially known as Armillaria ostoyae, or the honey mushroom, the fungus is 3.5 miles across and takes up 1,665 football fields. The small mushrooms visible above ground are only the tip of the iceberg. Experts estimate that the giant mushroom is at least 2,400 years old, but could be 7,200 years old."
That was a quote, btw - I was in a rush

Did you know that Mushrooms have over 36,000 sexes! Unlike us mere mortals who have only the 2 [and a bit, arguably]. No wonder they proliferate.

[Chalky] Yes! I mean, come on people, it's only one of the biggest and oldest living things in the world...
*hands the button, sorry, baton, to Chalky*
yippee
Why thenk you, Mr CdM. What a splendid subject for AVFMA-ing!
That was a steep learning curve for me - not being a mushroom eater. There's something about the thought of all that grubby foraging which quite turns my stomach. They smell gorgeous and I'll happily cook them for other people - just can't eat them. Pity.

Anyway, enough of this self-disclosure. It's high time we had ...

ABSTRACT ANIMAL

Is it a fictional human?
K9?
[GL] that was 2 questions - but ..
Fictional - No
Human - er .. Yes
[Raak] K9 - Not this time [one day, one of your early guesses will be correct] :-)
Are there religious connotations?
Female?
Dead?
It was 1 question, although I admit a simple "no" would have confused us. Thank you
Is it a characteristic, in the broadest sense, of humans?
Related to religion?
A particular human?
Is it connected to faith in anyway?
Lucy?
on the basis of your 'er' in the response to human?
Linus? Charlie Brown?
Oh. That Lucy...
sorrysorry - been busy

[Darren] Are there religious connotations? - No
[Inkspot] Female? - Yes - but then again NO :-)
[GL] Dead? - No
[Rosie] Is it a characteristic, in the broadest sense, of humans? - I don't think so [if I understand your question correctly]
[Raak] Related to religion? - No
[Irouleguy] A particular human? - Yes
[all] Is it connected to faith in anyway? - Can't answer such a broad sweep question - surely everything's connected to some sort of faith, even if it's faith in ones own judgement?
[INJ] Lucy? - nah [ignore my 'er' - 'it' IS human ]
[CdM] Linus / Charlie Brown? - nah / nah [I thought he meant the one in the sky with Diamonds ..]
Is it (the particular human) an adult?
Hello flerdle :-)
[flerdle] Is it (the particular human) an adult? - Yes, mostly.
Do people dress up as this person?
Dame Edna Everage?
[Chalky, re: hello] Huh? *worries*
Is this person of a particular gender?
Is is a description? ie "fat cat"
Lilt
Lily Savage?
Sorry - ignore the first one
hidden a gender?

[Raak] Do people dress up as this person? - there ARE lookalikes, yes
flerdle - Dame Edna - No
[flerdle] The hello? Don't see you playin' this game very often, that's all. Sorry I worried you]
Darren - Particular gender? - Of course, yes
[Inkspot] No - nothing along those lines
[Irouléguy] Lily Savage - No

hmmm - crossdressing trannies - don't go down that path. If I was vague on the gender issue, there might be a good reason. It may help to think laterally. Don't worry about the Abstract part just yet either.

Mrs. Merton?
Is this a role (rather than the specific person who happens to fill it at any time)?
Dr Who's assistant?
[Chalky] I hadn't really even looked in here before. I suspect I'm not going to be that good at it, and may disappear at any time.
[Raak] No
[Raak again] NO - definitely real, living, breathing, active, etc.
[flerdle] No [OK - but your input certainly helped me get the last one :-)]
[Raak] re: your 2nd question above - The Abstract element could be described as a 'role' but it may be simpler to just guess the animal bit first - and the astract nature will follow quite naturally [I hope].
Does this person hold any kind of official position?
Are they associated with any particular country?
Do they have long hair?
[Rosie] Official position? - depends what you mean by 'official'. Er .. Yes.
[flerdle] Are they associated with any particular country? - At last! They are associated with two countries.
[flerdle] Long hair - Some and some :-)
Both European countries?
[Raak] Yes - they live in both.
Is the title of the role hereditary?
[Inkspot] No
Ask general questions about the people - forget the 'role' for now.
Are they pop stars?
Are they popular?
European countries?
sorry for delay - been watching The 100 Top Albums on C4 ...
[Raak] Pop Stars? Well - not really, but ... she was a pop star.
[Irouléguy] Popular? Oh yes, and quite recently - however, their star may be waning ...
[Tuj] European countries? - Done that one already. Have a quick read back :-)
Is Billie Piper a part of this?
Are the countries England and Spain?
The Beckhams?
Darn; pipped by time zones :-)
[Raak] No
[Dujon] Yes
[CdM] YES - they are the people *applause*

Now for the Abstract bit :-)

The appearance of Posh and Becks in the Simpsons?
Not that I actually know if they have appeared there.
They've launched a fashion label?
Is that the one called 'Thick & Thin'?
[Raak, Irouleguy, INJ] It's all those things ... in one word, then add that one word to their name and that's the answer ..
Posh and Becks dolls?
The Posh and Becks brand?
INJ] *grin*
The Beckham Phenomenon?
The all-singing-dancing-football-playing-and-generally-being-annoying-Posh&Becks show?
Beckhamania?
AHA!
[Raak] It's not the dolls specifically, so I can eliminate that one.

As for the other replies - you are all correct so I have to be fair and give it to the person who mentioned the word 'Brand' [mainly because I had in mind the phrase The Beckham Brand when I began].
Well done Irouléguy for getting there just before flerdle [with whom I agree wholeheartedly on the annoyance factor]
Commiseration thingies to INJ for also being correct.

*hands over to Irouléguy*

Something of a lurker's victory there, but I'm not complaining. Our next topic is ABSTRACT, and the colour is an association rather than a clue. it's also hopefully got a far lower annoyance factor.
Weather forecasts? :-)
Is it an emotion?
flerdle] Weather forecasts? :-) No - I like it though
Gusset Login] Is it an emotion? No - but there is a connection
Does it primarily exist in fiction?
Is it generally regarded as positive?
Is it associated primarily with humans?
Raak] - Does it primarily exist in fiction? Yes, though that may not be as helpful as it sounds
Darren] Is it generally regarded as positive? As previously
ImNotJohn] Is it associated primarily with humans? As previously
Is it a belief?
Raak] Is it a belief? No - but again there's a connection.
Apologies in advance for tomorrow - I'm working out of the office most of the day, and I won't get a chance to log on until early evening.
Is it a proverb?
Is it something religious?
Is it defined by it's absence?
Kim] Is it a proverb? No
Raak] Is it something religious? No
Gusset Login] Is it defined by it's absence? No
It is living (albeit in an abstract sense)?
Raak] Is it living (albeit in an abstract sense)? The question's not really applicable
Is it a pattern?
Is it a human concept?
Raak] Is it a pattern? Yes, of sorts, but that really doesn't help
Gusset Login] Is it a human concept? Necessarily, as it's an abstraction.
Can it be perceived by the senses?
Darren] Can it be perceived by the senses? Yes - only one of them though.
Is it perceived by hearing?
There are absracts that are more than human concepts (eg gravity)
Braille?
The sound of one hand clapping in the forest when no-one is there to hear it?
Gusset Login] Is it perceived by hearing? YES! *low murmur of appreciation from the audience*
There are abstracts that are more than human concepts (eg gravity) Conceded - I hadn't thought of it like that
Darren] Braille? No
Raak] The sound of one hand clapping in the forest when no-one is there to hear it? No.
Is it a piece of music?
Is it a sound of Nature?
Raak] Is it a piece of music? YES! *scattered applause from the audience*
Rosie] Is it a sound of Nature? No
Was it written since 1900?
The Internationale?
Is it a song?
Raak] Was it written since 1900? Yes
CdM] The Internationale? No - I did say the red was more of an association than a clue.
CdM] Is it a song? Yes
Was it a number one hit in either the US or the UK?
Is it sung by Kate Bush?
CdM] Was it a number one hit in either the US or the UK? Yes, in both (though not in the same year - a useful trivia nugget for quizzes)
Raak] Is it sung by Kate Bush? No!
The Beatles?
Raak] The Beatles? YES! audience screams, waves scarves, takes flash photos, etc
Is the red an association with the uniforms they wore on the cover of the Sergeant Pepper album?
Strawberry fields?
Raak] Is the red an association with the uniforms they wore on the cover of the Sergeant Pepper album? No
Rosie] Strawberry fields? No
Penny Lane?
Has it got the word "Sun" in the title?
Back in the USSR?
Raak] Penny Lane? No
Kim] Has it got the word "Sun" in the title? No - that was never a number one, was it?
ImNotJohn] Back in the USSR? No
Can't Buy Me Love?
Free as a Bird?
Darren] Can't Buy Me Love? No
Gusset Login - Free as a Bird? No
I want to hold your hand?
She Loves You?
Too slow - I agree with Flerdle.
Funny, because I actually agree with Raak :-) My guess was no 1 for too long in the UK to be technically correct...
ps sorry I haven't been around much this time, this week's been "interesting".
[Flerdle]I reckon you're right 'cos it's the only one that was a Uk & US No1 in different years (63 &64).
[INJ] Which one of my statements? :-D
Have a look here and turn to the next year... Very good site, btw, but can't get to the front page right now.
it looks completely dead now. Oh well.
I dunno, you take your eye off it for a minute...
And the winner is RAAK! (I did think the different years was a bit of a give-away). The red association is simply that it's on the red album. Over to you, Raak.
Well, that was a fluke, never heard of a red album, didn't look at the web sites, and I doubt I could name more than half a dozen Beatles songs.
The next item is a definitely concrete MINERAL (and no, the answer isn't "concrete").
A half-brick?
Manufactured?
[Tuj] No.
[Rosie] Yes.
A specific object?
Is it bigger than a phone box?
[I] Yes.
[GL] Yes.
A building?
The TARDIS?
[Kim] No.
[I] No (but murmurs from the audience).
Is it a planet?
[GL] No. (The audience goes back to sleep.)
The 'Heart of Gold'?
[I] No.
Some form of transport?
[Rosie] No.
Does it have moving parts?
[flerdle] No.
Does it really exist?
[Darren] Yes.
Is it an object associated with a TV series?
Is there more than one of it?
[GL] Hmm...briefly.
[Darren] No.
Can someone get inside it?
[flerdle] (Laughter from the audience.) Well...there's certainly room.
10 Downing Street?
[I} No.
Is it in Britain?
[Tuj] Yes.
The Milleniun Stadium?
Wow, this one's rattling along. So: Stonehenge?
[R,D] No, no.
Is it bigger than a shipping container?
Is it in London?
Is it taller than it is wide?
[INJ] No, Yes.
[Kim] No.
Is it a permanent feature (i.e. not just in place for a predefined short period)?
[INJ] Yes.
The Millennium Dome?
Is the mineral liquid?
or metal?
or stone?
[I] No.
[INJ] No, YES!, no.

Summary:
It is: a single, existing, permanent, manufactured metal object in the U.K., bigger than a phone box and smaller than a shipping container, big enough to get inside (laughter), at least as wide as tall, um er briefly associated with a TV series, and without moving parts.
It is not: a form of transport, or any of the specific things mentioned so far.

And it's in London.
And has no moving parts.
Is the metal bronze?
Is it a statue?
Is it that "A Conversation with Oscar Wilde" thing near Trafalgar Square?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/224663.stm for those who've never seen it.
Big Ben?
Surprisingly (to me) wider than it is tall
[INJ] So, Big Ben's smaller than a shipping container these days, is it? ;)
Actually I'd guess the bell Big Ben probably is. I was getting confused with the clocktower (as so many others do). My vote's with your guess now.
INJ, Darren] Dammit! I was thinking of the clocktower as well. But without moving parts? If it's a physical bell, surely it has a clapper?
A ocean container is either 20 or 40 foot long by 8'0" wide and 8'0" tall whereas Big Ben is 9'0" diameter, 7'6" high.
Big Ben is the bell, which is fixed at the top (although it can obviously resonate). It is struck by a hammer on the outside, which (arguably) is not part of the bell. However, Raak is about to come along and say 'No' and put paid to all this speculation.
Yes, no, no, YES!! It is Big Ben (the bell). Over to you, INJ.
Onward, ever onward
Well - I may not be so conscientious about answering questions, but I'll do my best (I'm going home now, so no responses for a few hours).

This one is ABSTRACT

Is it purely a human concept?
Is it artistic?
[GL] No
[Raak] No
Is it generally regarded as positive?
Is it one word?
[Darren] No (but neither is it generally regarded as negative)
[Tuj] No
The speed of light?
[Iroul] No
Is it visible?
[Fl] No
Is it found on Earth?
{Iroul] Yes (a few murmurs from the audience)
Is it acoustic?
[Raak] No
[GL]No
(That's better, I'm back in my stride now - you know where you are with 'No')
Is it found on other planets or the moon?
Can it be perceived without instruments?
[Inkspot] 1. Not as such. 2. No
[Iroul]No (scattered applause)
Is it a current news topic, even if not high up the agenda?
[Rosie] No
Is it an atmospheric layer?
Inks] No
Is it related to mainstream science?
[Darren] Yes
Is it related to subatomic particles?
[GL] No (I could probably find a reason for answering 'Yes', but that would be much less helpful)
Is it to do with biology?
Is it to do with geology?
Sorry for the double move, but I just had that thought.
[Darren]1. No,
2. Yes (broadly)
Is it something that can be perceived by examining rocks with instruments?
[Darren] No (further audience reaction)
Does it have something to do with time?
{raak} No
Is the word "instrument" causing the audience reactions?
[Darren] I don't know, you'll have to ask them ;-)

(No - not as such - more just a general sense that the question could lead in the right sort of direction)

Volcanic activity?
[Iroul] No
(won't be responding for a few hours now)
Plate tectonics?
[Inks] No
(I did debate with myself whether or not to answer Yes to the geology question)
Is it something to do with chemistry?
[Darren] No
Is it an event?
Is it something to do with oil?
is the word 'earth' part of the answer?
[Inks] No
[CdM] No
[Iroul] No
This is fun, isn't it?
Can it be measured?
[Flerdle] No, not as such, but that's not a bad line of thought to pursue
I'll be available to answer questions until for about another 4 hours - after that I will probably be offline until Monday evening or Tuesday, so I'll start putting clues out in a couple of hours if no-one's got it by then
Is it the name of a group of people or a tribe?
Is it a job?
[Chalky] No
[Darren] No
Is it something to do with weather?
Is it a particular type of or name for wind?
[Flerdle] No
[Iroul] No
OK - to summarise those things which might help:
It is found on earth (though earth is not part of the answer - which is more than one word), it is broadly to do with geology, it is part of mainstream science, it cannot be perceived without instruments, it doesn't exist on the moon and not as such on other planets, it is not an event nor anything to do with weather (though that might have got the audience murmuring as well).
You've been concentrating a lot on what - there may be other productive lines of enquiry.
Is there more than one of it?
[Flerdle] No (but that's partly because of the specific description)
The Earth's magnetic field?
[Rosie] No - not quite (but loud and prolonged applause from the audience)
The north pole?
[Flerdle] No (the audience are on the edge of their seats)
The aurora?
Oh actually you can perceive that without instruments so ignore that one.
The South Pole?
Being a bit less clever, this time! Heh.
the north magnetic pole?
(since Darren took the other pole, and the tendency here is to be pedantic, I take it)
[Darren] No
Flerdle YES (Thunderous applause, with maybe just a slight tinge of relief, from the audience)
I might have given it to you anyway if Rosie hadn't already said 'the magnetic field'.

So, it's over to Flerdle

whoah
Oh. Ah. umm... M I N E R A L
Is it an object?
Is there more than one of it?
[Rosie] Yes
[Darren] Yes
Is it man made?
let's set a speed record
[Dujon] Yes
A household item?
Do you own one?
[Rosie] Yes
[Irouléguy] Yes and no.
Is it a natural feature?
[Raak] No
Does it have a practical use?
[flerdle] I doubt a speed record is possible any more. If memory serves, someone once managed to guess one of these on Pants MC in the first move.
ah.
[Darren] Yes
Is it one word?
Darren] Genuinely? And if so is there evidence?
Do you own more than one?
[Tuj] How can there be evidence since Pants came down? All that remains is a memory of what was inside when we were last able to have a look. I still miss having Pants.
Is this essentially an electronic device? (meaning it's construction rather than its use)
'its construction' - *slinks off*
[Tuj] No
[Darren] Yes and No; to clarify my answer to your and Irouléguy's questions I have it, but number, as such, is not an issue
[Dujon] No
Double glazing?
what, here??
[Raak] No
Is it powered?
[Raak] No.
Is it (or are they) used at mealtimes?
Is it a container of some sort?
[Irouléguy] No
[Rosie] No
Is it used in the construction of a house, rather than being brought in afterwards?
[Darren] No
Is it decorative?
(This isn't mutually exclusive with "practical" of course.)
[Darren] No, but it could be, if you were creative.
Artexed ceilings?
[Raak] No
Is it of mainly man made materials?
Mainly metallic?
Something to do with interior decoration?
[Inkspot] Yes
[Rosie] No
[Raak] No
It's too early in the morning, so some clarifications:
[Inkspot] Is it of mainly man made materials? Yes, as it is known now.
[Raak] Something to do with interior decoration? You could probably use it somehow in interior decoration, but to be fair, no, that's not the usual reason for having it.
Would this have something to do with reading?
[Dujon] No
Would people have used this a thousand years ago?
[Raak] Yes, there is apparently evidence for it having been used well before then, but of course not in its modern form which is what I really want, so strictly, no.

I'm having some network problems here, so sorry for some delay over the next day or two.

Is it to do with cosmetics?
Summary
It is - a man-made object, a household item, with a practical use.
It is not - one word, a natural feature, double-glazing, powered, a container, used at mealtimes, used in the construction of a house, aertexed ceilings, mainly metallic, decorative, something to do with interior decoration, something to do with reading.
flerdle owns more than one of it, and something like it was in use over a thousand years ago, but its modern form is the answer.
A question about cosmetics is outstanding.
Is it some form of clothing?
[Irouléguy] I suspect that "flerdle owns more than one of it" may be a misunderstanding. I interpreted flerdle's response to mean that it's a thing which doesn't usually have number, such as wallpaper (although interior decoration has been ruled out).
[Darren] hmmm... No.
[Irouléguy] No.
[Darren] Your interpretation is correct. And no, it's not wallpaper.
A comb?
[Rosie] No.
Is it a liquid?
[Tuj] No.
Air conditioning?
[Raak] No.
Is it portable?
is it an aid to personal hygiene?
[Raak] Yes
[CdM] Yes
Toothpaste?
ghhnnnn
[INJ] No
Soap?
I'd call soap vegetable (possibly veg/animal) but that's me. Still worth asking.
Toothbrush?
Razor?
Shaving foam/gel?
Dental floss?
Darren] Thanks - well spotted.
ker-ching!
[Darren] No.
[Darren] Still No.
[Raak] No.
[Kim] No.
[Irouléguy] YES it is indeed dental floss; remember, you don't have to floss all of your teeth, just the ones you want to keep.
I was hoping more of its qualities would come out but it was a race through the bathroom that got it in the end, thanks to CdM's astute observation. hmmm...

Over to Irouléguy

ah, just too slow... I thought of toothpaste first, but realized it suffered from the one-word problem, and so went for my general question instead.
Is it a Higgs boson?
Is it something you'd want to show your friends?
Sorry for the delay, y'all - I'm off work so only switching the computer on intermittently. So, our answer is ABSTRACT. No colour clues, but with a connection to tomorrow's elections.
CdM] Is it a Higgs boson? No
Darren] Is it something you'd want to show your friends? Possibly
Opinion Poll(s)?
Is it a vote?
A broken promise?
A political party?
Gusset Login] Opinion Poll(s)? No
Darren] Is it a vote? OOH - close *audience breaks into prolonged applause*
all] A broken promise? No
Kim] A political party? No
A tactical vote
A protest vote?
ImNotJohn] A tactical vote?
flerdle] A protest vote?
Both equally close, but not exactly right
A wasted vote?
a transferable vote?
postal vote?
An informal vote?
A donkey vote?
(mind you, i don't expect either of these two to be it, because the terms are probably confined to Aus, because of the preferential voting system; see here and here. Just think of the fun you'd have if you got preferential voting in the UK. woot.)
A spoiled vote?
Darren] A wasted vote? Close, but no cigar
CdM] a transferable vote? Almost certainly not
all] postal vote? As close as the other close guesses
flerdle] An informal vote? Possibly
flerdle] A donkey vote? No
So that's what a donkey vote is. I always thought it was the loyal vote for a long-standing member - because healw-healw-healways gets elected sorrysorrysorry
Raak - A spoiled vote? Almost certainly not
[Irouléguy] That deserves a thwap. *thwap*
A casting vote?
goodness, how many are there?
flerdle] *thwap* Ouch
flerdle] A casting vote? Almost certainly not.
goodness, how many are there? GOOD question
A vote for a specific party?
A majority?
Does the answer contain the word 'vote'?
A proxy vote?
An illegal vote?
A Pop Idol vote?
Tuj] A vote for a specific party? As close as anyone else has got, but no
Raak] A majority? No
Chalky] Does the answer contain the word 'vote'? GOOD question - No
Gusset Login] A proxy vote? Close, but no
Gusset Login] An illegal vote? Almost certainly not
Gusset Login] A Pop Idol vote? Definitely not
One of the guesses above contains the answer
Protest?
flerdle - Protest? No
Normal service may be interrupted for some time, as I'm off out canvassing, knocking up, etc and I'm not quite sure when I'll be back. Clues
1) The answer could be in number 10
2) The answer is in the next government
Brown?
An invitation from the Queen to form the next government?
Pop?
Is it a political post?
Is it marginal?
A mandate?
An exit poll?
A proxy?
...and then there was drinking. Apologies for the delay.
all] Brown? No
Raak] An invitation from the Queen to form the next government? No
ImNotJohn] Pop? No
Darren] Is it a political post? No
Kim] Is it marginal? No
CdM] A mandate? No
Raak] An exit poll? No, but partly correct
ImNotJohn] A proxy? No, but partly correct
The result of the election?
Does the word 'proxy' appear in the answer
A swingometer?
I'm too old to stay up all night...
Raak - The result of the election? No
ImNotJohn] Does the word 'proxy' appear in the answer? No, but if you rearranged the sentence, the answer would be YES and the audience would go Whooooooo!
Darren] A swingometer? No
Does the answer appear in the word 'proxy'?
Is it an X?
In fact, reading back, I am quite sure it is ... and also that the credit really goes to Raak.
WACK-WACK-WACK-WACK We have a winner!
Raak] Does the answer appear in the word 'proxy'? YES!!
CdM] Is it an X? YES!!
Thnaks, everyone - that was fun. And now over to over to CdM in the studio...
All right. This is ABSTRACT, with animal and mineral connections.
Is it a geographical feature?
Is it a fictional thing?
geographical feature? No.
fictional thing? No.
Is it a human construction?
Is it an activity of any kind?
human construction? Depends what you mean by construction, but I would say no (except under a very broad definition of the term)
an activity? Not really an activity as we would usually use the term (although, again, maybe yes under a very broad definition of the term).
In both cases I think that the most helpful answer is probably no.
service announcement
I am going to Thailand for a week tomorrow (for those who don't know, the reason why is here). We are staying somewhere new, and so I do not know if I will have easy connection to the internets. If I fail to respond to questions here within 24 hours, someone else should take over.
urging all to follow that link
[CdM] Thank you. Hope the trip goes well for you all.
having followed link, seconds Chalky's urging
[Chalky, Iroul] Thanks. Of course, if nobody posts any questions, it will be a non-issue. :-)
Is it an emotion?
Is it located in a particular place?
Is it a saying or proverb?
Is it fun?
Is it generally regarded as positive?
Looks like CdM is in an internet-free zone - anyone want to do a quick interim one to see us through until he returns?
not so fast...
Having just found the internets again...
an emotion? no
located in a particular place? yes, it was.
saying or proverb? no.
fun? no. (except, just possibly, for one person, but probably not even for him)
generally regarded as positive? definitely not.
Anything to do with a tsunami?
Was it a single event?
Sorry for trying to kill you off prematurely.
The crucifixion?
Did this event occur pre 1900?
[Irouléguy] That's a fine guess you've made there and I was going to ask the same question, but then - He died to 'save' us all - so that might be constrooooood as a positive result :-)
Was it a natural disaster?
Generalising Raak's question.
Was the place in Europe?
tsunami-related? no.
single event? yes. (and it wasn't premature -- I had passed my own 24 hour deadline, after all)
crucifixion? no. (but a slight smattering of applause perhaps)
pre-1900? no.
natural disaster? no.
in Europe? no.
Did this event occur pre 2000?
pre-2000? yes.
A political event?
was the event connected to religion in any way?
Did it involve death?
Was it a trial or legal process?
Chalky] I can never hear 'Jesus saves' without thinking 'but Keegan scores on the rebound'.
political event? no.
connected to religion? no.
involve death? yes. (*applause*)
trial or legal process? no.
Was it the first occurrence of something?
first occurrence of something? it was a unique event, so in that sense yes, but it is not noteworthy for being a first occurrence.
So is the answer something along the lines of "The Death of ........"?
"the death of..."? yes. *applause* (although if I were to insist on the exact answer I have in mind, that would not be the phrase)
Was it the death/demise of a human being?
Or perhaps the death/demise of an animal?
Or maybe the death/demise of a concept?
Excuse my exuberance - just trying to narrow it down a bit.
death/demise of a human being? yes.
of an animal? no (except in the AVMA sense, of course)
of a concept? no
...of a male?
The assassination of John F Kennedy?
a male? yes.
JFK? no. (but some applause)
...Martin Luther King?
...or Robert Kennedy?
John Lennon?
Does the answer contain a specific person's name?
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand?
Sorry for the multipost, but I suddenly thought "if not 'death' then ...."
The death of Lee Harvey Oswald?
cutting to the chase...
Raak WINS -- it was the murder/assassination of John Lennon.
Best wishes for your Thailand trip, CdM. Next!
ABSTRACT with ANIMAL connections.
Do the animal connections refer to a person?
[Raak] Thanks!
A cultural artefact?
[CdM] No.
[I] Yes.
White Elephant?
Is it a mythological creature?
Does it involve a gathering of individuals?
[all] No.
[Darren] No.
[Rosie] Yes.
A fictional creature?
[Kim] No.
Does it involve sport?
Is it the Rugby pilg?
[Rosie] No.
[Darren] No.
I'll be away most of Saturday.
A musical ensemble of some sort?
A science-fiction convention?
Does it usually involve money changing hands?
[Rosie] Yes.
[Irouléguy] No.
[Darren] Yes.
A gig?
Is this a series of gatherings?
[Rosie] Yes. Although I think that only a musician would call it that.
[Dujon] (applause from the audience) No.
The Last Night of the Proms?
More generally, is this one of a series of gatherings?
[CdM] YES! It is The Last Night of the Proms.
*decides against "The Death of George Harrison"*
All right... This is ABSTRACT
A decision?
An event?
decision? no.
event? I think the least misleading answer is no.
Is it generally regarded as positive?
Is it a colour?
Is more than one person involved?
generally regarded as positive? no, nor is it generally regarded as negative.
colour? no.
more than one person involved? no.
Is ANY person involved?
any person involved? no. (More precisely, it is perhaps possible that people could be involved, or affected, but that is in no way a defining characteristic. I don't think it is a helpful line of enquiry.)
Is it something that happens/exists/manifests itself everywhere in the world?
happens/exists/manifests everywhere in world? If it h/e/m anywhere, then I suppose it could h/e/m anywhere, and I suppose it could therefore h/e/m everywhere in the world. Whether it does is quite another matter.
Does it have an existence independent of human perception?
existence independent of human perception? Well, if it has an existence, then that existence is independent of human perception. But it probably doesn't have an existence, in which case its existence is not independent of human perception.
Is it fictional?
is it fictional? *applause* It exists in fiction. Maybe it also exists in fact. Probably not, though.
The philosophers' stone?
philosophers' stone? no.
The Holy Grail?
Does it exist in a single work of fiction?
holy grail? no
single work of fiction? It is strongly associated with a single work of fiction, although it might exist in others that I am unaware of.
The Da Vinci Code?
da vinci code? no. (you are up late, Chalky...)
Is it associated with religion?
Is it associated with magic?
[CdM] Yes, I am rather - have been painting and I tend to forget the time. Best be off now :-)
associated with religion? No.
associated with magic? No.
I forgot to mention that the audience applauded Irouléguy's question.
Is it the Title of a work of fiction?
title of a work of fiction? no.
Was the work written before 1970?
Shelley's 'Ode to the West wind'?
written before 1970? no.
ode to west wind? no.
Is it part of a larger work like an aria?
The magic flute?
Is the specific work of fiction a book?
OK so, to sum up.
We have an abstract something that is associated with, but is not the title of, a single work of fiction written since 1970. It is not associated with magic or religion. It does not necessarily have any actual existence, but if it did it would not be restricted to a single location, nor does it necessarily involve any participation by a person. It is neither a decision nor an event. It is neither positive or negative, nor is it a colour. In addition there are a number of specific things it isn't.
So, it seems to be some sort of concept or idea.
Was the work published before 2000?
part of a larger work like an aria? It is part of the work of fiction, but not really like an aria.
magic flute? no.
specific work of fiction a book? among other things, yes.
published before 2000? yes.
[INJ] I think your summary is accurate. I go back and forth a bit still on whether it is an event: I suppose it could be an event, although I still feel that no is the best answer to the question.
Is the book science fiction?
Any connection with Douglas Adams?
Any connection to television?
science fiction? yes.
Douglas Adams? yes *applause*
television? no.
The meaning of life, the universe and everything?
42? No. (but that would have been a good subject to have chosen, now you come to mention it)
The 'someone else's problem' field?
SEP? No. This kind of guessing could go on for a long time. :-)
I know it's unlikely, but - the improbability drive?
improbability drive? An extremely plausible answer, and therefore wrong. Although it wouldn't surprise me if operation of the ID were to lead to it.
A pain in all the diodes down Marvin's left side?
Interesting - the 'no' to television, from which I am tempted to assume that it did not appear/occur in the television series.
The shoe event horizon?
Did it appear only in the first series?
pain in diodes? no.
[I believe I am correct in saying that it did not appear in the TV series, although I don't really remember the TV version very well]
shoe event horizon? no.
only in first series? no.
Was it seen by Arthur or was it an entry from "the Guide"?
seen by arthur/entry from guide? It was not seen by Arthur as such, although it had consequences for him (and he saw several of those consequences). As far as I recall the guide didn't say anything about it, although my memory may be letting me down there.
Does it involve hyperspace?
involve hyperspace? I suppose it very well might.
A brain the size of a planet?
planet-sized brain? No.
A bowl of petunias?
The total perspective vortex?
petunias? No. [Raak] Reminder: it is abstract. Reminder no 2: not in the TV series.
TPV? No.
Did it happen on a spaceship rather than a planet?
spaceship rather than planet? It is hard to say where it happened. It is not even clear that is a meaningful question. However, in the radio series and book, it had implications on a planet and -- if I recall correctly -- on a spaceship as well.
The artistic necessity that holds a gigantic paper cup made of marble suspended in midair?
The birth of Zaphod Beeblebrox
(Which allegedly caused comets to streak across the sky and civilisations to rise and fall)
artistic necessity? no.
birth of ZB? no.
Did I mention that this could go on for a very long time with this kind of guessing? :-)
Is it a characteristic (or quality of something, as opposed to a thing)?
sorry, I didn't word that too well, but anyway...
Were any of the main characters involved?
My question may seem meaningless to someone who knows the answer and when it is finally I will probably think "what a duff question That was!". Have no fear, I shall ask you no more of this type of question.
characteristic of something? No, not really?
main characters involved? two main characters were very significantly affected.
Does this appear/occur in the first book?
Inkspot] No - it produced a definite answer, which makes it a very good question for this round.
first book? No. (*some applause*) [Clarification: to be honest, it is many years since I read the books, and I always knew the radio series better anyway. It definitely did not appear in the first radio series, and I am pretty certain that it therefore did not appear in the first book.]
The act of falling on the floor and missing?
how to fly? no.
Bistromathics?
bistromath? no.
The Golgafrinchan exodus?
Most of the way through The restaurant at the end of the universe, and no nearer the answer, but re-confirmed in the view that the radio series was better than the books.
Golgafrinchan exodus? no. I need to start thinking of some clues...
Day 9
[CdM] hmm - doubt if any clues will help me, not being over-familiar with Adams's work. But please slap a couple of mighty ones in. Then someone can guess this soon. Very soon.
eeeeek
[Chalky] Day 9? Really?? In some ways I think that the focus on Douglas Adams may not be the best way to go. And if you have hung around the morniverse, you will also have seen many references to it.
teleportation?
*suddenly wonders if that's a word or not* I think I need a language transplant.
teleportation? no.
The problem that no-one who wants to be President can be trusted with the job?
Anything to do with sport?
George Bush? no.
krikkit? no.
Procrastination?
More seriously - is it something to do with the destruction of the earth?
procrastination? I'll tell you tomorrow.
destruction of earth? No.
Is it an abstract concept for the book's characters?
Does it have visible/tangible effects
(OK, I know that's two questions in one)
Although we associate it with HHGTTG, could it actually occur/exist in real life?
abstract for book's characters? Yes. (Good question)
visible/tangible effects? Yes. Though, in the context of the book/series, more easily visible than tangible.
exist in real life? I answered that somewhat cryptically earlier on. As far as I know, the concept is entirely fictional. But then I'm not a physicist, so I could be wrong. Or the physicists could be wrong. And while I think all of us here associate it with HHGTTG, something similar almost certainly existed in prior works of fiction, and I think it now has acquired something of a life of its own, in that I suspect people refer to it without knowing about HHGTTG. I could be wrong about that too, though.
The end of the universe?
milliways? No.
Are ghosts involved?
Anything to do with wormholes?
Are the two main characters very significantly affected Arthur and Ford?
ghosts? No.
wormholes? No, or at least not exactly, or perhaps yes. *applause from audience*
Arthur and Ford affected? Yes. *more applause*
Can't think of the name of the damm effect, but is it how Arthur and Ford got from Magrathea to the Golgafrinchan exodus?
extensive time travel in both directions interrupted by a good meal? No.
Hmmmm
Another clue, perhaps...?
Nonono. The way I look at it, you should all keep guessing, and at sometime in the way distant future someone will get the correct answer, and then it will show up here tomorrow.
eddies in the space time continuum?
                            -
is he...?
eddy's? YES! Well, strictly speaking, only one eddy, but I am certainly not going to drag this out any longer.
*exhaustedly hands the baton to flerdle*
eek!
ok, quick and dirty... M I N E R A L
Is it a specific object?
[Darren] Yes?
[flerdle] Was that a question, or Australian intonation?
you've been watching too much Neighbours...
heh heh :-)
Darren's question was somewhat ambiguous, hence my uncertainty.
Are there many of these?
[Rosie] Yes.
Are they largely metallic objects?
woohoo
[Rosie] Yes!
Is it a Brass Monkey?
Is it mass produced or manufactured?
Are they machines of some sort?
[Gusset Login] Brass Monkey? No.
[Inkspot] mass produced/manufactured? Yes.
[Raak] machines of some sort? No.
Are they tools?
Do they nedd electrcal power to be used?
An item of cutlery?
[Raak] Hmmm. Yes, I think.
[Inkspot] nedd electrical power? No.
[Rosie] item of cutlery? No.
Shovels?
Are they used with one hand?
[Irouleguy] Shovels? no.
[Raak] used with one hand? Hmmmm. Yes.
Are they used together with other tools?
[Nea] Used together with other tools? No. That is, one of these can do its job by itself.
Do they have any connection to IKEA?
heh
[CdM] No. Sorry. But good guess :-)
Pliers?
Just so this doesn't last forever, I don't think that working your way through the contents of your toolbox is the way to go here...
[Irouleguy] Pliers? No.
Are they flexible or pliant?
Are they normally found in the home rather than a workplace?
[gabrielized] flexible/pliant? Somewhat.
[Inkspot] found in home rather than workplace? No, i.e. found in both, depending on home and workplace.
Paper Clips?
Drawing pins?
[gabrielized] Just a quick btw: it makes it easier when we're putting summaries together if you put the questions in "Apropos," because it makes them obviously different from comments (like this one).
Anything to do with gardening?
[gabrielized] Paper clips? YES. Well done. Over to you.
  • WOW i got it? A N I M A L
    • Human?
    A particular instance of an animal/human?
    Dead?
    Furry?
    Does it have legs?
    Are you still there?
    Is it a fish?
    Fictional?
    # Rosie - Human? Yes # Darren - A particular instance of an animal/human? Yes # Tuj - Dead? Not exactly # irach - Furry? Not particularly # Kim - Does it have legs? Yes # Rosie - Are you still there?yes, sorry, this is a weighty responsibility! sorry! # Gusset Login - Is it a fish? No # Raak - Fictional? In a way, yes.
    (new at this and not doing well with the formatting...) A Hint - it is mentioned in a popular novel.
    Is this a character loosely based on a real person?
    Male?
    [Dujon - Is this a character loosely based on a real person?] Not a character but yes, based on reality. [Rosie - Male?] Yes.
    Is the novel more than 50 years old?
    [Rosie - Is the novel more than 50 years old?] No.
    Anything to do with the Harry Potter stories
    [Rosie - Anything to do with the Harry Potter stories] No.
    Not something from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, then?
    Is this a real person who makes an appearance in a work of fiction?
    No, not HGTTG.
    [CdM - Is this a real person who makes an appearance in a work of fiction?] This is a representation of a man that makes an appearance in a work of fiction; and figures prominently in that work of fiction.
    A physical representation, like a portrait or a statue?
    Raak! YES........................which one?
    Is the person represented alive?
    tough question. I suppose not, in a way, yes. Sorry, that's a matter of interpretation. The exact person dead, but could probably find others like that one now alive.
    Is there just one of the physical representation?
    Is the person the holder of some official position?
    Any religious connotations?
    Raak - there is just one original of this representation. Rosie - No indication that the person is the holder of any official position. Darren - There are no religious connotations to the person or the representation - apparently.
    Is this best known as a painting?
    Is it some sort of "modern art"?
    Is the person anonymous?
    It is a painting or more likely, a pencil drawing by someone very famous for art. Not modern art at all. The person, the subject of the sketch, is rather anonymous.
    Is the novel in question the Da Vinci Code?
    Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man?
    Yes, in DaVinci Code, the Vitruvian MAN!!! YOU WIN!!
    (ImNotJohn) Are you there?
    Is it the ordnance survey symbol for a cairn?
    Is it the ordinance survey symbol for CdM?
    That's "ordnance" of course. Even having the word right in front of me didn't stop me misspelling it.
    If ImNotJohn doesn't materialise perhaps Néa should start one. She got closest.
    Sorry
    Had to take a little bit of time off to work.
    This one is MINERAL

    CdM - Y....No.
    Darren - No

    Is it man-made?
    Is the Eiffel Tower?
    Is it a specific object?
    It just occurred to me that CdM might have an unfair advantage here.
    [GL] - No is the answer that helps most
    [all] - No
    [Darren] - Yes
    (Or alternatively CdM might have an unfair disadvantage.)
    Is it on the Earth?
    [Raak] Yes
    The white cliffs of Dover?
    Is it bigger than a house?
    Mount Rushmore?
    Basically watery?
    Cold
    [all] - No
    [Raak] - No
    [GL] - No
    [Rosie] - No
    In Europe?
    Is it usually found inside a building?
    Is it a notable precious stone?
    Does it belong to someone well-known?
    How did you do that?
    [Néa] - Yes
    [Kim] - Yes
    [Raak] - Yes (startled pause followed by prolonged applause)
    [Tuj] - Yes
    The Crown Jewels?
    The Hope Diamond?
    (er, except that fails the Europe test. And possibly the belonging to someone well-known test...)
    [Rosie] - No, but Yes, but No, but Yes, but NO
    [CdM] - No
    The Koh i Noor?
    (trying to decide if that's a really stupid question or not, and leaning towards "yes", so asking it anyway)
    The Star of Africa?
    Well that wasn't that hard, was it?
    [Néa] - No
    [all] - YES
    Cullinan 1 or 'The Star of Africa' (if you'd been struggling I would probably have accepted 'The Cullinan Diamond', but thanks to Raak's astounding intuitive leap it all went rather quickly)
    So, over to all
    drawing a line under it
    That was unexpected
    um...

    MINERAL

    Is it man-made?
    Is there just one of it?
    Is it on earth?
    Is it a notable precious stone?
    [ImNotJohn] - Yes
    [Raak] - Yes
    [CdM] - Yes
    [Néa] - Nope
    An engineering structure?
    [Rosie] - I'll say, Yes, pending a clarification of the term "engineering structure"
    Is it a building?
    Is it bigger than a phone box?
    Is it made entirely of metal?
    Is it a sculpture?
    Does it carry a means of transport?
    Does it have a practical use?
    Is it in Britain?
    The Angel of the North?
    [CdM] - No
    [Raak] - Yes (Audience, titters)
    [Tuj] - No
    [Dazed5] No
    [Rosie] - Yes (applause)
    [Darren] - Yes
    [Inkspot] - Yes
    [ImNotJohn] No
    Is it either the London Underground in general, or Mornington Crescent in particular?
    Obvious, I know, but someone has to ask.
    The inside of the Tardis?
    Or rather, just the Tardis?
    [CdM] - (Much Applause) No and No.
    [Raak] - No
    [Raak] - No
    Is it the Northern Line?
    [CdM] - YES! Well done. Over to you
    And once again I sneak in on someone else's coattails, as it were. OK, this one is
    ABSTRACT
    Is it in a fictional work?
    Is it an emotion?
    In fictional work? No.
    Emotion? No.
    A religion?
    Religion? No.
    A human construct?
    Human construct? Yes.
    Is it a form of entertainment?
    Form of entertainment? smattering of applause. No, but it has a connection to a form of entertainment.
    Is it audible?
    Audible? No.
    Samantha?
    Samantha? No.
    Is it connected to something competitive?
    Connected to something competitive? Yes. The competitive aspect is perhaps not hugely important, though.
    Is it a game of Mornington Crescent?
    The Laser Display Board?
    A bifurcation?
    Points?
    Ignore my last effort, which is not even abstract were it to actually exist.
    Game of MC? No. substantial applause from audience
    Abstract Display Board? No. (actually, I would have thought the LDB was very definitely abstract)
    Bifurcation? 1. No. 2. Yes. Congratulations! You won on the second strand! Unfortunately you still need to get the answer on the original strand.
    Points? No.
    The rules of Mornington Crescent?
    Rules of MC? No.
    Is it a technical term in MC (such as knip)?
    Knip (or some such)? Kno. (The audience is now concerned that it applauded too hard after Botherer's question.)
    Is it game other than MC played in the Morniverse?
    Morniverse game other than MC? No. loud applause from audience
    Is it the Morniverse?
    ISIHAC?
    ISIHAC? No.
    Morniverse? No.
    Mornington Crescent?
    MC? No. (a rather confused response from the audience; a few people applauding enthusiastically but most remaining silent)
    Connected with a pastime or form of entertainment not in the Morniverse?
    (Three questions for the price of one!)
    Connected with Non-morniverse entertainment? Yes (but I doubt if that is particularly helpful).
    A Tim-Tam slam?
    Tim-tam slam? No. I'd keep focusing on the morniverse, if I were you.
    mc5?
    mc^5? No. (some applause)
    Orange?
    Orange? No. (stony silence from the audience)
    A winning move?
    A pilgrimage?
    A winning move? Yes, but that is not sufficient. (loud and sustained applause from audience)
    A pilgrimage? No.
    *The* winning move?
    A lurker's victory in a game of MC?
    The final move of the MC^5 long game?
    The winning move? No.
    Lurker's victory? No.
    End of the long game? No.
    hmmmmmm...
    actually, you might be very very close with *the* winning move, but I need a clarification...
    A cry of "Mornington Crescent"?
    The final move of a game of MC?
    The first move of a game of Reverse MC?
    No, no, and no ... you weren't quite as close as I thought you might be. :-)
    That's lucky, it's time someone else got a chance to set one.
    The winner?
    Do eeither of the words 'mornington' or 'crescent' appear in the answer?
    The winner? No.
    M or C? No.
    Is the answer the winning move of a game?
    Is the answer the winning move of a game? Yes. (ushers are moving among the audience to try to get them to be quiet, and the riot police are starting to look nervous)
    Baker Street?
    (cconnection to another form of entertainment - but then again it wasn't supposed to appear in a fictional work)
    Baker Street? No. (I said that the other form of entertainment might not be helpful. I simply meant that the form of entertainment in question exists outside the morniverse as well as inside it.)
    is it theMC5 Audience when it *shouts, screams and generally goes wild for someone*?
    Stora Mossen?
    I never met a winning move I didn't like
    MC5 audience? No.
    Stora Mossen? No.
    You're running out of time today, folks; it's gone 11pm here...
    Is the answer the name of a station?
    name of a station? No.
    Boardo!?
    sorry CdM - are we keeping you up? :-)
    Boardo? No. And no you are not -- I have been working up to now. But you are probably going to have to wait until tomorrow, now...
    The Last Line Of A Limerick?
    Checkmate?
    Limerick?
    Said Gertrude, that master of prose
    "A rose is a rose is a rose"
    There's wisdom, you see
    In tautology:
    An answer's an answer, I s'pose.

    Checkmate? No.
    The end of this game?
    Is it a punchline?
    [Raak] I think that is close enough!
    The answer to this round of AVMA is "the answer to this round of AVMA". Over to you
    After that rarefied flight of circular fancy, a very down to earth MINERAL.
    Is it man-made?
    Is it found on Earth?
    [GL] Yes.
    [all] Yes.
    Is it a building?
    [Néa] No.
    Are there many of these?
    Is it bigger than a bread box?
    [Rosie] No. (But there are more than one.)
    [all] Yes. (All of them are. Each of them is.)
    Does it move?
    [INJ] No. At least, they're not supposed to.
    Are it made of stone?
    Are they to be found in Britain?
    [all] Um...no.
    [GL] Yes.
    That's all for today, I'm off shortly to a concert at the Aldeburgh Festival.
    Were they all made after 1900?
    I hope you enjoyed your evening the programme, not that I am in the least bit jealous.
    Are these objects identical, more or less?
    Would these consist of a soft, earthy substance, of a white, grayish, or yellowish white color, consisting of calcium carbonate, and having the same composition as common limestone?
    [Inkspot] Yes. (The Orlando Consort, giving a concert of Baroque recreational depression -- Tallis, Purcell, Tomkins, etc. There was a BBC OB van there, so it might get broadcast at some point, but of course, that's nothing like being there.)
    [Rosie] They're similar.
    [Dujon] Soft? No.
    Are they composed entirely of a single substance?
    [INJ] They are known for it!
    Is the substance liquid?
    [INJ] No.
    Does the name of the substance appear in the answer?
    [GL] Yes.
    Is the substance iron?
    Is it made to be decorative?
    Are they all in the same city or town?
    A brick outhouse?
    [GL] No.
    [Inkspot] Yes.
    [Darren] Yes.
    [INJ] No.
    The Crown Jewels?
    Concrete cows?
    [Rosie] No.
    [GL] YES! The Concrete Cows of Milton Keynes.
    (Gusset Login) Coo-oo!
    [Gusset Login) Coo-ee!
    Sorry, I was away for a few days
    I assumed I had it wrong. um...

    Vegetable

    A potato?
    [Raak] - No
    Is it edible?
    [Darren] - Yes, or part of it is
    Is it processed?
    Can you buy it in a typical U.K. supermarket?
    [Darren] - No.
    [Raak] - No
    Does it grow wild in the U.K.?
    [Raak] - Yes
    Is the edible part of it a fruit?
    Is it a nettle?
    Is it later processed into a product?
    Is it a magic mushroom?
    [Kim] - No
    [CdM] - No
    [Rosie] - Yes
    [rab] - No.
    Is it rhubarb?
    Is it nicer with custard?
    Is it a type of grain?
    Is the edible bit green?
    Dandelion and Burdoch?
    Is it a mustard seed?
    [Darren] - No
    [Irouléguy] - No
    [Raak] - No
    [Tuj] - The websites I've checked are undecided about the green bit being edible.
    [Dujon] - No
    [CdM] - No
    Hops?
    Would you (well, not necessarily you personally) ever eat the edible bit in its unprocessed form?
    [Chalky] - No
    [CdM] - Yes
    It might be worth clarifying that most products produced from it are not intended to be edible
    Are those products flowers?
    Oil See Rape?
    or perhaps Linseed?
    [Irouléguy] - No
    [Chalky] - No (nor Oilseed Rape)
    [Chalky] - No
    Are the products produced from it mostly liquid?
    Is it a tree?
    [Darren] - No
    [Rosie] - Yes
    Is the edible part a nut?
    [Darren] - No
    Is the product produced from it decorative?
    Is the non-edible product timber?
    [Darren] - That depends, can you think of any decorative uses for wood?
    [Raak] - Yes
    Is the answer a particular tree (such as a maple tree, for example)?
    Are we looking for the final product?
    [CdM] - Yes
    [Darren] - No, it's a tree
    So we are looking for a tree that grows wild in Britain and which has an edible part that is not a leaf or a fruit or a nut or a blossom...
    A pine tree?
    Licorice?
    If I'm right, someone else needs to carry the torch...
    The mighty oak?
    My "other" computer is an Acorn but I've never eaten one.
    Is the edible bit a vegetable?
    [CdM] - Good summary, But you forgot to mention that the edible part can be eaten raw and it is mainly used for non-edible products.

    [Raak] - No
    [Botherer] - No
    [Rosie] - No
    [Irouléguy] - No, the whole thing is a tree.

    Willow
    The bark is edible in small quantities but is mostly used for medicinal ones
    [ImNotJohn] - No, but you're thinking along the right lines
    Is the edible part the sap?
    Alder?
    [Raak] - Yes, but also the bark.
    [Inkspot] - No
    Is it from the salicaceae family of trees?
    [Inkspot] - No
    Family Fagaceae?
    Jesuit's bark aka cinchona?
    [Darren] - No
    [Irouléguy] - I've never heard quinine bark called that before... No

    Would a clue be useful at this point?

    WE will ask the questions, Mr Login. Er, yes please. :-)
    Very well.

    It's a conifer and easy to recognise from a distance.

    The Larch?
    [Darren] - YES! Well done, it would have been easier if no one had asked about it being edible, which it is, apparently.
    Ah, but it's the unexpected questions that can produce misleading answers which are so much fun!

    So, this one is primarily VEGETABLE but I wouldn't be surprised if MINERAL or indeed ANIMAL could be involved in some cases.

    Stovold's Mornington Crescent Almanac 2002 ?
    Is the vegetable still alive?
    [Chalky] I can see your reasoning, but no.
    [Gusset Login] No.
    Is it man-made?
    Austrian wine?
    GL] I know the name from the Patrick O'Brian 'Master and commander' books.
    [ImNotJohn] Yes.
    [Irouléguy] Not typically, but some of them may well be.
    [Irouléguy] Whoops, I thought you said "Austrian made?". It's not Austrian wine.
    Is it monochromatic or multi-coloured?
    [irach] Normally multi-coloured.
    Is it largely wooden?
    [Rosie] Sometimes it can be.
    A set of children's building blocks?
    [Raak] No.
    A work of art?
    Are you using, eating or viewing one now?
    Does one normally use it at home?
    Is it a book?
    [Rosie] Could be, I suppose, but not normally.
    [irach] (1) No, no and no. (2) Yes.
    [Irouléguy] No.
    Can it be read?
    [Raak] No.
    A chopping board?
    [all] No.
    Is it an item of furniture?
    A cupboard of some kind?
    [Raak] No.
    [Rosie] No.
    Is it generally found in the kitchen? In the living room? In the bedroom?
    [irach] (1) No. (2) I suppose if anywhere, you might find it there. (3) No. Well... depends on whose bedroom, I suppose!
    Were you being sneakily literal in your earlier response to the question "is it man-made?"?
    *slinks off to hide in the corner*
    Eeeek... I didn't mean to post that question; it was prompted by a stupid misreading on my part. Sorry. Please carry on.
    [CdM] It's not the product of a bodily function, if that's what you mean. It's a manufactured product.
    Can one curl up on or in it if one is larger than an average-sized domestic cat?
    Does it generally have a glass component to it, in addition to sometimes being wooden?
    Is it elongated, and sometimes made of metal?
    A coaster?
    Is it a bookshelf?
    [irach] (1) No.
    [RedSnapper] No.
    [irach] (2) Yes (elongated), but as far as I know, no (not metal).
    [Raak] No.
    [all] No.
    In its normal use or state of being, is it found above eye-level when one (of usual adult height of say, five to seven feet) is standing and looking straight ahead in its direction ?
    [irach] No.
    Is it an implement of some kind?
    [Rosie] Not really.
    Would most players of this game be likely to have one in their homes?
    [Darren] er, no, I didn't mean that at all. I simply had misread, and thought you had said it was not man-made. Then I realized my mistake, but posted instead of editing my question. In other words I was confused, which is a not unusual state-of-being for me.
    [CdM] I would say no. As for your other unquestion, well, just look on it as getting an extra answer for free.
    Is it smaller than a breadbin?
    [Raak] Yes.
    Is it connected with a hobby or interest?
    Summary (is it just me, or are we having these more often?)

    It is: man-made (as in constructed by humans); possibly, but not typically, Austrian; multi-coloured; possibly wooden; possibly, but not normally, a work of art; used at home, most likely in the living-room; elongated; smaller than a bread-bin; normally found below the eye-line of the average-height person.

    It is (or was) not: Austrian wine; a set of children's building blocks; being used, eaten or viewed by Darren at 09.38 BST on Friday; a book; readable; a chopping-board; furniture; a cupboard; generally found in the kitchen or the bedroom; something you can curl up on or in (if larger than a cat); containing glass or metal; a coaster; a bookshelf; really an implement; something that most players of this game would have in their houses.

    Who was it who said 'knowledge is power'?

    Is it culturally specific?
    [Rosie] Almost anything could be!
    [Irouléguy] Hmmm... its name would suggest so.
    [Irouléguy] So as not to be too misleading, though, it's not something I'd say is culturally specific.
    bric-a-brac?
    [Raak] No.
    A walking-stick?
    [Rosie] No.
    A ouija board?
    [Raak] No.
    Is the vegetable part solely wood?
    A pencil-case?
    [Irouléguy] As I implied above, no. There doesn't have to be any wood involved, although there sometimes is.
    [Raak] No.
    If no wood, then necessarily plastic?
    a ruler?
    [Rosie] Not necessarily.
    [all] No.
    Is the vegetable part some form of dried grass (straw, hay, etc)?
    A window box?
    [Irouléguy] The funny thing is, it can be, but that's such an incredibly misleading answer!
    [Raak] No.

    Does anyone want a clue?

    (Darren) Yes please. Most of the answers seem to be a Pythonesque "could be". I detect widespread bafflement, of which I'm part. :-)
    "Could be" is partly because I'm a vague person, and partly because I don't like leading people up too many dark alleys. Anyway, a clue: it's a kind of puzzle.
    Is it generally placed on the floor, or is it in fact part of the floor?
    Can one place umbrellas in it? As part of its normal usage, that is?
    [irach] No and no.
    [RedSnapper] No.
    puzzled
    Does this have any physical manifestation at all? Or is it purely conceptual?
    confused
    (Ansering my own questions) we're looking for the physical object. Is it essential to the game or puzzle? That is, can one play without the thing?
    Dominoes?
    [Effable] No, one cannot do this puzzle without the thing.
    [Gusset Login] No.
    Can it be turned off, or easily hidden away when house guests arrive?
    Would you allow house guests to use yours? Even if they were only casual acquaintances ?
    [irach] Turned off? No. Hidden away? Yes.
    [RedSnapper] House guests? Yes. Casual acquaintances? Yes.
    Is it typically held in one's hand when in use?
    A Rubik Cube?
    [irach] Yes... and yet no.
    [Rosie] No.
    A "Fifteen" puzzle?
    Is the 'puzzle' a word game?
    Su doku?
    I hope I'm wrong.
    pick-a-stix [that game with long pointy things]
    [Rosie] No.
    [Dujon] No.
    [all] No.
    [Chalky] No.
    irach's question about holding it is a potentially rewarding line of enquiry.
    Scoubi-dou? (spelling?)
    A Magic Wand?
    One of those stick-like things that will spin one way but not the other?
    Spinning plates?
    Is it some form of writing implement?
    Playing cards?
    [Irouléguy] No.
    [ImNotJohn] No.
    [Raak] No.
    [Kim] No.
    [irach] No.
    [all] No.
    A computer mouse?
    A crossword puzzle?
    paddle ball?
    [irach] No.
    [Rosie] No.
    [all] No.
    Could you take it on a camping trip with you without having to lug an electrical generator? Can you leave home without it?
    Is the vegetable part of it part of its name?
    [irach] (1) Yes. (2) Yes.
    [Irouléguy] No.
    Is it used in a recreation involving more than one person?
    pooh-sticks?
    Was this puzzle around in 1950?
    Jigsaw puzzle?
    [Raak] As far as I know, no.
    [Chalky] No.
    [Rosie] Yes.
    [irach] No.
    Solitaire?
    A piece of juggling apparatus?
    [Rosie] No.
    [Raak] No, unless you were a very unusual juggler.

    Another clue, anyone?

    (Darren) Go on.
    Is it normal to have more than one?
    Does the puzzle/game involve trying to catch something?
    Is it rectangular with specific places where one's fingers go?
    [all] (1) Neither normal nor abnormal. (2) No.
    [RedSnapper] Rectangular? Depends which way you look at it. Specific places for fingers? Yes.
    It is hollow?
    [Raak] Yes.
    Does it have moving parts?
    Does it have keys or buttons to place one's fingers on?
    Does it rhyme with "cord"?
    [Effable] No. It's got flexible parts though.
    [irach] (1) No. (2) No.
    Is is a folded paper puzzle?
    [Dazed5] No.
    Does the puzzle involve getting things into or out of this thing?
    Are you going to give us the clue Rosie asked for?
    Are building blocks involved in any way?
    Is it for children as well as adults?
    Can you easily bend it? (assuming you have average, and not Herculean strength)
    [Raak] Yes.
    [all] I was going to but you seem to be getting pretty close now.
    [Irouléguy] No.
    [Chalky] Yes.
    [irach] Yes.
    Cat's Cradle?
    A Chinese finger-trap?
    [Rosie] No.
    [Raak] YES! Well done!

    So, it goes over to Raak for the next round.

    A finger-trap made of wood?

    The next one is MINERAL

    [Raak] Yep, they can be made of wood.
    Is it metallic?
    is it solid?
    Is it larger than a teacup? (An average one, not the spinning kind in Disneyland)
    Is it man-made?
    Is it a geological feature?
    Is it on this planet?
    Metallic? Yes.
    Solid? Yes.
    Larger than teacup? Yes.
    Man-made? Yes.
    Geological? No.
    On Earth? Yes.
    Is there only one of this?
    [finger-trap] After googling and finding a picture I can now state certainly that I have never seen nor heard of it - is it me, or generational, or geographical?
    [INJ] More than one.
    [INJ] (fingertraps) I saw them as a child in Edinburgh, erm, later middle C20.
    Do they come in different sizes?
    Is this used in the home?
    Chinese Finger Trap - I've never heard of this either. T'was rather an anticlimax really :-(
    Different sizes: Yes.
    In the home: No.
    Do you typically see it when driving on the street?
    [IMJ, Chalky - Type www.ebay.com and put in "Chinese Finger trap" in the Search box. You'll see pictures of this infernal device]
    Could you lift it?
    A poll of 7 friends in The Greyhound, Carshalton revealed only one who had ever heard of Chinese Finger Traps. I think The Object should always be well known, so no characters from cult novels etc, or obscure asteroids. The game is difficult enough.
    Is it used in cooking?
    Is it / are they used in industry?
    Is it mobile?
    Is it a construction of multiple parts?
    [Darren et al] Sorry, didn't mean to complain - what is well-known to one person may be obscure to others. It did explain why we found it so difficult though.
    Typically see while driving: No.
    Lift it: Yes.
    Cooking: No.
    Industry: No.
    Mobile: Yes (but not under its own power).
    Construction of parts: Yes.
    Is it bigger than a breadbox?
    [Finger traps] I've heard of them, but didn't think they were made of wood. Normally it's straw or leather.
    Bigger than breadbox: Yes.
    Is it closer to being rectangular or circular when viewed head-on ?
    Er...no.
    Is one likely to encounter it/them in everyday life ?
    [fingertraps] They can be (and are) made of all sorts of things, which is why I had to be so vague about it. I would have thought everyone would have heard of them. The thing is, it's hard for one person to tell what everyone else has heard of without asking explicitly beforehand. Still, someone got it in the end which is what counts.
    [irach] Most people won't.
    Meteorites?
    Meteorites? No.
    Powered by electricity?
    No.
    A container of some sort?
    Yes. (amusement in the audience)
    Is it associated with substances not normally mentioned in polite company?
    No.
    (The audience's amusement was due to the fact that "a container" is so precisely accurate a description that only a child would spontaneously think of calling it one.)
    A chastity belt?
    A pair of handcuffs?
    No, and no.
    Are they normally found above ground?
    Yes.
    Does it have any moving parts?
    Let's see.. Metallic... Man made... On earth...Not used in cooking...Not used in industry...Made of multiple parts...Not typically seen when driving... Can be lifted...Not likely to be encountered by most people in everyday life...Not powered by elecctricity... Normally found above ground... Container of a sort (likely to induce chuckles)... Hmm .. sure sounds like a metallic bra by Jean-Paul Gaultier as worn by Madonna, but probably isn't.
    Moving parts? Yes.
    Metallic bra? No.
    Industrial use, in a broad sense?
    A waste paper bin?
    Industrial? No.
    Waste bin? No.
    Clue yet?
    Clue? Go on.
    Try and find out its size.
    OK - what size is it?
    only kidding. Is it smaller than the Malaysian Peninsula?
    Is it larger than the New Forest?
    Smaller than both.
    Is it larger than a thimble?
    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.
    A constellation?
    Is it a saying, proverb, or figure of speech?
    [Raak] [Nea] No.
    Fictional?
    Double identity?
    A cartoon character?
    Is the animal human?
    CdM] Never heard of it - I'll have to try making it, if I can find a bottle of me in this country.
    [Raak] Not fictional. [Chalky] No. [Dujon] No. [Irouléguy] Yes.
    Is the human alive?
    [Irouléguy] The first time I ever heard of Irouléguy was in the context of the wine. Do you not take your name from the region, then? Or did you just not know they made wine there?
    *is neither French nor alcoholic*
    Is the abstract bit a place?
    CdM] No, I did take my name from the wine, I meant I'd never come across the particular dish. Do you just poach the fish in the wine, or is there more of a recipe?
    [CdM] The human component has to be alive. [Irouleguy] The abstract bit is not a place, but a specific place is required for the abstract thing in question to take place.
    Fishing?
    Does it have a connection to religion?
    [Irouléguy] No, not fishing. [Néa] No. Yet some of the human component may be said to pursue the abstract thing with almost religious fervour.
    Something to do with a game?
    Is it a solo pastime?
    [Raak] Not a game per se, but people do compete at it
    [Inkspot] Generally carried out in a group setting, although some enthusiasts may do it solo in private.
    Bullshitting?
    [Raak] No.
    Playing air guitar?
    Getting drunk?
    Running?
    Animal breeding?
    Is is associated with a particular culture or country?
    [
    [Irouléguy] No, but getting closer.
    [Inkspot]1. Not running. 2. It was originally associated with a particular country but is now universal.
    [Raak] No, and no.
    Was the particular country a European one?
    [Raak] No.
    Is there a musical connection?
    Or a connection to martial arts?
    [Irouléguy] Yes. Very much so.
    [Néa] No, not that I know of.
    Did it originate in Amrerica?
    Does it involve strenuous physical exertion?
    [Inkspot] No.
    [Raak] Only if the participants so desire, but strenuous exercise is not a required activity.
    Karaoke?
    [Irouleguy] Yes!! Congratulations!
    *waves arms wildly, attempts to twirl microphone*
    If I was being pedantic, I'd object that the definition should really have read "necessary animal and mineral connection" - you have to have the equipment for it to be karaoke as opposed to just singing while drunk. Anyway, our next is MINERAL .
    Is it found on earth?
    ([Iroul] Re fish and wine -- no, I had no particular recipe in mind; it was just intended as a culinary marriage of two MCers. (The internets reveal plenty of recipes for red snapper in wine sauces, and plenty of recipes for various fish in Irouléguy sauces, but I couldn't find a specific example of my chosen combination.) I still say that by the time it was clear that the missing component from the answer was the name of an MCer that was also the name of a French alcoholic drink, you might have been expected to make a guess!)
    Is it man made?
    Is it bigger than a telephone box?
    Is it a telephone box?
    Is the mineral metal?
    Related to Cassini?
    Cdm] Found on earth? Yes (and yes, I should have tried the guess - I'm too literal about this sometimes)
    Inkspot] Is it man made? Yes
    Kim] Is it bigger than a telephone box? In the volume sense of bigger, no
    all] Is it a telephone box? No
    ImNotJohn] Is the mineral metal? Some of it is.
    Does it have moving parts?
    Used in the home?
    ImNotJohn] Does it have moving parts? Yes
    Rosie] Used in the home? No
    Raak] Related to Cassini? No (sorry I missed you out above - you must have simmed me).
    Is the part that's not metal composed of plastics or synthetic polymers?
    Would it fit inside a telephone box?
    irach] Is the part that's not metal composed of plastics or synthetic polymers? Yes (some of it, anyway - there may also be other bits)
    Raak] Would it fit inside a telephone box? Normally, no
    An aerial of some sort?
    Is it associated with the dissemination of sound?
    A fishing rod?
    Raak] An aerial of some sort? No
    irach] - Is it associated with the dissemination of sound? Not really - some of these do make sounds, but most don't
    Rosie] A fishing rod? No
    Does it run on electrical power?
    Is it anything to do with transport?
    Inkspot] Does it run on electrical power? *applause* Yes
    Rosie] Is it anything to do with transport? *louder applause* Yes
    Is it wheeled?
    A Segway?
    ImNotJohn] Is it wheeled? No
    Raak] A Segway? No
    Is it something you would attach to a vehicle?
    Is it flexible?
    Raak] Is it something you would attach to a vehicle? No
    CdM] Is it flexible? No
    Is it anything like one of these?
    Is it used for public transportation?
    An elevator?
    Does the electrical power typically come from a battery or batteries?
    Raak] Scary! There is a colour connection, but otherwise, no.
    irach] Is it used for public transportation? No An elevator? No
    CdM] Does the electrical power typically come from a battery or batteries? No
    A Belisha beacon?
    Is it used in or on the ocean?
    A speed camera?
    Traffic lights?
    We have a winner! Traffic lights it is. Take it away, irach.
    What? Me again? This one is just VEGETABLE.
    Is it edible?
    [Rosie] Yes. A part of it is edible.
    Is the part that is edible a fruit or seed?
    Does it have to be cooked before being eaten?
    The Nasturtium?
    [irach] - re: "What? Me again?" Who dares wins ;-)
    Is it a herb?
    IDoes it have a shell?
    [CdM] I guess it can be construed as part of the seed.
    [Raak] No. But it is used in parts of the world for cooking purposes too.
    [Inkspot] No. [Kim] Yes.
    A coconut?
    [Raak] Yes, you got it! Take it away...
    This one is ANIMAL, MINERAL, and VEGETABLE.
    Man-made?
    You must be psychic, or brilliant. Take your pick.
    Contents of a pet store?
    [Rosie] Yes.
    [irach] No. (slight murmuration from the audience)
    Is it a meal, rather than one item?
    The Notlob parrot?
    Just checking to see if my psychic powers have reappeared. [Raak] A terrific deduction.
    [Rosie] Not a meal.
    [Dujon] No.
    A pie of some kind?
    [Rosie] No. (snoring from the audience)
    Is the mineral part metal?
    [Inkspot] Some of it is.
    Would the animal part be found in a pet store?
    Is the vegetable part eaten by the animal?
    [CdM] Yes, but that's a very misleading answer.
    [I] Yes, partly.
    Are there many of the thing as a whole, or just one?
    [Tuj] Many.
    Is this a geographical feature [loosely speaking]?
    [Chalky] No.
    A Zoo or Wildlife Park?
    [C] No.
    Might one find this in the home?
    Looks as though I'm the only one playing today ....
    [C] No.
    I'm here too...
    Is the animal part a living animal or a product from a dead one?
    Is the animal part a living animal or a product from a dead one?
    eliminating more possibilities ... found in the workplace?
    [R] ... but you know the answer
    Is the animal part human?
    [irach] Primarily living. Dead animals, if any, are only peripherally involved.
    ][C] Ah....no.
    [i] The living animal part is human.
    Is this a person undertaking an activity?
    [C] That is a deep philosophical question, but for present purposes we can say that the answer isn't, but people undertaking an activity is a big part of what it is. (Several members of the audience attain enlightenment.)
    Any link to transport?
    [INJ] No.
    Are any of the mineral or vegetable parts clothing?
    [I] No. That is, the people involved are usually wearing clothes, but that isn't a part of the answer.
    Do these people have to pay to do this?
    A religious or spiritual activity (in a broad sense)?
    [C] Yes. (a sprinkling of applause.)
    [INJ] Only in a sense broad enough to be jocular.
    For clarification, the activity itself is not the answer, but a definite activity takes place there.
    Is this a building designed for a specific purpose?
    [C] Yes. (APPLAUSE!)
    A shop?
    [C] Yes! (Several members of the audience ascend into heaven.)
    Harrods?
    [INJ] No.
    Is it a 'well-known High Street store'?
    [C] No.
    Is it a generic shop type (as in 'a grocer's shop')?
    [INJ] Yes.
    A cheese shop?
    [INJ] No.
    A shoe shop?
    [C] No.
    A butcher shop?
    [irach] Not many vegetables in a butcher's shop.
    A supermarket?
    A wholefood shop?
    A greengrocery?
    [i,I,C] No.
    A healthfood shop?
    A Florists?
    [all] I think that's what a 'wholefood shop' is?
    [all] No.
    [everyone] Don't get too hung up on narrow definitions of "vegetable" and "shop".
    A coffee house or café?
    A newsagent?
    A public house?
    [CdM] No, and no.
    [Chalky] Yes! Over to you.
    Thanks :-)

    A B S T R A C T with mainly A N I M A L connections

    Would the animal be feline, by any chance?
    A 'wholefood' shop is organic stuff (veg, beans, pulses, sometimes baking). I'd think of a healthfood shop as being more vitamins and minerals, like Holland and Barrett.
    [I Rule A Cute Guy] healthy/whole food - yeah, it's a fine line. The ones we have here do both and are known as health food shops.

    Feline? No

    Is the animal connection human?
    [Rosers] Human? erm - Yes
    Is the, erm, human a fictional human?
    Chalkers, Rosers, I Rule A Cute Guy - there's a game in this, somewhere!
    [The Kimster] Fictional? Yes!
    King Arthur?
    [Raak] No ... but * cheers from audience*
    The Arthurian Legend?
    Going for the bleed'n' obvious. How's that, O Calciferous One?
    Female?
    Camelot?
    Chalky] Yes, they mostly do both round here too (though Stoke Newington Church Street still has an organic baker). I think 'wholefood' may have been a seventies thing, and I might be showing my age.
    good morning all :-)

    [Rosers] Arthurian Legend? No
    [Raaaaaak] Female? No
    [Iroulé] Camelot? No

    A fictional king?
    [INJ] Yes
    King Lear?
    [CdeM] Lear? No
    Shakespearean?
    Was there some significance to your "erm" in response to the 'human?' question?
    [INJ] Nay
    [CdeM] significance? Well spotted
    King Kong?
    A man in a suit but probably not human enough to count.
    [all] King Kong? No
    King Louie?
    Granted, he wasn't a man at all, but he wanted to...
    A cartoon?
    The king of the hill?
    English King?
    [Néa] King Louie? No
    [CdeM] cartoon? No
    [Iroulé] hill? No
    [irachsnap] English King? No
    Prester John?
    [Raaak] Prester John? No
    The Sun King?
    Thrashing about in the dark. Hmm, chance would be a fine thing.
    Neptune?
    Is this pseudo-king from a nursery rhyme?
    Was he European?
    [Rosie] Sun King? No
    [CdM] Neptune? No
    [Duj] Nursery? No
    [Iroul] European? No ... although trying to find out a little more about this fictional king may well be the way forward
    *takes off 'stating the bleedin' obvious hat'*
    Is the answer in the form "King ......."?
    And while we're in thrashing about mode - King Rat?
    [INJ] Form/Rat? No & No ['though the word 'King' IS on the card]
    Is it a king of myth or legend that only approximated to human (The Fairy King, for example)?
    Does he feature in a specific novel or set of novels?
    As opposed to someone like Arthur (or the Fairy King).
    Is he originally from religion or mythology?
    we have a breakthrough
    [Kim] myth/legend approximate human? Would be misleading to say yes because ...

    ...[Néa] set of novels? YES!!!! *hoorays from audience*

    [Iroul] religion/mythology? see Kim's answer

    The Return of the King?
    [INJ] YES! Nice and easy does it. Over to you ...
    After a weekend away
    OK - sorry for the delay. The next one is
    ANIMAL
    Human?
    Rudolf Rocker?
    Human - Yes
    Mr Rocker - any relation to Mr Hucker? - No in any case.
    Alive?
    [Néa] No
    Female?
    [CdM]Female? - No
    Alive in the last century?
    Dead White Male?
    (I still think Rudolf Rocker was a good guess, btw.)
    A religious personage?
    Died before 1998?
    [Iroul] Alive in last century - No
    [CdM] Dead White Male? - No
    [Néa] Religious? - No
    [all] Died before 1998? - Yes
    Alive after 1 AD?
    Any connection with anarcho-syndicalism?
    Anticipating a negative, here we go again...
    Asian?
    Big place, Asia, alas.
    [Raak] Alive after 1 AD? - Yes
    [Rosie] anarcho-syndicalism? - No (though I was tempted)
    Asian? - Yes (several of the audience wake up and applaud)
    Chinggis (aka Ghengis) Khan?
    Well, that didn't take long
    YES - that's the guy.
    Well done and over to you.
    Sweeping across the steppe...our next is ABSTRACT, necessarily involving ANIMAL (and almost certainly VEGETABLE and MINERAL as well, but they won't help).
    An anarcho-syndicalist hog-roast?
    Related to a work of fiction?
    Is the animal human?
    Armageddon?
    Trying to think big here.
    The extinction of the dinosaurs?
    The Black Death?
    ImNotJohn] An anarcho-syndicalist hog-roast? It could be a feature of this, but it's pretty unlikely.
    Related to a work of fiction? This does occur in works of fiction, but it's not related to any particular one.
    CdM] Is the animal human? *scattered applause* Yes
    Néa] Armageddon? No
    Raak]The extinction of the dinosaurs? No
    Rosie] The Black Death? No

    Advance apologies - because of work I won't be near a computer tomorrow till about 5pm.
    A swarm or herd of any kind?
    Is the human a single particular individual?
    Does it happen in real life as well as works of fiction?
    Is this a historic one-off event?
    Ignore my previous question - I didn't see CdM's Q & A.
    Is war involved?
    The King of the Gypsies?
    Rosie] A swarm or herd of any kind? No
    ImNotJohn] Is the human a single particular individual? No
    all] Does it happen in real life as well as works of fiction? Yes
    Rosie] Is this a historic one-off event? *the audience giggle* Possibly.
    Gusset Login - Is war involved? Quite the reverse.
    Raak] The King of the Gypsies? No
    Sex?
    A love-in?
    Néa] Sex? *cries of "phwooar" from the audience* Yes, but more specifically...
    Raak] A love-in? Is that what the young people are calling it these days? Again, more specifically...

    The words on the card should be safe for work, unless your manager is exceptionally straitlaced.
    An orgy?
    An orgasm?
    (Chalky) Works both in English and French; humps, humps, humps etc. Sorry to be so flippant.
    Somebody's first time?
    Rosie] An orgy? No
    Chalky - An orgasm? No
    Raak] Somebody's first time? Possibly, but not specifically.
    Procreation?
    At this point would you still say that the vegetable and mineral components are not helpful?
    Raak] Procreation? Definitely not the point of this.
    CdM] At this point would you still say that the vegetable and mineral components are not helpful? Yes - while vegetable and mineral will almost certainly be involved in this, the possible range is so wide that focussing on them wouldn't help.

    There's an indirect topical political connection.
    A kiss?
    foreplay?
    The cigarette afterwards?
    Invoking Ken Clarke.
    The rhythm method?
    Anything to do with contraception?
    Raak] A kiss? No
    all] foreplay? No
    Rosie] The cigarette afterwards? No
    CdM] The rhythm method? The jazz-lover's preference? No
    Tuj] Anything to do with contraception? Contraception would almost certainly be part of this.

    The first two of these, and the last, would almost certainly be involved in the answer. The other two might well be involved (and the likelihood of this would be greater in the past).
    Safe sex?
    Non-procreative sex?
    Anal sex?
    Bugger it; it's worth a try.
    CdM] Safe sex?
    Raak] Non-procreative sex?
    Rosie] Anal sex?

    All of these could well be involved - think circumstances rather than activity.
    This game was completed in MCiOS ' Truth Game' along with the other puzzles that followed - shall we steal it back? Yes? Yes?
    Yes!
    Might be nice to shift Gary Glitter off the top of the page.

    Please don't paste in the intervening moves, though.

    The Summer of Love?
    In the midst of which I was born
    Anyone bothered enough to transfer a summary?
    Shazam!
    And the mystery object is an ABSTRACT object that can be physically realised in MINERAL form, and has nothing to do with almost every guess so far, be it of concrete, water sports, transport, weather, crocodiles, pagodas, or Contango Day.
    Is it connected with the Internet?
    [Tuj] No.
    Does the mineral form take the form of writing of some sort?
    [Tuj] No.
    How much will it help if we find out what sort of mineral it is?
    [I] Possibly, a bit. It might help more to find out what sort of abstract object it is.
    Something to do with computers and the internet?
    [I] No.
    Is this something that people would pay to see?
    [Chalky] No, but they can pay to buy one, at prices from $30 to $12000.
    Is it an event?
    [I] No.
    Is this a piece of "abstract" art?
    A Klein Bottle?
    [Rosie] Yes!
    [CdM] (the audience die of heart failure and are taken up bodily into heaven) YES! A Klein bottle!
    All right. I will once again turn to the WRAVMASG...
    ...and this is either ABSTRACT or MINERAL/VEGETABLE with ANIMAL connections. I should perhaps warn you that it is very possible that no-one here has heard of this, but it should still be solvable with judicious questioning and googling.
    Is it a physical construction?
    Does it originate from a particular culture?
    Physical construction? No.
    Originate from a particular culture? Not exactly, but *some applause*.
    Would it be found in a specific country?
    Found in a specific country? Yes. *substantial applause*
    Is the Animal connection human?
    An English-speaking country?
    A European country?
    Is it a place?
    Is the mineral metal?
    Is the vegetable edible?
    Is the associated country in Asia?
    Rare audience appreciation!
    Human? Yes. the animal connection is not particularly useful, though.
    English-speaking? No.
    European country? Yes
    A place? Yes. *applause*
    Metal? Some. Since you have now identified that we are looking for a place, I would say that the mineral/vegetable/animal connections are not that helpful.
    Edible? Some. See above.
    Asia? No.*dead silence from audience*
    Is the place best known for an event that happened there?
    Is it found in one of the EU member states?
    Is the answer the name of a town (hamlet/city etc.)?
    It is a place where one might go to contemplate the beauty of nature??
    Actually, on second thoughts, given the ABSTRACT primary definition, I wonder - Is the answer the name of a geographical area in some sense?
    best known for event? Um, I am not sure if it is known for anything
    in EU? Yes.
    Name of town (hamlet/city, etc.)? No, unless "etc." is very broadly defined.
    beauty of nature? Er, I have no idea, really. I'll hazard a guess at yes, though I don't think it is particularly known for its natural beauty.
    ****
    Ah ... good thing I previewed before posting. Name of a geographical area? Yes. *applause*
    Is it in France?
    France? No. 24 to go.
    In current EU?
    Oops - forget that one - how about In a country with a Mediterranean coastline?
    In current EU? Er, yes. Didn't I already answer that?
    *****
    Ah, you are saved by the preview again.
    Mediterranean coastline? No.
    And, for free, here is an addendum to a previous answer. The name of a town/hamlet/city is one of the words on the card, although the answer is not the name of a town/hamlet/city.
    Does the area have a coastline?
    Is the answer an administrative area?
    In Scandinavia - including the Baltic States?
    Coastline? I am pretty certain that the answer is no.
    Administrative area? Yes. *applause*
    Scandinavia including Baltics? Yes.
    (Make that 99.9% certain that it does not have a coastline)
    Is it in Finland?
    Finland? No.
    The province of Jönköping?
    Does the name itself consist of more than word? (Or, contrariwise, is the phrase on the card 'the province/region/whatever of ...' plus just one word?)
    In Germany?
    Oops, missed that it's Scandinavia.
    In Denmark?
    The Tivoli Gardens?
    In one of Baltic states?
    Remember guys - the initial setting said that we've probably never heard of this.
    Does it have connections to Norse legends and myths?
    Is it in Sweden?
    Jonkoping? No.
    Form of answer? The answer is two words: Place Name + Administrative Area Designation.
    Part of the Third Reich? No.
    Denmark? No.
    Tivoli Gardens? Never heard of them
    In Baltic States? Yes.
    Connection to Norse legends? Not as far as I am aware.
    Sweden? No.
    Something like "Latvian Borough of Riga"?
    LBoR? Well, something like that, although see my previous response on the form of the answer.
    Estonia?
    For the sake of brevity assume I've asked the other 2 in turn if each preceding one is wrong.
    Oh, it would have been briefer to ask the 3 questions separately, wouldn't it?
    Estonia? Yes.
    One of the 15 counties?
    One of the 15 counties? Sadly, no. :-)
    A municipality?
    Municipality? Yes, although that is not the word on the card.
    Is the word on the card 'township'?
    OK so we're down to one of the 208 municipalities (aka townships) or possibly one of the 47 towns. Shouldn't take long now.
    Is the second word "commune"?
    Township/Commune? The word on the card is "Commune" but I think that is just an equivalent term for "township". As you say, shouldn't take too long.
    Does the county it is in begin with a letter in the first half of the alphabet?
    I can do binary chop searches
    Disappearing into meetings now, but I'm using Wikipedia's 'list of municipalities in Estonia'
    County in first half of alphabet? Yes, most definitely. :-) I'm leaving in 15 minutes; think we can get it worked out by then?
    If it has not been figured out before I leave, I might hand the baton to INJ (*cries of "nepotism!" from the audience*) given that he has done most of the heavy lifting on this one.
    Hiiu county?
    In the hope of a quick win
    Is it in the County of Harju?
    [agree re: INJ so I'm just helpin to move things along - not aiming for a lurker's victory}
    Harju it is
    So, there are 19 communes, of which seven have coastline, so just 12 left to choose from
    Saku Commune?
    Nope. The answer was Kernu Commune. And as I am now going out for the evening, I am going to declare INJ the winner. Sorry it was so obscure, but that's what the Wikipedia Random AVMA Subject Generator gave me...
    [CdM] An interesting technique for subject generation, but not very satisfying once we get down to the 'find the one from the list' bit. BTW I should also like to deny categorically that I am CdM's nephew.
    Anyway, the next one is ABSTRACT with ANIMAL connections
    Is the animal part a person?
    [Ink] - Is the animal part a person? The animal part is human.
    Is there a musical connection?
    [Iroul] - musical connection? - NO
    Is the animal part some number of specific humans?. [INJ] Agreed. If I use it again I will throw in a bit of my own discretion about the suitability of the subject.
    [CdM]some specific humans - NO
    A crowd or gathering of some kind?
    [Rosie] gathering - NO
    Is it a role?
    [Raak] Role? - NO
    Is it male?
    [Inks] Male? - Not defined
    [forgetting the animal part for the time being] - Is this an activity of some sort?
    [Chalky] an activity - NO
    Normal service (i.e. slow) will be resumed shortly - in about 20 mins - when I pack up to go home.
    A belief system?
    [Iroul] Belief system - NO
    Human construct? (oblig.)
    Does this involve the senses?
    [CdM] Human construct? - YES (though that may not help a lot)
    [Chalky] involve the senses? - NO
    Is this an intellectual creation?
    [CdM] an intellectual creation? - YES (some shaking of heads in the audience)
    Is it a field of study?
    [Hux] a field of study? - NO (some laughter in the audience)
    Entertainment (or intended to be entertainment)?
    [Iroul] entertainment? - NO
    Hmm, I didn't think it would be this hard to get - I'm in meetings all afternoon, so I may have to start thinking of clues.
    Is it an abstract noun?
    Is this a medical condition?
    [Tuj] abstract noun? - NO
    [Chalky]a medical condition? - NO
    I'm not very convinced by my own answer to the Intellectual creation question - I'm not completely sure what CdM meant by it. However the answer is a product of human minds, so I stand by it. I also refer you to my answer to the very first question from Inkspot.
    Is the human a specific human?
    Is this historically specific?
    [Tuj] a specific human? - NO
    [Iroul] historically specific? - NO (though its abstract existence does not span all of human history)
    Clarifications on the last 2.
    Not a specific human, but a specific subset of humankind.
    Its existence spans about the last couple of hundred years.
    An organisation?
    [Raak] An organisation? - NO
    Is it connected to the USA?
    (I'm not sure what my 'intellectual creation' question meant either; I simply threw it out there in the hope that it would generate some response other than 'NO'.)
    Or is it connected to some particular technological invention or innovation?
    [CdM] connected to the USA? - Not particularly (nor originally)
    technological invention or innovation? - NO (some laughter in the audience)
    Religious?
    [Tuj] Religious? - NO (but definitely no laughter)
    Is the "specific subset of humankind" either 'men' or 'women'?
    [CdM] either 'men' or 'women'? - NO
    Trekkies?
    To do with science fiction?
    Is this represented by an acronym?
    [Iroul] Trekkies - NO
    [Raak] SciFi - NO
    [Tuj] Acronym - NO
    Time for a little help here. The human connection is with a specific subset of humankind which is neither men nor women.
    Hallowe'en?
    [Rosie] Hallowe'en? - NO
    Children?
    (i.e., is that the human connection?)
    [CdM] Children? - YES; the human connection is with children (substantial applause from the audience)
    Is it a game of some kind?
    (I presume not, since you said it wasn't an activity, but just in case...)
    [CdM] a game? NO (you presumed correctly)
    Spelling bees?
    Connected with a work of fiction?
    [Raak] Spelling bees? - NO
    [CdM Connected with a work of fiction? - This has appeared in a number of works of fiction, but that is not the normal context for it; so NO is probably the most useful answer
    It's that point in the day where I go to my hotel and my laptop gets locked in a drawer at work. I have every confidence that it won't take long now - you just need to pin down what sort of thing this is.
    The tooth fairy?
    Child labour laws?
    [Inkspot] I hope not. I did that one not so long ago...
    Is it related to childcare?
    Compulsory schooling?
    OK - an apology. I've done a bit of looking up and I now think that I should have answered YES to the Connected with a work of fiction? question, in that the majority of the references were in the context of a single work. Anyway, we're nearly there.
    [Inkspot] The tooth fairy? - NO (but substantial and prolonged applause)
    [CdM] Child labour laws? - NO
    [Raak] Compulsory schooling? - NO
    Is this a make-believe character?
    The sandman?
    [Chalky] make-believe character? - YES
    [Iroul] The sandman? - NO
    The audience is surreptitiously putting on coats etc. ready for an early exit
    Jack Frost?
    Fairy Godmother?
    We have a winner!!
    THE FAIRY GODMOTHER it is. Back to CdM
    Although the character appears in many stories and predates Perrault, Cinderella now appears to have a working majority.
    Credit where credit is due...
    ...it was actually Ms CdM who figured this one out.

    Anyway, back to the Wikipedia Random AVMA Subject Generator one more time...

    ... and this one will be easy, I think. It is ABSTRACT (possibly with VEGETABLE and and/or MINERAL connections, but I don't think those are very helpful).
    Atlantis?
    Is this another place?
    A human construct?
    (trad)
    It an event in the natural world?
    Sorry for the delay
    Atlantis? No.
    A place? No (thankfully).
    Human Construct? Very definitely.
    Event in natural world? Not quite sure what you mean, but I think the answer is no.
    Is this a building perhaps?
    An organisation?
    The Daytona 500?
    (that's what I got when I followed the link...)
    Building? No.
    Organisation? No.
    Daytona 500? No.
    An idea?
    A work of fiction?
    A work of non-fiction? [thanks Kim]
    A proverb or saying?
    A belief-system or philosophy?
    Connected with a belief-system or philosophy?
    Is it connected with anything connectable-with?
    sorry - ignore that - I was being unecessarily facetious
    An idea? Only in a very vague sense.
    work of fiction or nonfiction? No.
    proverb or saying? No.
    Belief system or philosophy, or connected thereto? No.
    Connected to anything? Yes. :-)
    A state of mind?
    Is it of recent origin?
    state of mind? No.
    Recent origin? No. (Googling suggests that the first instance of the answer was in the early 16th century, but it is probably less misleading to suggest that it has been around since the mid 19th century.)
    An artistic endeavour, or connected thereto?
    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.
    Does it come in a tin?
    Just seen irach's question, so my previous one was superfluous. Tut, tut!
    - sauerkraut?
    Associated with a particular country?
    [Rosie] Ouch. I'm glad I just knew the nose part before!
    [INJ] Culinary dish? Culinary = as in pertaining to the kitchen? Yes. Dish? Debatable
    [Irach] Underground? No
    [Raak] Porridge? No
    [Rosie] Root veg? No
    [Rosie] Come in a tin? Can do :-)
    [Dandalf] sauerkraut? No
    [Tuk] Associated with a particular country? Good question. More a particular region, I'd say
    Is it a form of offal?
    I like the story of his pet elk falling downstairs drunk after too much beer the best.
    Ah, vegetable. Ok, is it a veggie imitation of some sort of offal?
    Brussels sprouts?
    Delicious steamed, or boiled quickly with chestnuts. Curried sprouts not such a good idea though.
    [Raak] Fake offal? No :-)
    [Iroule] Brussels Sprouts? No

    NB: Correction to my reply to Inkspot's first question "Does it grow on trees?" - broadly speaking, my reply should have been Yes.
    A fruit of some kind?
    [Rosie] A fruit of some kind? No
    Is the region it's associated with in Europe?
    A spice?
    It grows on trees - is it Spaghetti?
    [Iroule] Europe? No
    [Dandalf] A spice? No
    [Kim] Grows on trees? - Yes, but not spaghetti
    Associated with Asia?
    Does one drink it?
    [INJ] Asia? Yes *cheers from audience*
    [Raak] Drink it? Yes *even louder cheers from audience*
    Darjeeling tea?
    [Iroule] Darjeeling tea? ONE WORD is correct! *gasps of anticipation*
    Jee, darling, which could it be? Um...Assam tea?
    Earl Grey Tea? (©Alan Bennett)
    [Iroule] Assam tea? sorry, No
    [Rosie] Earl Grey Tea? No to that as well :-(
    Is there just one word on the card?
    [Raak] There are TWO words on the card [one of them is tea] and I predict you'll guess it very soon ...
    Green Tea?
    Actually, I hope I'm wrong as I'm just about to go away and be incommunicado until Sunday evening.
    Jasmine tea?
    Oolong tea?
    Isn't it always the way ... ImNotJohn wins it by a short head from his uncle!
    I'll hand over the baton - do with it as you will ...
    There will now be a short intermission, while ImNotJohn goes away.
    And then again
    Struggling slightly with an azerty keyboard, as I'm logged in at Hbach's. So here's an Abstract to be going on with. I might get on again tomorrow morning.
    The azerty keyboard layout?
    Dexterity?
    Qwerty?
    The notion of nationality?
    Is it an action?
    Is it a work of art?
    Arachno-syndicalism (sic)
    Back to normal now
    [Raak]: azerty keyboard - NO
    [Rosie]: Dexterity? - NO
    [Kim]: qwerty - NO
    [Tuj]: notion of nationality - NO
    [Inkspot]: an action - NO
    [Chalky]: a work of art? - NO
    [Rosie]: The National UInion of Spiders - NO
    One of the seven deadly sins?
    [Chalky] a deadly sin - NO
    A natural occurrence?
    Something mathematical?
    [Chalky]: natural occurrence - NO
    [Raak]: Something mathematical? - NO (one or two of the audience are raised from their slumbers)
    Something geometric?
    [Kim]: Something geometric - NO (the level of snoring is rapidly rising towards previous levels)
    A human construct? [well - someone had to ask]
    Something to do with time?
    [Chalky]: human construct? - YES
    [Inks]: Something to do with time? - NO
    An invention?
    Still cold
    [Chalky]: invention? - NO
    A form of entertainment?
    Are numbers involved?
    Getting Warmer
    [Chalky]: A form of entertainment? - Not in itself (but you've woken the audience up)
    [Iroul]: Are numbers involved? - YES (but only loosely)
    Is it something that comes in the form of a set of a certain number of things?
    7 D S, 3 B M, 4 C V, etc.
    [Raak] a numbered set? - NO (but the odd stutter of stifled applause)
    Any music connections?
    [Chalky] music connections? - NO
    Is this a game of some sort?
    and if so, more specifically, a card game?
    A lottery?
    [Chalky]: a game of some sort? - NO, not as such (But some applause)
    [Dandalf]: a card game? - NO, not as such (Loud and prolonged applause)
    [Raak] - a lottery? - NO
    Solitaire?
    A competition of some kind?
    A sport?
    the audience subsides
    [Néa]: Solitaire? - NO (I see where you're coming from, but I would have called that a game - I'm not being deliberately awkward)
    [Chalky]: A competition? - NO
    [Projoy]: A sport? - NO
    Anything to do with greetings cards?
    A day that celebrates something?
    [Raak]: greetings cards - NO (clever but not close)
    [Chalky]:A day that celebrates something? - NO
    As the audience has indicated - Dandalf is the person who's got closest so far
    Is it anything to do with gambling?
    [Chalky]: connected with gambling? - YES (applause)
    Is a set of playing cards involved?
    Bingo?
    Betting Slips (especially abstract ones)
    Political Voting?
    (ignore my last)
    Damn, I meant political betting. Although I'm now going to change again and ask whether it's an election.
    Quite warm now
    [Raak]: Is a set of playing cards involved? - YES
    [Raak] Bingo - NO
    [Projoy]: Political Voting/Betting/election? - NO
    Tarot
    [Projoy]: Tarot - NO (neither divination nor the game - since it isn't a game)
    A card trick?
    [Iroul]: A card trick? - NO
    shufflling?
    -l
    [Projoy]: shuffling - NO
    I don't think you need a clue - you've got the information you need to home in on this.
    Three Card Monte?
    (although I suppose that is probably classified as a card trick, come to think of it)
    Dealing?
    [CdM]: Three Card Monte? - NO - there's no trickery involved
    [Chalky]: Dealing? - NO
    Is it the name of one of the suits?
    [Projoy]: a suit - NO
    You're not taking sufficient account of one of the bits of audience reaction
    A full house?
    Bridge?
    Not a game; war.
    "the turn of a card"
    Marked cards?
    [CdM]: A full house? - NO (gasp from the audience mixed with loud and prolonged applause)
    [Rosie]: Bridge? - NO
    [Chalky]: the turn of a card? - NO
    [Raak]: Marked cards? - NO
    A Royal Flush?
    House of Cards (the metaphor, hence abstract)
    A winning hand?
    Two pairs?
    We have a winner
    And Chalky it is - a Royal Flush.
    Over to you.
    oops
    oh dear - I didn't intend to win that, even though I made a lot of the running. Erm ... how about a nice easy
    V E G E T A B L E [with a teensy bit of Abstract]
    to get us through the day ..
    edible?
    A deserved victory, I thought, though CdM's close shave nearly brought about a lurkers win.
    Is it a fruit?
    [INJ] Edible? NO
    [Iroule] Fruit? NO
    Manufactured/Processed?
    Wood?
    [CdM] Manufactured/Processed? YES
    [Raak] Wood? NO
    Paper?
    Cotton?
    Textile?
    [Dandalf] Paper? NO
    [Inks] Cotton? YES *audience cheers*
    [Raak] Textile? YES
    clothing?
    Jeans?
    Welsh Rugby shirt
    [INJ] Clothing? audience gasps and anticipates a speedy conclusion* YES
    [Projoy] Jeans? NO
    [Inks] Welsh Rugby Shirt? NO
    A Gap t-shirt?
    (adding in a teensy bit of abstract)
    [CdM] Gap t-shirt? NO (well referenced, though :-))
    Incy wincy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini?
    A little bit of both
    the shirt off my back?
    Scrub that... How about "my little cotton socks"?
    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?
    arrow_circle_down
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