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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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A limb?
[Ig] A limb - NO
Does the arguable uselessness stem from the incompetence with which the specific individual uses this body part?
[Rosie] Does the arguable... NO
A vestigial organ?
Is the organ's owner British?
Appendix?
[Raak] vestigial organ - NO
[Ig] British owner - YES
[ir] Coda - NO
A public figure?
[Raak] public figure - NO
My arse?
My Arse my arse.
Someone's arse?
Foucault's Pendulum?
*snigger*
Is the first word on the card a pronoun?
[Rosie/Ig] Nobody's arse
[Kim] Big, swinging dangly thing - NO
[Tuj] Pronoun appears in the answer? NO
*hint - I only made it belong to someone in particular to stop it having to be classified as abstract*
Somebody's bald patch?
Is it in/on the upper half of the body?
Is it connected to one of the senses?
Is it an implant of some kind?
[Raak] Bald patch - NO
[Ig] Upper half - YES (yay, deductive questioning!)
[Ink] connected to a sense - well, YES, but not in the way I suspect you mean. It's not a sense organ.
[Chalky] Implant - NO
Is it above the collar bone?
Would it be normally visible, if one were in this person's presence and not on intimate terms with them?
Could it be removed without doing permanent harm?
Does this person have a particular connection to you?
Is it smaller than an egg cup?
Are you the person who is attached to this body part?
[Ink] Above collar bone - NO
[Raak] visible - NO
[INJ] Could it be removed without permanent harm - depends a bit on your definition of harm, but essentially YES
[Ig] A connection to me? YES
[Chalky] Smaller than an egg cup - NO
[Chalky again] Am I attached? YES *applause*
Your spleen?
[Raak] My spleen - NO *collective intake of breath
Your tonsils?
[Ig] Tonsils - NO (as a matter of fact, I parted company with those some 26 years ago).
Is the answer an idiomatic phrase?
Gallbladder?
[Rosie] Not idiomatic
[irach] Projoy's Gallbladder - YES! - I was originally going to just go with "the human gallbladder" but quickly realised that in terms of specific/generic questions that was going to be more trouble that it's worth. *hands the baton to irach*
Here we go again.... The next one is simply ANIMAL.
Human?
[Quendalon] Human? Yes.
Alive?
[Chalky] No, not alive. Dead as a doornail.
Male?
[INJ] Male? Yes.
Born in the last 500 years?
[Raak] No, born earlier than 500 year ago.
European?
[Inkspot] Yes, European.
Regal?
[Projoy] Surely "Projoy's gallbladder" begin's with a P? And it can't be "my gallbladder" as you said there was no pronoun on the card...
[Tuj]. Yes. Certainly of regal stature.
Charlemagne?
A royal?
[Tuj] I was using my real name on the card :P
British?
Was he ugly?
[Quendalon] Not Charlemagne.
[Irouleguy] Not a royal.
[Darren] No, not British.
[Chalky] Ugly? Not that I know of, or in historical depictions. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, anyway.
Nostradamus?
Begins with P?
[Projoy] :D perfect answer
...unless you're bluffing...
Middle Eastern?
[Chalky] Not Nostradamus.
[Tuj] No "P" beginnings.
[Rosie] Not Middle Eastern.
An author?
Famous for an invention/discovery?
born before 1000CE?
An artist?
[Raak] Not an author.
[Tuj} Not famous for an invention or discovery
[INJ] Born before 1000 CE? Yes.
[Inkspot] Not an artist.
A north european?
A religious leader?
[Inkspot] Not Northern European.
[Chalky] Not a religious leader.
Was he born after 43 AD?
Julius Caesar?
[Inkspot] No, born before 43AD.
[Rosie] Et tu, Rosie? You are correct!!! YES!!! Julius Caesar it is!
Heavens to Murgatroyd, I've won! *Lies down for a few minutes*

That's better. This is ABSTRACT with ANIMAL connections. Only very tangentially associated with steam engines, and then only a few types. Hope that narrows the field a bit.

Is the animal connection a bird?
Bravo.
Phoenix rising from the ashes?
Is the animal connection human?
(Tuj) - No bird connection
irach - Imaginative, but wrong, alas
(Projoy) Can be a human connection, but certainly not necessarily.
Perhaps we should forget about the very tangential association with the iron horse, which is not helpful, and which I'll explain at the end.
Connected with the arts?
(Quendalon) - Most definitely not connected with the arts.
An invention?
(Raak) - Not an invention.
Connected with mathematics?
(Projoy) - No connection with mathematics.
A human invention?
(Tuj) Not any kind of invention. See Raak's question.
A process?
A group of animals?
(Quendalon) - Not really, but a process, in the broad sense, is involved.
(Irouléguy) - Not a group of animals.
Connected with movement?
Begins with P?
[Rosie] Sorry for wasting your time with that. I'll learn to read.
(Quendalon) - Not connected with movement. *audience bursts into laughter*
Something to do with death?
Sleep?
(Raak) - Nothing to do with death.
(Quendalon) - Not sleep.
Is this fictional?
(Irg) - Not fictional.
A turn of phrase?
Was my last qeustion so predictable as to be ignored?
Is the animal connected to a particular part of tthe world?
(Tuj) Sorry - all I saw was your apology, now it's my turn. Does not begin with P.
(Inkspot) - No regional connection.
(Tuj) - Not a turn of phrase.
A human construct?
Is the animal connection a human?
[Rosie] I think I should stop bothering you - I'm jst confusing you and the answer to my question's always no :P
(CdM) - No, not a human construct.
(Tuj) - This question, too, was asked early on by Projoy.
Connected with biology?
(Quendalon) - Yes, biology is involved.
Is the non-human animal a particular animal?
Connected with the absence of movement?
(Irg) - No, not a particular animal.
(Raak) - Yes, connected with absence of movement. *applause, and some smiles, from the audience*
An action taken by an animal?
Dreams?
Does the animal connection refer to a specific attribute or behaviour of the animal?
(Qunedalon) - No, not an action.
(Raak) - Not dreams.
(irach) - No, not an attitude or behaviour on the part of the animal.
Connected with food?
(Quendalon) - Connected with food? Yes.
A pig that wants to be eaten?
A diet?
Ruminating?
Bringing home the bacon?
(Quendalon) - Not a diet.
(Irg) - Not ruminating, but the closest yet.
(irach) - Not bringing home the bacon.
Digestion?
*ahem*
Farting?
(Quendalon) - Not digestion.
(Raak) - Not "ahem" if I read you right.
(irach) - Not farting.
Constipation?
CONSTIPATION! Irouléguy has it! (The answer, I mean). Well done. The Lactulose is handed over to YOU.
Thanks, Rosie. WOO-HOO! On the throne again, so to speak. Our next is ANIMAL and ABSTRACT again, but no connection with the previous answer (well, almost no connection…)
Is the animal connection human?
Quendalon] Is the animal connection human? Yes

Rosie] What was the steam engine connection?
A single animal?
I gave up on asking Rosie questions, I wasn't very good at it... Sorry Rosie.
A specific named human?
Tuj] A single animal? No
irach] A specific named human? *applause* Yes and no
Fictional?
An expression?
A society of some sort?
Is the human alive today?
(Irouléguy) I'd just been re-reading an autobiography of an outstanding engineer who described a very numerous and apparently popular class of engine has having a "thoroughly constipated front end" (sic), i.e. the exhaust passages were too long and tortuous and much energy was absorbed in just getting rid of the used steam. I'd always thought these locos were crap and I only found out near the end of the steam era, when this book was published, that this was true. Not much relevance to AVMA, as you can see.
Tuj] Fictional? No
Quendalon] An expression? Gordon Bennett! No
Chalky] A society of some sort? *murmuring among the audience* No is the most useful answer
Rosie] Is the human alive today? No and yes (to be read in conjunction with the answer to irach's question).
'crap locos' - well, I got to 'farting', by thinking of the Puffing Billy, so there is a sort of connection.
A role that is filled, at any given moment, by a specific named human?
Connected with religion?
CdM] A role that is filled, at any given moment, by a specific named human? No
Inkspot] Connected with religion? *some giggling in the audience No
A group of people with something in common?
Chalky] A group of people with something in common? *applause YES
Is the group of people composed of both sexes?
Connected to sport?
Do these people engage in some rather dubious activity?
Are these people related by blood?
irach] Is the group of people composed of both sexes? Ye-es, though almost all male
Inkspot] Connected to sport? No
Rosie] Do these people engage in some rather dubious activity? *giggling from sections of the audience* Depends on your definition... No is the more useful answer.
Quendalon] Are these people related by blood? No
Connected with sexual activities?
Did it start in a particular country?
Does the common activity involve drinking?
Quendalon] Connected with sexual activities? *prolonged sniggering from a section of the audience* Activities, no.
Inkspot] Did it start in a particular country? Yes, though there's some dispute as to which country it was.
irach] Does the common activity involve drinking? It might do, but that's not the primary link.
Did it start before 1900?
Inkspot] Did it start before 1900? No
Connected with the military?
A charity organisation?
Quendalon] Connected with the military? No
Inkspot] A charity organisation?
Do they have a medical condition/syndrome in common?
Chalky] Do they have a medical condition/syndrome in common? No
Is this a commercial activity in any way?
Rosie] Is this a commercial activity in any way? Yes - some of the people who do this will get paid for it.
It is likely to involve a journey of some kind?
Is it connected to a time of year?
Kim] It is likely to involve a journey of some kind? Only a circular one ;-)
Inkspot] Is it connected to a time of year? No
Does it take its name from a specific human?
To do with the Arts?
Anuything to do with vehicles?
Quendalon] Does it take its name from a specific human? *some cheering* Yes
Inkspot] To do with the Arts? *more cheering* Yes
Tuj] Anything to do with vehicles? *dead silence* No
Associated with the musical arts?
An exhibition?
irach] Associated with the musical arts? Yes
Rosie] An exhibition? No
A male voice choir?
Chalky - A male voice choir? Dim
A rock band?
irach] A rock band? *some applause* No
The Billy Cotton Band?
Wakey-wakeeee.
(Irg) - re answer to Chalky; I think that should be Nag'dy ( = no, it isn't), if I read you right. Dim means "no" in the sense of "absence of", eg dim o arian, "no (of) money". Diwedd y wers. :-)
Rosie] Billy Cotton? No
Welsh lesson] Thanks - obviously I'm the dim one.
Some sort of popular beat combo, m'lud?
An orchestra?
Does the group still exist?
A Big Band/Dance Band?
(Irg) Well, I wouldn't say that. The problem is that there is no single word for either yes or no in Welsh. You either repeat or negate the verb. Diwedd yr ail wers. (Projoy) You must be older than you look. :-)
Did the group form before 1990?
Projoy] Some sort of popular beat combo, m'lud? No - see irach's earlier question
Botherer] An orchestra? Good to see you here! No
irach - Does the group still exist? It's not a group
Rosie] A Big Band/Dance Band? No. Thanks for the explanation. Interestingly Putonghua Chinese (Mandarin as it's often known) does much the same.
Inkspot - Did the group form before 1990? See earlier answers
Title of a piece of music?
Alexander;
Alexander'S Ragtime Band?
Inkspot] Title of a piece of music? No
irach - Alexander's Ragtime Band? No
Time for a summary? The answer is a group of people with something in common, mostly male. The 'something in common' has connection with rock music, and takes its name from a specific human, but it's not a group. Questions about this involving religion, sexual activities, and being dubious have all drawn giggles or sniggers from the audience. It's not a relationship by blood, or connected with the military (though there was a connection once - sorry, should have noted that earlier), or a charity organisation. It's sometimes done for money, and it may well involve drinking. There's no connection with a particular time of year, and only a jokey connection with journeys.
Writing all that out makes me think that it's glaringly obvious, but perhaps I shouldn't be cruel ;)
Elvis impersonators?
Rosie - Elvis impersonators? YES! So as Rosie was the question-setter before me, the baton is returned to sender.
(Irouléguy) - Actually it was the Lactulose I handed you and you are gracious enough not to hand it back, though I hope you haven't drunk it. I'm told it's rather persuasive.
Right, this one is ABSTRACT, and absolutely nothing to do with steam locos.
Can it be proven by science?
Sorry Rosie if the question is a bit broad, but what I mean is something like magetism or a black hole.
Is there a human element to it?
(Inkspot) - It probably could, but the answer to your question as you intend it is NO.
(irach) - Human element? YES.
Is there a mathematical element to it?
A philosophical idea?
(Quendalon) - No mathematical element.
(Raak) - Not a philospohical idea.
Connected to the brain?
An arrangement of concrete things?
(CdM) - Not connected to the brain.
(Raak) - Not an arrangement of concrete things. You mean physical, I assume.
Is it unique?
(Rosie) So there's a human element, but no Animal connection?
(Quendalon) - Hmm, difficult. Let's say each one is. But that's not very helpful. It needs humans for this abstract thing to manifest itself, so there is an Animal connection, an omission on my part.
Begins with a P?
Sin?
Rosie] Thanks :)
An activity?
(Tuj) - Does not begin with a P.
(Irouléguy) - Nice thought, but not sin. What would I know about that?
(Raak) - Not an activity.
Connected with the body?
Is it connected with the arts?
(Quendalon) - Not connected with the body.
(Kim) - Connected with the arts? It can be on occasions.
Connected with emotion?
Anything to do with the weather?
(Quendalon) - NO! Er, sorry, no connection with emotion.
(Chalky) - Nothing to do with weather.
Is the arts connection (when it arises) limited to one branch of the arts?
Connected with the occult?
(Kim) One or two branches of the arts at most. The connection is not a vital part of this, but occurs.
(Chalky) - Not connected with the occult.
Connected with sound?
(Quendalon) - Connected with sound? - Yes
Is the sound musical?
(irach) - Sometimes can be but not essentially.
Is it to do with the quality of sound?
Connected with the human voice?
To do with poetry?
(Inkspot) - Quality of sound? Yes, interpreting "quality" fairly broadly.
(Quendalon) - Yes, connected with the human voice. *considerable applause*
(irach) - Nothing to do with poetry.
An accent?
A glo'al stop?
Shouting?
(Raak) - Yes, an accent. *wild cheering from audience, who think it's all over, but it's not, quite.*
(Irouléguy) - No' a glo''al stop.
(Inkspot) - Not shouting.
A Welsh accent?
Received Pronunciation?
A Dixie Southern drawl?
(Raak) - Daw' be daft, mun.
(Inkspot) - Not RP.
(irach) - Dixie? - Nope.

The answer is A something Accent.

A French accent?
A grave accent?
An accent from the British Isles?
(irach) - Not a French accent.
(INJ) - Imaginative, but gravely in error.
(Projoy) - A British accent? - Could be, certainly.
A foreign accent?
[irach] Relative to where? :P
A posh accent?
Is the accent from a particular city?
(irach) - It could be, to a good ear.
(Irouléguy) - Good heavens no, dear boy.
(Inkspot) - Not from a particular city.
A northern accent?
"Lots of planets have a North" (Christopher Eccelstone as Dr Who)
(Inkspot) No, but a northern accent is an example of this.
Specifically an accent of the English language?
(Quendalon) - No, not specifically English.

Could I nudge people gently away from the particular.

A nasal accent?
A local accent?
A regional accent?
A fake accent?
(Projoy) - Might be.
(Raak) - Not fake.
(Chalky) Not local, but so close, since KIM has it! Well done. Your go.
Ee, bah gum, etc, etc.
Jolly dee. OK, this one is MINERAL.
Precious?
Man made?
[Raak] No.
[Inkspot] No.
A specific individual object?
[Raak] Yes.
WARNING: even yes/no answers can potentially be misleading.
Could you lift it?
Simply to rule out an anarcho-syndicalist-driven steam locomotive.
Is it a place?
Is it on Earth?
Bigger than a telephone box?
[Inkspot] Difficult. On balance I would have to say...No.*some murmurs of interest from the audience*
[Irouléguy] Yes.
[Raak] Yes.
Is it a geographical feature?
Is it a geological feature?
Has it been in existence for at least the last two centuries?
A single specific object in the generic sense (in the same way as, say, "a stone")?
[Irouleguy] Yes.
[Quendalon] Yes.
[Chalky] No.
[Projoy] No.
A mountain range?
Is the mineral some form of water?
Made of sand?
[Inkspot] No.
[Raak] No.
[Projoy] No.
A geographic/geological feature at one specific terrestrial location?
Connected with volcanic activity?
[Irach] Yes.
[Raak] Yes.
*The audience senses a build up of momentum (or pressure?).*
Surtsey?
In the Northern Hemisphere?
Paricutin?
A fault line?
Krakatoa?
[Rosie] No.
[Quendalon] No.
[irach] No.
[Inkspot] No.
and
[Irouléguy] No.
In africa?
Is the answer the name of a volcano?
[Inkspot] No.
[Raak] No.
In Asia?
The lake of mud in eastern Java?
Which doesn't appear to have a name, according to the BBC.
a tectonic plate?
[Inkspot] No.
[Irouléguy] No. *audience gets quite interested*
[Projoy] No.
Is it solid?
Krakatoa?
In Austrailia?
[Quendalon] Yes.
[Rosie] I refer the Hon. Gntlmn to the answer I gave Irouléguy a few moves ago.
[Inkspot] Not in Austrailia (sic)
An island?
Hang me for a typo: guilty as charged
Is it the product of a volcanic eruption?
[Quendalon] Yes.
[Irouléguy] Yes.
The new island that emerged this year in Tonga between Kao and Late?
Bugger - simmed
Excellent set-piece work by Quendalon and Irouléguy, but Raak gets in at the near post and nods it in. The answer is indeed the new island that has appeared in the South Pacific recently. Well done, Raak, better luck next time to Irouleguy and Quendalon.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/14/asia/AS_GEN_Tonga_New_Island.php by the way.
So they are still making real estate!

The next is ABSTRACT, VEGETABLE and MINERAL.

Begins with a P?
[Tuj] One day, an answer will begin with a P. That day is not yet.
Sweating aubergines?
Anarcho-syndicalist vegetable stir-fry?
One day, the answer will be Anarcho-syndicalist something-or-other.
[I] No. Er, is that a face pyjama?

[K] That day too is yet far off.

A painting?
[R] Not a painting.
Is it a character from a fictional work?
[K] Not a character from a fictional work.
Connected with the arts?
A figure of speech?
[Q] Not the arts.
[T] Not a figure of speech.
Is the vegetable wood?
[R] Face pyjama? No, just a cooking technique.
[I] Can be wood.
Man-made?
Does this have strong religious connections?
Is it unique?
[R] Man-made.
[D] No strong religious connection.
[Q] Not unique.
A geographical feature?
[C] Not a geographical feature.
A building?
Connected with the sciences?
[C] Not a building.
[K] Nothing to do with science.
(The audience is in a coma.)
Is it a generic name of a product?
eg Hoover
[I] Not a generic name.
Is it usually found in the home?
Is it a physical object?
[I] It can be found in the home.
[I] Yes, a physical object.
Anything to do with food or drink?
The Abstract nature of this object baffles me.
Anything to do with gardening?
Is this an object from a fictional work?
[Rosie] Not food or drink.
Hint: The V and M are what it is made of, the A is the abstract thing it embodies.
[I] Not gardening.
[C] (The audience opens one eye.) Not fictional.
Is this a kit of some sort, like an Airfix Model?
Is it a tool of some kind?
Connected with writing?
The hearth?
[C] Not a kit.
[R] Not a tool.
[Q} Yes! Writing has something to do with it!
[i] Not a hearth.
A document (paper and ink being the vegetable and mineral components)?
[i] Yes! A document. (The audience opens all their other eyes.)
A lease?
A contract?
Does it involve finance?
[i] Not a lease.
[CdM] Not a contract.
[R] Yes, it involves finance.
Is it a form of currency?
A will?
[Q] Not currency.
[R] YES! A last will and testament. Over to you.
(Raak) Mm, I s'pose I ought to make one. Well, it can wait because there are far more important things in life, like the next subject, which is ABSTRACT.
I still can't work our why A Will - which to me is a tangible object - should be classified as Abstract - but am happy to be corrected :-)
correction - our/out
[Chalky] I'm somewhat uncertain what should count as Abstract. What makes the thing a will is the non-physical meaning of what is written on it. On the other hand, a will generally is a single physical document, unlike, say, a book, which has an abstract existence apart from any of its individual copies.
(Raak, Chalky) I instinctively thought of a will as abstract because of its content. After all, it could be stored on a computer even if a physical document is a legal requirement. AHEM - there can be no such ambiguity about the present subject. AHEM.
Does it start with the letter P?
The Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation?
Chalky, Raak, Rosie] There's also the distinction between a specific person's will, and the idea of a last will and testament. I didn't find it misleading, which is what I think matters.
Connected with the arts?
(Quendalon) - Does not start with P.
(Irg) - A miss of some magnitude, I fear.
(Kim) - Not connected with the arts.
A single word on the card?
[Quendalon] Daft question :P
Is is a human construct?
Connected with mathematics?
(Tuj) - Two words, including the indefinite article.
(Kim) - Not a human construct.
(Quendalon) - Not connected with mathematics.
Is it something people do?
(Raak) - Not something people do.
Is it visible?
Is it something to do with the weather?
(Irg) - Not visible *laughter from audience*
(Kim) - Nothing to do with the weather.
Can it be heard?
(Inkspot) - Cannot be heard *further cruel sniggers from audience*
Can it be perceived by any of the senses?
Is it part of the electromagnetic spectrum?
Is it an absence of something?
(Kim) - Yes, it can be perceived.
(Inkspot) - Not part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
(Irouléguy) - Yes. *loud applause*
Space -- the final frontier?
A black hole?
(Quendalon) - Not space.
(Tuj) - Not a black hole.
Conspicuous by its absence?
Vacuum?
Related to living things?
irach has it because VACUUM it is! Strictly "A vacuum", but that's near enough. Well done, sir, and over to you.
This one is ABSTRACT with ANIMAL and MINERAL Connections.
A document of some sort?
[Raak] Not a document.
Is it ritualised linguistic routine? (e.g., a metaphor, simile, cliche)
[rab] Yes. It is a type of cliched verbal expression.
Is the animal human?
Is there a number in it?
The Ashes?
[Inkspot] Yes. The animal component is most often human in this context. [Quendalon]. No. No number in it. [Rosie] Not the ashes.
Is the mineral an artefact?
Pissing in the wind?
A wild stab in the dark
People in stone houses shouldn't throw glasses?
Bull shit?
Is it a proverb?
[Irouleguy] No. Not an artifact
[rab] Not pissing, in the wind, or otherwise.
[Projoy] Not a wild stab in the dark.
[kim] Not stone houses or glasses
[Lib] No, not bull shit (or any other animal scat).
[Raak] No. Not a proverb.
Does the expression describe the human (or animal)?
[Rosie] It does not describe the entire human (or animal), but a part thereof.
Pull the other one?
Is the mineral a liquid?
To do with the face?
Is it complimentary?
[Irouleguy] No.
[Inkspot] The mineral is not liquid.
[Raak] No. Not the face.
[Rosie] Yes. It is complimentary.
Diamond Geezer?
Is the mineral metal?
[irach] A very deadpan "no, not the face" that.
[Tuj] Hurray!!!Yes, a metal! (a little less deadpan, I hope) ;)
[Lib] Not a Diamond Geezer.
An iron constitution?
A heart of gold?
Goldfinger?
[rab] Pretty much hijacked my line of thought there.
[irach] Fantastic emotional control and range, congrats.
A mind like a steel trap?
[Quendalon] No. No mind, no steel trap.
[Raak] Not an iron constitution.
[rab] You are correct! A heart ofgold it is! Over to you.
Wow...
Err, right. This one's MINERAL, with possible animal and vegetable connections.
Is it a place?
Man-made?
Metallic?
[Irroul] No.
[Rosie] Yes.
[Tuj] No.
Made from stone?
Not stone, no.
Portable?
Yes.
Made of plastic?
[Raak] *applause* - its plasticity is an integral part of its being, yes. (And I'm still wondering if plastic is vegetable, rather than mineral, but no matter now).
[rab] After being turned into oil over tens of millions of years, I'd file it as mineral, same as limestone.
The plastic rings around a six-pack of beer?
Is it a manufactured item for use in the home?
Is it for containing food or drink?
[Irroul] No.
[Inkspot] Manufactured yes, but I don't think its use is restricted to the home.
[Raak] *audience fidgets* Not containing, no.
You put food on top of it?
Plastic cutlery?
[Raak] *mild applause* but no.
[Irroul] Nope.
cling film?
Does its essential plasticity necessarily imply that it is essentially flexible?
Is it intended for human consumption?
[Inkspot, Quendalon] No
[Rosie] I suppose it could be flexible, but that's not an essential characteristic.
A drinking straw?
Is it a tool of some kind?
[Quendalon, Rosie] No.
Is it used for carrying things?
Is it an implement?
[Inkspot, Kim] No

I think we should look back to the last positive audience reaction.

Is it bigger than a breadbox?
No.
Has it always been made of plastic?
A toothpick?
Is it associated with a particular type of food?
Plastic chopstick?
[Inkspot] Tricky one. The type I'm thinking of is very much definitely made of plastic, but there are versions that perform a similar function that aren't.
[Rosie, irach] No.
[Irouléguy] YES!
Is it used during the preparation of the food?
Is it the outer coating on Edam cheese?
[Inkspot] To say "yes" would probably throw you completely off-scent; but I think that it's far to say that it might play a small part in the preparation of a particular type of food.
[Kim] No.
Is it associated with a particular country?
Is the food linked to a particular event or ceremony?
[Inkspot] No.
[Irouléguy] *applause* YES!
The plastic figures on the top of a wedding cake?
On my card it says A plastic bride and groom but I think CdM's close enough to get it.
Wow. I actually didn't expect that to be right, because of the "preparation" question. But I do see what you mean.

ABSTRACT with ANIMAL connections
Animal human?
Animal connection = Human? Yes.
A trait or characteristic?
Trait? No.
Fictional?
Fictional? No.
A character of myth or legend?
Mythical or legendary? No.
Connected to science/technology?
Connected to science/technology? Yes.
Something named after someone?
Something named after someone? Yes *applause*
A unit of measurement?
Is it Bluetooth?
[UK] I suggest you get yourself to a dentist ASAP.
Is it to do with the internet?
Unit of measurement? No.
Bluetooth? No.
Internet-related? No.
A theory?
(As in an entire theoretical framework, rather than a result or phenomenon)
A theory? No.
Is it a constant?
two short Plancks?
A constant? No.
A phenomenon?
Schrödinger's cat?
Is it a sound?
The sound of one hand clapping?
Phenomenon? Hmmmm... my initial response was no, but I think it is fair to say yes, in a way.
S's cat? No ... and yes ... and no ... and yes .. and *checks*. NO.
A sound? No.
A zen sound? Not even.
Someone's Effect?
Astronomical?
Nash equilibrium?
Is it visible?
Someone's Effect? The word "effect" does not appear on the card, and I think the best answer is No.
Astronomical? No.
Nash Equilibrium? The best response is No.
Visible? *audience goes "oooooh"*. I think I have to say Yes and No. Either 'Yes" or 'No' could be justified as an answer, and by the same token either would be misleading.
A Schelling point?
Cerenkov radiation?
Schelling point? No. (the audience communicates by a subtle combination of laughter, applause and silence that, had this been the correct answer, they would have given some recognition to 'Nash equilibrium')
Cerenkov radiation? No.
A hologram?
Connected with economics?
Concerned with atomic particle physics?
A hologram? No.
Connected with economics? Isn't everything? But, otherwise, No.
Connected with particle physics? Isn't everything? But, otherwise, No.
Is it temprature dependant?
Anything to do with meteorology?
Was the eponymous person alive before the 20th century?
Now we are getting somewhere
Temperature dependent? Yes.
To do with meteorology? Yes. *applause*
Before 20th century? Yes.
To do with Torricelli, vacuum and barometry?
The Bergeron process?
The Doppler effect?
I think that is close enough for me to award a mercury-filled baton to irach, even though it was not posed as a guess. The answer on the card was "A Torricelli (or Torricellian) Vacuum".

The subject was prompted by the fact that I almost guessed "vacuum" for Rosie's recent AVMA about a day before it was correctly guessed (no, really, I did), but then rejected it on the grounds that Rosie had claimed no connection to the weather. :-) (That's not intended as a criticism, btw; on reflection I thought that Rosie's answer was probably right.)
Let me then step in to fill the void... The next one is simply ANIMAL
Human?
[Raak] Not human.
A dodo?
[CdM] No, not a dodo.
alive?
Vertebrate?
[Lib] By alive, if you mean non-extinct, yes.
[Kim} Yes. A vertebrate.
A species?
[Irouleguy] Yes, a species.
Mammal?
(CdM) Can't see why a vacuum is temperature dependent, which is why I went for the the rather obscure Bergeron process, which certainly is. Not to worry. :-)
[Rosie] Yes, a mammal.
Found (in the wild) on more than two continents?
[Rosie] Well, I was thinking about the fact that the density of the mercury (or whatever) is affected by temperature, and hence so is the size of a Toricelli vacuum. (I think. This is your area of expertise, not mine). I certainly agree that I should have at least indicated that the connection to temperature was minor.
Is it amphibian?
Tree-dwelling?
Water-dwelling?
Carnivorous?
Giraffe?
A long-necked meat-eating animal that lives in trees and water and swims?
Meerkats?
[Inkspot] Yes, it is semi-aquatic.
[rab] No, not arboreal.
[Kim] Not exclussively water-dwelling, see response to Inkspot.
[Raak] Not carnoivorous. Rather the contrary.
[Lib] Not a giraffe. A long way off.
[CdM] Not a long necked or meat eating animal that lives in trees. It does enter water and swim, though.
[Irouleguy] Not meerkats.
A hippopotamus?
A beaver?
[Raak] Not a hippopotamus.
[Kim] Not an eager (or disinterested) beaver.
Smaller than a telephone box?
[Raak] Yes, smaller than a telephone box.
Smaller than a bread bin?
[Lib] No. Bigger than a bread bin.
A primate?
[Rosie] Not a primate (Are there any semi-aquatic primates?)
[Rosie] Not a primate (Are there any semi-aquatic primates?)
Furry?
A mink?
A vole?
BTW, CdM' s "Found (in the wild) on more than two continents?" hasn't been answered.
A reptile?
[Raak] As a mammal it does have fur, but not particularly known for its furriness.
[rab] Not a mink
[Irouleguy] Not a vole.
[CdM] Found in th wild, but on only one continent.
[Kim] Not a reptile. It's already been established that it is a mammal.
Duck-billed platypus?
[CdM] Not a platypus.
Found in Africa?
Found in America?
[Inkspot] Not Africa.
[Kim] Not natively found wild in the USA, but yes, is found in one of the two Americas.
The capybara?
[Irouleguy] Yes, Capybara, it is! Over to you...
A win largely down to Wikipedia, in all honesty. Our next is MINERAL and VEGETABLE and contains ANIMAL.
Coal?
A mass produced manufactured item?
The Tardis?
Raak - Coal No. Surely coal is either mineral or vegetable - can it be both?
Inkspot - A mass produced manufactured item? Yes and no - not mass-produced
Kim - The Tardis? a ripple of applause No
A Dalek?
A Cyberman?
rab - A Dalek? No
Raak - A Cyberman? No
the applause unripples
I should add that there's also an abstract dimension to this.
Does it exist only in science fiction?
rab] Does it exist only in science fiction? No - there isn't a science fiction connection (or if there is, it's incredibly faint).
Can one live in it?
A telephone box?
Was the first one made before 1900?
Is there only one of it?
Is it a coat?
...or shall I get mine?
rab - Can one live in it? One could...but I don't think anyone does
Raak - A telephone box? No
Inkspot - Was the first one made before 1900? Yes
Rosie - Is there only one of it? No
Tolken - Is it a coat? No, and no, it was a perfectly clean question
A sauna?
Raak - A sauna? No
Is it a piece of street furniture?
rab - Is it a piece of street furniture? No
Is the vegetable ccomponent wood?
irach - Is the vegetable component wood? Yes
Is it larger than a transit van?
Is it an outdoor object?
(Chalky) A TRANSIT van?
Chalky - Is it larger than a transit van? Yes
Rosie - Is it an outdoor object? Yes
(What's wrong with Transit vans?)
Are they in fixed positions?
Inkspot - Are they in fixed positions? *another ripple of applause* No
A horse box?
Is the animal human?
Does it have wheels?
Raak - A horse box? No
Inkspot - Is the animal human? Yes
rab - Does it have wheels? *giggling from large sections of the audience* Yes, though in the past they used to have more.
Would you find it at a funfair?
Is is a mode of public transport?
Is it a vehicle?
A horse-drawn wagon?
Does it use electric power?
Raak - Would you find it at a funfair? No
rab - Is is a mode of public transport? *loud applause* YES
Projoy - Is it a vehicle? Yes
Rosie - A horse-drawn wagon? *giggles No
Inkspot - Does it use electric power? It does now, but it hasn't always done.
A tram?
A train?
rab - A tram? No
Raak - A train? No

Apologies - I'm out most of tomorrow and won't be at a keyboard until the evening. I hope no-one will harbour a grudge.
A lift?
An escalator?
An omnibus?
a charabang?
a charabanc?
It would appear that everyone not in my family calls it a Charabanc, so I'll try again!
Raak - A lift? No
Rosie - An escalator? No
rab - An omnibus? No
Lib - a charabang or charabanc? Or even a charabank - a coach you get on Bank Holidays. No
Does it use the roads?
Back to basics. :-(
A ferry?
(I'm pretty certain this is a water vehicle of some kind.)
A barge?
Rosie - Does it use the roads? No
CdM - A ferry? *waves of applause* YES! 'Ferry' is one of the four words on the card.
rab - A barge? No
A cross-channel ferry?
Ferry Across the Mersey?
CdM - A cross-channel ferry? La Trans-Manche? Non
rab - Ferry Across the Mersey? No
Hong Kong Star Ferry?
Isle of Man Ferry?
Lib - Hong Kong Star Ferry? No
CdM - Isle of Man Ferry? No, but the geographically closest so far.
Ferry to/from a Scottish Isle?
Projoy - Ferry to/from a Scottish Isle? No, and no closer.
Does it sail from Liverpool?
Isle of Wight Ferry?
Holyhead- Dublin sea ferry?
Pembroke to Rosslare ferry
rab - Does it sail from Liverpool? No
Lib - Holyhead- Dublin sea ferry? No
Inkspot - Pembroke to Rosslare ferry No

When I said CdM was 'closest', that was strictly comparative. 'Least distant' would have been more helpful. Lib is now the least distant.
Is at least one end of the journey in the UK?
Is at least one end on the North American continent?
Does it sail between two different countries?
Is it operated by a pulley system?
The Staten Island Ferry?
CdM goes overnight from 'least distant' to bullseye - the Staten Island Ferry it is! One Staten baton handed over.
ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, and MINERAL
Is the animal human?
Human? No.
Is the vegetable a liquid?
Is it edible?
Is there a seasonal connection?
Vegetable = liquid? Least misleading answer is yes, I think.
Edible? Yes. *ripple of applause*
Seasonal connection? None that I am aware of.
Some sort of soup?
Soup? No.
Is it associated with a particular country?
A specific meal?
Some form of alcohol?
Associated with a particular country? Yes *applause*
A meal? No. *a sprinkling of laughter*
Some form of alcohol? Yes, the vegetable component is some form of alcohol. *applause* (I was probably overthinking earlier when I said liquid was "least misleading"; I should have just said yes. But it doesn't seem to have slowed you up.)
Is the mineral salt?
Salt? No.
Is it a drink?
Is the mineral water?
Two pints of lager and a packet of pork scratchings?
A drink? The words on the card do not define a drink as such. The alcohol is intented to be drunk, however.
Mineral = water? While there may be some water mixed in the alcohol, the primary mineral component is not water.
Two pints of lager and a packet of pork scratchings? How can I put this? No.
Is the animal a fish?
Is the animal connection a by product like cheese?
A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou?
Animal = fish? No.
Animal = By-product? No.
Wonderloaf, Mateus Rosé and him? No, but a nice guess.
Is the alcoholic part served separately to the edible component?
Alcohol and edible component served separately? No. *some applause*
Is the mineral part the container in which it is served?
Is it some kind of stew?
Is the animal a bird?
Mineral part = container? Yes. *applause*
Some kind of stew? No.
Animal = bird? No.
Clarification: my answer to "drink?" might have been unintentionally misleading. The answer is not exactly a drink, but it is not incorrect to think in terms of things that are. If you see what I mean. It always amazes me how hard it can sometimes be to answer even the simplest questions in this game.
Is it a canned item?
Is the alcoholic part a spirit?
Canned item? No.
Spirit? Yes.
Irish coffee?
Is it always the same spirit? (And if so, is it vodka?)
*wonders what kind of animal Raak takes in his coffee*
Is the animal component milk or milk-based?
Is the vegetable a fruit?
Always the same spirit? Yes.
Vodka? No.
Animal = milk? No.
Vegetable = fruit? No.
Is the spirit brandy?
Brandy? No.
Mezcal (the Mexican spirit with a worm in the bottle)?
And a massive leap to victory by Raak. The words on the card were "A bottle of Mezcal containing a worm", but I had previously decided that I would award victory as long as the words "mezcal", "bottle", and "worm" all appeared.
*hands a small, wriggling, inebriated baton to Raak*
Apparently the worm in the bottle was invented in 1950 by one Jacobo Lozano Paez as a marketing ploy for stupid gringo tourists.

The next is MINERAL and ABSTRACT.

Glass houses pierced by stones?
[Projoy] No, but you have the right general idea.
Is it a saying?
[rab] A saying? No.
(The general idea is a bit more general than that.)
Is the mineral rock?
[Rosie] Not rock.
Is the mineral in its natural state?
[Rosie] The mineral is not in its natural state.
Is it always made of the same material?
[rab] Yes, always the same material.
Begins with P?
...to try to give Rosie a hand, however small.
Plastic?
Is the object larger (in any dimension) than a dustbin?
more than one mineral?
[Tuj] Does not begin with a P.
[rab] Not plastic.
[Rosie] Not larger than a dustbin.
[Lib] Not more than one mineral.
Glass?
[rab] Yes! Glass.
Glass Menagerie?
[irach] Not a menagerie.
A cut-glass accent?
Like wot I 'ave.
[Rosie] Not ay cut-glahss eksent.
Is it half-full?
Is the glass a mirror?
[rab] Not half-full (nor half-empty, nor over-engineered for the purpose).
[irach] Not a mirror.
Is the glass component a container?
[irach] Yes, a container.
Is the container a bottle (with or without a genie)?
Is the contents important?
[irach] (applause!) It's a bottle. No genie.
[rab] The contents are not important.
I'll be in London all day tomorrow, doing the rounds of as many museums and art galleries as I can fit in, so you have a day to think about this abstract glass bottle.
A Klein bottle?
[Projoy] Surprisingly, not a Klein bottle.
Is it associated with a myth, legend or piece of history?
Losing one's bottle?
Hitting the bottle?
[rab] Not mythical, legendary, or historical.
[Irouléguy] Not losing it.
[irach] Not hitting it.
Is anything being done to it?
[rab] Nothing is being done to it.
Is the actual word "bottle" on the card?
[irach] (excited murmuring from the audience) Strictly speaking, no.
Is it bottled-up anger?
[rab] Not bottled-up anger.
A hint
There are two words on the card, including the indefinite article.
A jeroboam?
[Rosie] Not a jeroboam.
A decanter?
A gottle? (of the kind that generally contains geer)
[irach] Not a decanter.
[Projoy] Not a gottle.
Another hint
The Mineral meaning is less well-known than the Abstract meaning.
A fiasco?
[Rosie] Yes, a fiasco, and well done for avoiding one.
(Raak) Too kind; you haven't seen my Christmas arrangements.

Right, here we go with a fairly simple one that's ABSTRACT with MINERAL connections.

Is the mineral a metal?
Does it have religious connections?
Is it fictional?
irach - Not a metal
Inkspot - No religious connection
Irouléguy - Not fictional
Does it describe an emotional state?
irach - Nothing to do with the emotions.
related to music?
Ooh, sorry I forgot to get dressed up in my disguise above! How rude of me! *blushes*
(Lib) - Nothing to do with music.
Is the mineral liquid?
>Is the mineral ice?
Irouléguy - Yes, the mineral is liquid.
irach - Not ice. See above. :-)
Anything to do with the weather?
Is the liquid mineral potable (non life-threatening if imbibed)?
Is it flammable?
Coloured?
Does it f l o w?
Raak - Weather? Certainly is *applause*
irach - Potable? Very much so
Inkspot - Flammable? No. Laughter from audience
Lib - Coloured? Yes *whooping and shrieking from the rather plebby lot we've got in tonight*
Rab - Does it flow? - Course it flows, 's a bleed'n' liquid innit? Man of your calibre; I dunno.
Purple Rain?
irach - Not purple rain.

(tutti) Don't forget it's fundamentally abstract.

Some other colour of rain?
Somewhere Over the Rainbow?
Raak - Not rain of any colour
irach - Erm, I'm afraid not. *huge but rapidly-stifled audience eruption *
Non-alcoholic liquid, one assumes?
Projoy - T-t-t-totally correct, but you're moving in the wrong direction.
A pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?
Just a rainbow?
[Rosie] Sorry - was drunk last night.
Raak - Not the pot of gold, but . . . .

The rainbow itself. So the winner is the extraordinarily sober rab! Well done.

Eek!
Right, well I probably won't have 'net access after 9am tomorrow, so let's go for a really easy ANIMAL (with possible ABSTRACT tendancies).
a Gnu?
Not a Gnu.
A specific individual?
[Raak] Yes!
Fictional?
[irach] As the Germans say, jein.
Human?
Yes.
Is he/she dead, or as the Germans ask: Ist er/sie tot?
Errr..., jein. You have only a few hours left. If no one gets it, someone else can take over with what they think it is...
Male?
Yes!
Santa?
I said it was easy.
Ok, another easy one, to make sure it gets solved before Christmas.

ABSTRACT.

The First Noel?
[irach] Not the First Noel.
Xmas-related?
[Projoy] Coincidentally Xmas-related.
Related to religion?
A greeting?
[Projoy] Some relate it to their religion.
[Inkspot] Not a greeting.
Winter solstice?
Bingo!
[irach] The very words on the card.
Here we go again- This one is ANIMAL
Dickens?
[Rosie] Good try, but no. (Bah! Humbug!) ...the audience at least stirs slightly
Reindeer?
Human?
[lib] Nort reindeer.
[Tuj] Yes, human.
Christmas-related?
[Tuj] No Christmas connection.
A European?
A male?
In the news recently?
[Inkspot] European, yes.
[Projoy] Yes, male.
[Rosie] No, not that I know of.
Alive?
[Inkspot] Dead.
Was he born before 1900?
[Inkspot] Yes, born prior to 1900.
Involved in any of the creative arts?
[Rosie} Yes.
Born prior to 1700?
[Projoy] Yes, born prior to 1700.
In the Music Field?
[StormWraith] Not Music.
Is he in a visual art?
[StormWraith] Not a visual art per se.
Was he a Greek?
[Inkspot] Not Greek.
British?
[Lib] Jolly good, I say! Yes, British. (the audience stirs and begins humming "Rule Brittania")
A writer
I mean "A writer?"
Born prior to 1500?
[Rosie] Yes, a writer.
[Projoy] Born after 1500.
A playwright?
[Rosie] Yes, he wrote plays.
Shakespeare?
`
[Projoy] YES, the Bard of Avon it is. Over to you.
OK, here's a MINERAL/ABSTRACT.
Anything to do with the present season?
Stone?
[Raak] To do with the present season? NO
[Inkspot] Stone? YES
Stonehenge?
Is this two meanings for the same word, one mineral, one abstract?
[irach] Stonehenge? NO
[Rosie] Two meanings? YES, but then again NO. Not sure which is the most helpful answer, really.
Is it the rock of ages?
[Kim] Aged Rock? NOPE
Connected with a geographical feature?
[Rosie] Not connected with a geographical feature.
Does it have religious significance?
[Inkspot] religious significance? NO (a couple of mutters from the audience, but basically they agree)
The Stone of Scone?
[Raak] Symbol of temporal power in Scotland? NO.
Is it unique?
[Inkspot] Unique? NO is the best answer.
An artistic depitction?
[Rosie] Artistiction? NO
Does it feature in a legend?
[rab] Features in a legend? Strictly, NO, although a small change to your question would yield a YES.
Is there a specific, finite number of them?
Does it appear in mythology?
[Raak] A specific, finite number of them? NO
[Inkspot] Appears in mythology? I'm reasonably sure that's a NO, altho my research wasn't exhaustive.
It depends a bit on your definition of "mythology" and "legend", come to think of it. Probably best to regard NO as the most helpful answer in those cases, but you're approaching the right sort of area.
Some kind of fictional story?
[rab] (pretending to mishear the question) Fictional? YES!
Is the type of mineral any more specific than "stone"?
[rab] More specific than stone? NO
Does it have origins in a particular culture?
A heart of stone?
[Inkspot] Originates in a particular culture? NOT SURE. Sources are a bit unclear on this point.
[Raak] Heart of stone? NO.
It's not . . . . dilithium crystals, is it?
[Rosie] NO, IT'S NOT
[Rosie] Actually there is a very, very, very obscure connection to a particular variety of dilithium.
Then again, I am slightly drunk.
Is it fictional?
Is its signifance connected to a specific individual (possibly fictional)?
Is there a connection to an event?
sober now...
[Raak] Fictional? YES (see answer to rab's "misheard" question above)
[rab] SORT OF. Its significance isn't dependent on a specific individual, but there are specific individuals associated with it.
[Inkspot] Connected to a particular event? NO, NOT REALLY (except in a pretty trivial sense).
Could you name those specific individuals? And would you be able to get them all into the 'Stance' box?
(I don't actually want you to do this, merely know if it's possible...)
[rab] Could I name those individuals? YES, although it would be subjective as there's certainly no canonical list of them. Would they all fit into the "stance" box? I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT SO for most people's lists. An academic in the right field might be able to overflow the stance box, but most reasonably erudite people would probably name four or so names.
Are the people fictional as well?
[Inkspot] Are the people fictional? NO, by and large.
Are these precious stones?
Is the word "stone" on the card?
Do the stones go back to the time of the Greeks and Romans?
Arthurian connection?
The alchemists' stone?
back online now
[Raak] Precious stones? NO *sustained applause from the audience*
[CdM] The word "stone" IS on the card *mounting excitement from audience*
[Inkspot] Back to Greek and Roman times? YES
[rab] Arthurian connection? NOT THAT I'M AWARE OF
[CdM] Alchemists' stone? YES. The words on the card were "Philosopher's Stone", and I have to say I'm very upset that Tuj never popped up with his normal question! I got in a bit of a tizzy over the legend/myth questions. To my knowledge, the philosopher's stone doesn't appear in a particular myth or legend or in what is conventionally called mythology (i.e. of the Greek and Roman variety), but one could call it a mythical or legendary object, so a hard one to answer helpfully. * transmutes baton into finest gold and hands to CdM*
All right, here we go again

ABSTRACT
Global Warming?
Not getting warmer at all
Global Warming? No.
Visible?
Human construct?
Fictional?
Visible? Yes.
Human Construct? Yes.
Fictional? No, although there are a few connections to works of fiction.
Something used as a symbol?
A slightly tricky one
Symbol? I think the most helpful answer is no.
Smoke?
Mirrors?
An action?
An emotion?
Does it involve all mankind, or a select few?
Coming up empty
Smoke? No. (Abstract?)
Mirrors? No. (Abstract?)
An action? No.
An emotion? No.
Does it involve all mankind? I'm not sure that it makes much sense to talk of this "involving people", but if you insist on an answer, I would say that it does not involve all mankind.
A metaphor?
Really not getting very far
Metaphor? No.
Is it ever used as a means of communication?
OK, now we're getting somewhere
Used as means of communication? While that is not its primary use, it can be used as a means of communication in certain circumstances.
An art form?
Speaking too soon...
An art form? No.
Is the "primary use" an invention?
Too, too soon
Invention? It is a human construct that was invented, but you wouldn't normally call it an invention.
Is any technology necessarily involved?
Is it a process?
[CdM] Not sure I care for your patronising tone.
Sorry - that was a bit harsh as usual. I read your last comment as "Of course a human construct is a human invention you idiot" but re-reading it I suspect my first reading was incorrect. Unfortunately, I can't work out what your last comment does mean...
I apologise unreservedly
Technology involved? Not really, except for a very broad definition of technology.
Process? No.

[rab] Wow, sorry -- I assure you that wasn't meant to be in the slightest bit patronising. My pedantic answer simply reflected the confusion I often feel when answering seemingly simple questions in this game. "Invention" conjures up to my mind steam engines, spinning jennies, COBOL, and the like -- and it would be odd to describe the subject on the card as an invention in that sense. On the other hand somebody did presumably invent this thing, so it would be misleading to say no as well.
S'ok - I did over-react. Likewise I find a problem in this game is in asking questions that don't completely give away the thing(s) you think they might be.

Does it exist?

'Course it does, idiot
Does it exist? Yes.
Not a ghost, then.
Is it electromagnetic radiation?
Did it exist 100 years ago?
Electromagnetic radiation? No. (This thing is abstract, but it does typically have a physical manifestation, so you can add "with ANIMAL, VEGETABLE AND/OR MINERAL connections" to the description, if you like.)
Did it exist 100 years ago? Yes.
Does it involve words?
Does it involve words? Yes. *prolonged applause from audience*
Rap?
(You said it wasn't an art form)
Are these words in spoken form?
Poetry?
Music and words?
Do the words originally come from one particular language?
Drama?
A musical?
Rap? Nope.
Are the words in spoken form? No.
Poetry? No, although there can be a connection.
Nineteen-forties movie? No.
One language? No.
Plays? No.
Evita? No.
In written form, then?
Is it the game of AVMA on mc5?
Ah, wait a minute - that's mostly one language... so change that to MC on the web
Actually, scrap that again - no technology, existed 100 years ago. Hmmm, stumped.
Written form? Yes. (Obviously, the words in question could be read, but the words on the card are associated with a written form.)
AVMA on the web (or not)? No.
Is it an epitaph?
RIP? The answer is not an epitaph, although there very occasionally is a connection.
Are you in need of a clue yet? ...
Because I have actually already given you some clues already.
Anything to do with religion?
God help us.
Birthday greetings?
Do the words on the card describe a particular formation of words?
Is this associated with a specific occasion or event?
"The words on the card"?
[Projoy] I was going to ask that...
Religion? There are occasional connections.
Birthday greetings? No.
Particular formation of words? Not exactly sure what you mean, but I think the best answer is yes. *some confused applause*
Associated with specific occasion? No.
Words on the card? No.
To do with nomenclature?
An advertising slogan
[CdM] By "particular formation of words" I meant something like an epitaph, birthday greeting or, indeed, an advertising slogan.
...or perhaps a particular form of verse or...
To do with nomenclature? In some cases, but by no means necessarily.
Advertising slogan? No.
[rab] Then I continue to think that the best answer is yes, although the answer is certainly not a unique formation of words such as "Just do it"
A condolence?
Typically appearing in printed form rather than manuscript?
Related to a particular time in people's lives?
Condolence? No.
Do you write it down? It could be either, but, yes, most instances would be printed.
Marriage, birth, death, divorce, christening...? No.
Is the meaning of the words relevant to what's written on the card?
Meaning relevant? No.
An invitation?
equal rights (as expressed in legislation)
Is it associated with the legal profession?
Is it work-related?
Come as you are? No.
Legislated equality? No.
Unethical? No.
Ergological? No.
Anything medical?
Some sort of certification?
Associated with a particular writing system?
A list of words?
A decloration?
Is the form of the words relevant to what's written on the card?
Is the setting of this one self-referential?
Anything Medical? No.
Certification? No
Riting or Reading or Rithmatic system? No.
"Of", "But", "Transubstantiate", "Legume", "Velocity"? Only vaguely.
Statement of intent to declare something to say? No.
To what's written on the card is the form relevant? Yes.
Is it self-referential? No, but...
Could be...
A clue?
A sentence?
Is there likely to be a particular length to which this form of words runs or could it range significantly from, say a few words to hundreds?
Is this form of words written by a particular group of people?
Do I have to spell it out for you?
A clue? No.
Verb-containing syntactically independent grammatical unit? No.
Many or few words? No particular length, though not arbitrarily short and usually not very long.
Authored by a particular group of people? No.
Is it spelling?
Anything to do with synonyms (or antonyms)?
Anything to do with translation
(rudely taking two goes)
Crying in my beer
Spelling? No.
Opposites (or sames)? No.
Babelfish? No.
Does this usually appear in a particular format of writing (eg newspaper, novel, magazine)?
Gah! An ACROSTIC?
I feel guilty even offering that answer, as it's now so obvious.
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
I am the stupidest person in the whole world and my only consolation is that most of the rest of you were equally stupid.
I'm tempted to say that CdM won that round and should continue with the next clue.
Oh bollocks.
Give that man an beer. We were defeated good and proper.
Beer would be great! I'm delighted and flattered that I've been invited to come back and set one more clue, and yet now I'd rather retire unrequited.
Very well, then. On CdM's behalf*, here's an ANIMAL/MINERAL/ABSTRACT thingumabob.
* this means you can blame him if it's too hard
Is it some kind of idiom?
Course it's not, you idiom.
[rab] an idiomat? NO
There's a case for describing this as an (ANIMAL) (MINERAL) (ABSTRACT (ANIMAL) ), but maybe that's taking pedantry to new extremes.
Is the animal part human?
(By the way, I think that one of the reasons I inadvertantly insulted rab was that, at the beginning, my comment lines were an acrostic of "an acrostic". Thus my "Too, too soon" comment, which may have been what conveyed the unintended patronising tone. Also, I apologize for some of my slow responses, but they were partly because I was waiting for enough questions to put acrostics in my answers, and partly because good acrostics were hard to compose.)
(Either animal part...)
Is it something I'd encounter in everyday life?
Um, Projoy?
I think you were handed a baton, actually.
[CdM] Is either animal part human? YES
[rab] Something you'd encounter in everyday life? NO
[Néa] Me? NO :)
Is there more than one of these?
[Projoy] It's poor form to point to one's own cleverness, but I think Néa was referring to the fact that my AVMA sign-off above was actually an acrostical limerick.
[CdM] More than one? The best answer is NO, on several counts.
[CdM] re: limerick - Too subtle, too subtle!
Bloody hell, CdM! Here, have this round of applause that's been looking for a home.
Noah's Ark?
Oops
Pressed 'stand' too soon. I meant to add my congrats to CdM - excellent!
[Ig] Big Boat Wot Has Animals In? NO
Is it fictional?
A trophy?
Is it the name of something?
Actually, you could probably argue anything is the name of something, so let's change that to:
Is it a title of a book/film/poem/...?
[Inkspot] Fictional? YES, in essence
[Raak] Trophy? NO
[rab] The name of something? YES (and not in the same way that just anything is
[rab] Title of cultural product? NO (that I'm aware of)
Someone's nickname?
A legendary being?
[Raak] A nickname? NO * an audient claps a couple of times, but tails off when no-one else joins in *
[rab] Legendary? NO *smiles in the audience*
Is it a person?
To do with religion?
Is it a place?
[rab] A person? Hm. YES and NO
[Raak] Religious connection? NO
[Ink] A place? NO
Is the other animal part a specific animal?
Is the human part that is and is not a person a character of myth?
Sandman/Tooth Fairy type person?
Is it a something-man?
[Ig] Other part (the part that isn't human) a specific animal? YES
[Kim] You've slightly misread my response. I didn't say that there was a human part that was and wasn't a person. I said the whole thing was and wasn't a person. That said, the human part, as it happens might be described as being and not being a person. But the human part is not a character of myth. Glad to have cleared that up. :)
[Ink] Sandman/Tooth Fairy or generic substitute? NO
[rab] A something-man? In quite a broad sense, YES (but possibly not the one you're thinking of).
Did it originate in a particular culture more than 2000 years ago?
[Inkspot] Originated...particular culture... 2000 years ago? NO
Is the word "Man" on the card?
Is the mineral part man made?
[Kim] Word "man" on card? NO
[Inkspot] Mineral man made? YES
It's rather late to fess up to this, but I think there is probably a VEGETABLE element to this too (having said which, its absence hasn't really proven critical in the questioning as yet, nor probably will it).
Anything to do with warfare?
[Ig] Warfare? NO *some laughter*
Is it a part of a person?
[Raak] Parts of persons? YES. One 'animal' is part of a person; the other 'animal' is partially a person.
Is the "partially person" a ghost?
[rab] Ghosties and ghoulies? NO
Is the supernatural involved?
[Raak] Supernatural? NO
Here's our Graham with a quick reminder
Handy summary: It's an ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, MINERAL, (ABSTRACT (ANIMAL)). On the card is a name - the name of something essentially fictional that is and isn't a person. One of the animal parts is part of a human, the other animal part is partially a person, and partially another specific animal. The mineral part is man-made. It isn't supernatural or mythical.
Is the specific animal a mammal?
[rab] Mammal? YES
Did this first appear in a specific work of fiction?
[Ig] Appeared first in a specific work... YES is the best answer, altho one might quibble with it slightly.
Is the work of fiction European?
[Ig] Fiction European? YES
English language?
Is it from a comic?
[rab] Eng. Lang.? OUI
[Ink] Comic? NO
Is the work of fiction a book?
[rab] Book? NO
A Shakespeare play?
A film?
[Ig] Shakespeare play? NO (not a play at all, in fact)
[Ink] Film? NO
Is it any form of writing?
[rab] Originating work of fiction a written form? NO
Is the mineral part of the viewing medium rater than an object like a spoon?
rater/rather
Is this the name of a painting?
[Ink] Mineral part of the viewing medium? NO
[Raak] Painting? NO
Does the originating work of fiction exist (or has it existed) in any concrete, tangible form?
[rab] Original work concrete? Almost not sure how to answer. Would, say, a CD or a score of a piece of music count as concrete and tangible for the purposes of the question (originating form is not a piece of music, btw)? If you'd say yes, then YES, if you'd say no, you meant something like a painting or a sculpture where the idea and its expression in concrete form are pretty much analogous, then NO. :) (© Overthinking Services Ltd)
So, the work itself is not a tangible representation, but it can be tangibly represented?
[Raak] I think I'm in danger of leading you into a siding here. So that we can get back on the main track, let me reveal that the medium in question is TELEVISION (which can of course be put into the tangible form of videotape or DVD).
Doctor Who related?
(Well, presumably before it was on television it was in a script, which is a concrete tangible form by any defition surely?)
[rab] Doctor Who related? NO
(Fair enough, I was just interpreting your question as trying to distinguish a particular class of artforms of, say, the sculpture variety. If you count stuff like scripts, then which art forms don't have tangible form? Even computer games are stored tangibly on a HDD.)
* goes off to write treatise on television as a virtual form *
Is the programme currently on television?
Projoy] Re non-tangible art forms - how about improvised stand-up comedy?
[Ig] Is the original programme in which The Answer first appeared still on? NO
(is a real-life performer insufficiently tangible for you, then? :))
[Projoy] I was thinking of apocryphal/folk stories, that kind of thing.
British TV programme?
Was it a series?
[rab] British? YES
[Inkspot] A series? YES
The genre popularly known as "Drama"?
And you do know what I mean by that, if you don't try and think too hard :)
[rab] I hope you'll forgive me for giving the answer as I DON'T KNOW. History records the name of said show, but not its genre. Quite startled at how recalcitrant this subject is proving.
Summary again
[rab] On further thought, the best answer is almost certainly NO to the genre question.

Handy summary: It's an ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, MINERAL, (ABSTRACT (ANIMAL)). On the card is a name - the name of something essentially fictional that is and isn't a person. One of the animal parts is part of a human, the other animal part is partially a person, and partially another specific mammal. The mineral part is man-made. Appeared first in a British TV Show (in English) that is no longer on.
First episode shown prior to 1980?
OK let's try a different tack.
[rab] First episode before 1980? YES
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Late entry from me.... Will be a bit of a bad steal if I'm right.
[Lib] MPFC? NO.
Is the human part an internal organ?
Re improv - touché
Is the thing also the name of the show?
[Ig] Internal organ? NO
[rab] name of show=words on card (or selection of permutation of)? NO
First shown on the BBC?
[Ink] BBC? NO
First episode before 1970?
[Ink] Before 1970? YES (hint - we are talking about the show that hosted the first appearance of this character, not necessarily the show most associated with it.)

[all] Are some clues needed at this stage? This clue seems to be losing steam a bit after more than a week in play!
(or is everyone suffering from the rapid approach of the worst day of the year?
Was this children's TV?
Clues - yes, please.
[Ig] Children's TV? YES! *considerable applause*

Blue's First Clue: it is the abstract (i.e. fictional) part that contains that which is partially human and partially some other mammal - in other words, we're talking about an anthropomorphic character, not of some invented species, either.
A ventriloquist act?
Sooty?
[Ink] Wind-speaking? NO
[Raak] Carbonaceous Ursine? NO
Catweazle?
Is it a anthropomorphic character male?
Is the human part a pair of hands?
Quick check; The answer is not the title a 1960s(?) ITV childrens programme but a character from it? ...and that's all till tomorrow.
[Ig] Felis Mustela? NO
[Ink] Male? YES
[Ink] Hands? *applause and cheering* YES (not sure if it's a pair or just one).
Was this a Gerry Anderson series?
[Raak] Supermarionation? NO, MILADY
[Inks re: your quick check] That's completely correct.
String puppets of any sort?
[Raak] String puppets? NO
Cartoon/animation?
A shadow puppet?
Basil Brush?
I think Chalky has got it...
[rab] Animated? Like this game lately, NOT VERY! :)
[Raak] Shadow puppet? NO
[Chalky, you naughy victorous lurker] Basil Brush? YES!! BOOM BOOM. Basil first appeared in Peter Firmin's kids' show The Three Scampies in, I think it was 1968 but too lazy to go back and check on Wikipedia. For all I know the show was a drama rather than Basil's later chatshow-style shows, but I couldn't find that out. The animal element which is part of a human is the operator's hand in the puppet, the mineral the nylon from which I fondly fancy the puppet is fashioned, with a side-bet on some vegetable elements in his clothes too. The abstract element (incorporating more animal: i.e. anthropomorphic fox-man) is the fictional character of Basil. * gets a bag of aniseed balls, and gives that to Chalky, as there's no longer a fox to hunt * Tally Ho!
Oh, and well done to rab, Irouléguy and Inkspot for doing most of the heavy lifting, there!
Grr, Basil Brush passed through my mind but I rejected it for not being a sequence of four things, as suggested by the way you laid out your clue. Oh well, well done Chalky.
Congrats and welcome back, Chalky - I think it needed a fresh pair of eyes to get that.
Lurking and assorted pastimes
That'll teach me. I'll blame the pub quiz victory [the first time in 5 weeks] and the brandy.
'Tis grand to be back .. thanks to PJ for a very thorough set of responses and to rab, Raak, Iroulé, Inks et al for pointing the way :-)

How's about a V E G E T A B L E to ease me back into MC Land ..
Is it a fruit?
Well done Chalky, to think I dismissed BB and The Three Scampies as he is still going strong TV and was thinking along the lines of a character no longer shown. Hey ho!
Is it edible?
Is it paper?
Has it been in the current Film Club?
Alive?
Sorry for delay - couldn't get into server for some reason
[Inks] Fruit? YES!
[Raak] Paper? No
[Iroul] Current Film Club? Wassat then?
[Rosie] Alive? In the light of my reply to Inkspot, probably not relevant :-) Unless one can describe fruit as either alive or dead. In which case I would say either/or.
again
Apologies Iroulé - I now see what you mean.
Current Film Club? I don't think I can spot it.
One particular species of fruit?
A fruit salad?
Sorry - you didn't answer the edible question?
Star fruit?
[Irouléguy] One particular species? Oh yes.
[Rab] Fruit salad? No
[Rab] edible? YES! [sorry]
[Libs] Star fruit? No.
Is associated with being one particular colour?
[Inkspot] One particular colour? Yes.
Mangosteen?
(only in italics)
Strawberry?
Is its colour part of the fruit's name?
[CdM] Mangosteen? No
[Irouléguy] Strawberry? No
[irach] Colour part of fruit's name? No
Is the whole thing normally eaten including the skin/peel?
Is it grown in the UK?
Is it a citrus fruit?
[Inkspot] Eaten whole? Erm ... Yes
[rab] Grown in UK? I don't think so [meaning I can't find any real evidence of such]
[Raak] Citrus fruit? No

BTW - have just spotted a reference to this fruit in the current Film Club
Kumquat?
Mango?
Greengage?
[Lib] Kumquat? No
[irach] Mango? No
[Raak] Greengage? No
Tomato?
Gourd?
[Kim] Tomato? No
[Lib] Gourd? No
A chilli?
[Irouléguy] Chilli? No
Is it generally only used as part of a recipe (like a chilli) rather than on its own (like an apple)?
Is it normally cooked?
[rab] Part of a recipe or on its own? Good question - it is widely known as something that is part of a recipe [although I dare say one could eat it on its own]
[Rosie] Normally cooked? Another good question :-) No - not cooked as such.
Is it a type of dried fruit?
[Raak] A type of dried fruit? Noooo ... but keep going in that direction
Is it a fruit converted into a liquid form?
Would it be good in a cake?
Not necessarily going to help the guessing, but I need to know!
Raisin?
[Raak] Converted into liquid form? Yes it is! [to be clear - it doesn't have to be but is better known once it has been converted]
[Lib] Good in a cake? Doubtful but not a definite No :-)
[irach] Raisin? No
timetable
Can answer any more questions after 10.30 pm, so keep 'em coming
Grape?
Juniper
Tonights discoevery is that raspberry gin is a very good thing....
Is it red?
Is it green?
[irach[ Grape? YES! Now .... which one?
[Lib} Juniper? No ... I agree ... raspberry gin is indeed a fine thing
[Irouléguy] Red? Yes
[Inks] Green? nah
Italian red grape?
Pomegranate?
[Inks] Italian? Not known as such
[Phil] Pomegranate? No
Pinot noir?
Grenache?
Wait -- you said it was widely known (not that Grenache is that obscure, but still). How about
Syrah/Shiraz?
Chardonnay?
Merlot?
Cabernet sauvignon?
Zinfandel?
Now that I've noticed it's a grape :)
Muscat (variously spelled)?
[irach] Pinot noir? No
[CdM] Grenache? No
[CdM] Syrah/Shiraz? No
[Widely known/Obscure? I think I meant widely known for being a grape that is used for wine production rather than just eating :-)]
[rab] Chardonnay? No
[Inkspot] Merlot? No
[Irouléguy] Cab Sauv? No
[Phil] Zinfandel? No
[Raak] Moscato/Moscatell/Moscatel/Muscat? No
Gamay?
Irouléguy has it! The GAMAY grape is the answer. Here - have a glass - CHEERS :-)
Don't mind if I do - it is Friday. Cheers, Chalky! OK, our next is ABSTRACT and MINERAL with ANIMAL connections.
the salf of the earth?
That is, the salt of the earth?
A geographical feature?
To do with language?
Raak - The salt of the earth? No
Rosie - A geographical feature? Um...yes, in one sense
Projoy - To do with language? No
Is it a figurative expression?
Raak] Is it a figurative expression? Not a lot
An historical monument?
Is is a statue of someone?
Is it a sculpture?
Is it a piece of writing?
Kryptonite?
Man In The Moon?
Inkspot] An historical monument? *applause* No, but...
Kim] Is is a statue of someone? *more applause* No, but...
Projoy] Is it a sculpture? I refer the honourable gentleman to my previous answers.
rab] Is it a piece of writing? No
Raak] Kryptonite? No
irach] Man In The Moon? No
The Angel of the North?
Is it fictional/legendary?
Rosie] The Angel of the North? No
rab] Is it fictional/legendary? No
Is it artwork?
Is it a physical structure named for someone?
Is it the headquarters of some organisation?
Is it visible to the human eye?
Lib] Is it artwork? No
Raak] Is it a physical structure named for someone? Yeah, but yeah, but no (imagine it as three separate questions)
Rosie] Is it the headquarters of some organisation? No
rab] Is it visible to the human eye? Yes
An Olympic Torch?
rab] An Olympic Torch? No, but the Olympic torch has been there.
Is it manmade?
Mt Olympus?
Lib - Is it manmade? Yes
Projoy - Mt Olympus? No
Is it larger than a standard four bedroom detached house?
Or there abouts!
Lib] Is it larger than a standard four bedroom detached house? Yes
Is it ancient?
Rosie - Is it ancient? No
Is it in Europe?
Is it a building, i.e. a structure with storeys and rooms?
Is it unique?
We seem to be honing in on something very concrete, yet this thing is supposed to be ABSTRACT. I'm confused.
Is it a popular tourist attraction in the place where it is located?
Inkspot - Is it in Europe? Yes
Raak - Is it a building, i.e. a structure with storeys and rooms? No
CdM - Is it unique? Yes
I probably should have clued this as MINERAL and ABSTRACT - apologies for any confusions. It's another of those borderline ones, where it all depends on what you mean by 'abstract'. I do think there is an abstractness to it, though - it's a location, which i wouldn't describe as 'something very concrete'.
Kim - Is it a popular tourist attraction in the place where it is located? *ringing applause* YES!
Does a name appear on the card? (e.g., Anne Hathaway's standard four bedroom detached house)
[I] It doesn't sound like any apology is necessary; you did clue it as both mineral and abstract. Being confused is quite a normal state for me.
In the UK?
A sport venue?
Is it a piece of civil engineering?
CdM - Does a name appear on the card? A name, yes
CdM] I meant the order really. I read ABSTRACT and MINERAL as mostly abstract and a bit mineral, whereas it's more helpful to think of it as the other way round.
ImNotJohn - In the UK? Yes
Inkspot - A sport venue? No
Rosie - Is it a piece of civil engineering? Yes (according to the Wikipedia definition of CE).
Is it in London?
The London Eye?
rab] Is it in London? *applause* A capital answer
Inkspot - The London Eye? No
Trafalgar Square?
Cleopatra's Needle?
A bridge?
We have a winner - it's Trafalgar Square! A pigeon is winging its way to INJ with the baton.
somewhat shamefacedly
Nearly a lurker's victory - still I'll take it.

The next is ABSTRACT with ANIMAL connections

Animal = human?
A work of fiction?
An action?
[CdM] Human - Not necessarily, but YES is most helpful
[Irg] fiction - NO
[Inks] Action - NO
A figurative expression?
[Raak] A figurative expression? - NO
A character of myth or legend?
[Kim] Legendary character - NO
An emotion?
[Inkspot] emotion - NO
A symbol?
[Raak] symbol - NO
An action?
Is language involved?
A rite of passage?
[Rosie] Action - I refer the honourable gentleman to my previous answer
[Raak] Is language involved? - NO
[Inks] rite of passage - NO
A social connection?
re previous question - should've been in bed. Sorry.
Anarcho-syndicalism?
[Rosie] A social connection? - NO (in fact rather the reverse)
[CdM] Anarcho-syndicalism? - one day.... but not today
Connected with philosophy?
[CdM] Connected with philosophy - I'm sure you could find a philosopher who would say so, but my answer is NO
Is it a human invention/construct?
[Iroul] Human construct - NO (not this time)
Do I get some sort of prize for having the only question so far that has been answered with something other than 'NO'?
Is it something that applies to most humans?
A scientific law?
Could the animal be a cow?
[CdM] - NO
[Rosie] - Applies to most humans - YES
[Raak] scientific law - NO
[Inks] Could the animal be a cow - NO (Actually, I don't know - I would assume not. In any case it wouldn't help you to guess if the answer were yes.)
Is this an absence of something?
[Iroul] an - NO
To do with the mind?
[Raak] To do with the mind - NO
Solitude?
Is this a medical condition?
An undesirable characteristic?
[Raak] solitude - NO
[Chalky a medical condition - YES (applause)
[Rosie] An undesirable characteristic - 1)YES, 2)NO
Is it a subjective characteristic?
[PJ] subjective - NO
Do the symptoms of this condition manifest themselves externally?
[Chalky] external symptoms - YES
Are men and women equally likely to have this condition?
[Iroul] men & women equally - YES
A neurological syndrome named after a person?
[Irach] neurological syndrome named after a person? - NO and NO
Is it caused by an external pathogen, e.g. virus or bacterium
Is it a common complaint?
[irach] caused by an external pathogen - YES
[Kim] common complaint - YES (applause)
A cold?
I wonder why I thought of that one.
And The Common Cold it is. (or cobbod code, as I would have said 3 days ago) -
Over to Rab
I feel we've had too many abstracts, but the only things I can think of right now are ABSTRACT. So there we go.
(I've chosen only one of them!)
Abstraction?
Nope.

Further reading suggests a possible mineral component.

A stony silence?
Human construct?
[Rosie] No.
[CdM] I don't believe so (the existence of humans is not - as far as I know - conditional on its existence)
A physical phenomenon?
Yes
Could life exist without it?
I expect so.
An astronomical phenomenon?
Possibly, but I would suspect only indirectly.
The tides?
The aurora borealis?
[Rosie] It would be more than a suspicion if it were the tides!

[Irouléguy] No.

An astrological phenomenon?
To do with the weather?
[Raak] No.

[Inkspot] YES!

Is it a wind?
To do with global warming?
The atmosphere?
[Inkspot] Wind is involved.

[Raak] Maybe, not sure.

[irach] "The atmosphere" are not the words that appear on the card.

The ozone hole?
Le mistral?
Jet stream?
[Raak] No.

[Irouléguy] No.

[irach] No.

Does it involve high winds?
Tornado?
[Raak] Yes.

[irach] No.

A hurricane?
Cyclone/
[Raak] No.
[irach] No\
Is the possible mineral component water?
Yes.
A perfect storm?
"The Tempest"?
El Nino?
A storm surge?
It seems that the thing I've chosen is not particularly well-defined but I believe that my answers are consistent with most people's understanding of what this us.

[Raak, irach, CdM, Rosie] No.

s/us/is
Is this associated with a particular part of the world?
Does it at ground level?
Is the abstractness anything to do with literature?
[Irouléguy] Yes. *applause*
[Inkspot] Does it what at ground level?
[Raak] No - not a human creation.
The global conveyer
(it is associated with a particular part of the world, albeit a very large part)
Is it seasonal?
[rab]That's what happens from simulposting the same thing then trying to think of something else, all before the first cup of tea of the morning.
Is it in the northern hemisphere?
El Niño?
The monsoon?
[Raak] Certainly associated with the northern hemisphere, but not sure if it's confined to it.

[Rosie] I wouldn't be that pedantic (see CdM's last guess).

[Ir] Nope.

The doldrums?
Is it a specific named wind like the monsoon?
Trade Winds?
Trans-Atlantic Drift?
Low Bailey 986 expected South Utsire 971 by this time tomorrow?
Is the wind associated with this phenomenon always from a particular direction, more or less?
(rab) Sorry, didn't see CdM's El Nino. I'm sure he pronounced it right, though.
[Inkspot] Not the doldrums.
[Irouléguy] The least misleading answer is probably 'no'. I'll elucidate further later if need be.
[irach] Not trade winds.
[Chalky] Nor a Trans-Atlantic Drift, although one or two audience members have woken up.
[Rosie] Low Bailey... 'fraid not.
[Rosie] Again not sure, but with 95% certainty I would say YES!
(that last to Rosie's direction question, and a different one-or-two audience members are starting to look agitated)
Does the answer on the card contain a geographical reference?
[Rab] You didn't answer a couple of earlier questions - 'Is it seasonal?' and 'The global conveyor?'
[ImNotJohn] YES! *applause*
Whoops - seasonal yeah, global conveyor no.
The Azores High?
Nope.
Equinoctial gales?
The Gulf Stream?
[Rosie, Raak] No.
Is it a hot desert wind of North Africa?
[irach] *Considerable peals of laughter, hooting, rolling about and slapping of thighs from the audience* No.
Okay, then. Is it an Arctic Express wind blast?t
That's good enough for me - it was Arctic Blast that was on the card.
This one is ANIMAL and VEGETABLE with a dash of MINERAL as well.
A tequila shot?
[Raak] After the day I've had, I wish it was a tequila shot. But 'no" is the answer to your "shot in the dark".
Is it something you eat or drink?
Is it larger than a washing machine? (an average sized british one).
[Iroleguy] Yes.
[Lib] No.
Is it a sandwich?
Smoky bacon crsisps?
Does fluid account for more than 50% of its volume?
[Kim] Not generally a "sandwich", although in one incarnation it may be so.
[Raak] Yummy!! But no.
[rab] This one is a little tricky... It is made up mostly of fluids, but it shouldn't be fluid when bought, or presented for consumption
Is rab's question easier to answer if you leave it at room temperature for a while?
[CdM] It cerainly is, in the affirmative.
Is Ice Cream involved?
[rab] Yes! "Ice cream" are the exact words on the card. (although at minus 17 degrees Celsius room tempaerature, and a minus 30 degree windchill here in suburban Boston, I'm not sure I want any just now. Over to you.
Whoops
Sorry, it's me again. MINERAL
Man-made?
Metallic?
[Rosie] No.

[irach] No.

A geographical feature?
Liquid?
Is there just one of these?
[Rosie] No.
[Raak] No.
[Irouléguy] It describes a class of things.
Is the mineral rock?
A geological term?
[irach] No.
[Rosie] No.
plastic?
Terrestrial?
IINJ] No.
[irach] No.
Sea salt?
Metal?
Is this found in the atmosphere?
Asteroids?
[irach] No.
[Raak] No.
[Chalky] Possibly (and that goes for terrestrial too, actually).
[Rosie] No.
A gas?
[Rosie] More gassy than anything else I would have thought.
To do with volcanoes?
A "greenhouse" gas?
A plasma, e.g. on the sun?
[Raak] No
[irach] No
[Rosie] No - but getting warmer (and not because you mentioned the sun).
Cosmic rays>
The solar wind?
Still mentioning the sun. :-)
Aurora borealis?
[Raak] I don't think cosmic rays are completely disconnected from what's written on the card.
[Rosie] Nope.
[irach] No.
Is it found in interstellar space?
[Raak] I believe so.
Is it found within our solar system?
Hydrogen?
[Inkspot] It might be.
[Rosie] No.
Is it made of subatomic particles (not assembled into nuclei)?
A particular element?
[Raak] Probably, yes.
[Irouléguy] No.
Dark matter?
If that isn't the answer, it should be.
YES! - Dark Matter it is.
Coo - I got a science one. OK, our next is quite different - ANIMAL and VEGETABLE (and ABSTRACT insofaras the answer's a concept, rather than a straighforward description).
Edible?
Raak] Edible? Yes
Meat and potatoes?
A particular dish?
A vegetarian diet?
Associated with a particular geographic area?
A Stew?
Raak] Meat and potatoes? Both could be included
Darren - A particular dish? Ye..es
Rosie - A vegetarian diet? *laughter rings round the audience* No
ImNotJohn - Associated with a particular geographic area? *applause* YES
irach - A Stew? No
A soup?
Is it a recipe?
A Cornish pasty?
Is the name of the geographic area on the card?
Somewhere in the UK?
Some sort of curry?
irach] A soup? No
Kim] Is it a recipe? No
Raak] A Cornish pasty? No
ImNotJohn] Is the name of the geographic area on the card? A derivative of the name is.
rab] Somewhere in the UK? *applause* Yes
Darren] Some sort of curry? Naan
England?
Scotch broth?
That was gonna be my next guess...
Fish pie?
rab] England? *applause* Yes
Raak - Scotch broth? Nae chance
Inkspot - Fish pie? No
Sweet (as opposed to savoury)?
ImNotJohn] Sweet (as opposed to savoury)? No
Is the place name a town?
Raak] Is the place name a town? No
If the audience had been more awake, they'd have cheered rab's last guess much more loudly.
Is the place name component "English"?
Not that I can think of a di...sh called English anything.
A Sunday Roast?
Scrub that, how about A Full English Breakfast?
An English muffin?
YES! Lurking pays off! A full English it is.
Oh dear. For once I don't have a topic in store. *sound of thinkage*...

Let's have this MINERAL
An artefact?
Solid?
[INJ] Artefact? YES
[Raak] Solid? YES
Unique?
Mainly or entirely metal?
A work of art?
...that is, something made just to be appreciated rather than to be used.
[Rosie] Unique? NO
[INJ] Mainly metal? YES
[Ig] Work of art? NO
Did these exist before the 20th century?
[Raak] Pre-1901? YES
Eating implement?
Fighting implement?
Food or fighting? NO
Larger than a breadbin?
[INJ] > breadbin? YES
Any connection to transport?
Is it connected with agriculture?
Is it connected with building?
Transport? NO
Agriculture? NO
Building? NO
Does it essentially have moving parts?
Essential moving parts? YES
Is it a piece of industrial equipment?
Larger than a telephone box?
Industrial eq.? NO
Smaller than a telephone box.
A household item?
Household item? *some laughter* NO, not in the generic sense.
Does it use fuel?
No fuel (like, say, an old fuel).
Used in a typical workplace?
Is it clockwork?
Powered by human effort?
Typical workplace? NO
Clockwork? NO
Human effort? YES *applause*
A trombone?
Normally used outdoors?
[Raak] Come on, we've already been told it isn't a fighting implement.
A trombone? NO *significant and sustained applause*
Normally used outdoors? YES and NO (strictly NO)
A musical instrument?
Musical instrument? YES! *applause*
Is there a part for it in any of the Beethoven symphonies?
French horn?
Is it a percussion instrument?
Did Beethoven write for it? NO
French Horn? NO
Percussion? NO
A tuba?
Tuba? YES, but that's not the answer. *much applause and cheering*
Some member of the tuba family?
A sousaphone?
A member of the tuba family? YES!
Sousaphone? YES! Ig takes it by a short head from Raak.
According to various googleable sources, the first Sousaphones (not in their current forward-facing configuration) turned up in the 1890s, although a specific date is tricky to track down.
A short note on the use of the trombone as a fighting implement:- Only attack music stands. 100% success guaranteed.
Trivia note - one of the first John Coltrane records I ever bought was him playing with a tuba player called Ray Draper. It's not great jazz, though Coltrane is pretty good on it.
*pause for what passes for thought* OK, our next is ANIMAL and ABSTRACT.
Begins with P?
Blimey, haven't looked at this game for a while.
Fictional?
Character of myth or legend?
Begins with E?
Unicorn?
Tuj] Begins with P? Probably not (and welcome back!)
Raak] Fictional? Yes
Kim] Character of myth or legend? No
Projoy - Begins with E? Equally unlikely
irach - Unicorn? No
A specific animal character in fiction, e.g. the White Rabbit in "Alice in Wonderland"?
An alien being??
irach - A specific animal character in fiction, e.g. the White Rabbit in "Alice in Wonderland"? *applause* YES
Inkspot - An alien being?? *giggles from sections of the audience* Probably not
Does the character normally go on two legs?
Created in the twentieth century?
Is the character in the title of the book, film, play etc?
Is the animal non-human?
Raak] Does the character normally go on two legs? Yes
Projoy] Created in the twentieth century? Yes
Rosie - Is the character in the title of the book, film, play etc? No
irach - Is the animal non-human? Hmmm...I think it's mean to be sort of human
Is its first appearance in a TV programme?
rab] Is its first appearance in a TV programme? *CANNED APPLAUSE* Yes
Thinking about irach's question, a better answer would be that you probably wouldn't think of it as a human character (though it might be).
Cat from Red Dwarf ?
A cartoon character?
Is the genre science fiction?
American TV programme?
Inkspot] Cat from Red Dwarf ? No
Raak - A cartoon character? No
Kim - Is the genre science fiction? No
Projoy - American TV programme? Yes
An alien?
Oh, you already answered that. How about A TV programme from after 1980?
Projoy] - A TV programme from after 1980? No
Howdy Doody?
Sesame Street character?
irach - Howdy Doody? Nope
Inkspot - Sesame Street character? *some applause* No
A puppet?
The Banana Splits?
Miss Piggy?
Projoy - A puppet? *the audience wave their hands appreciatively* YES!
Raak - The Banana Splits? Worst. Children's. Programme. Ever? No
irach - Miss Piggy? *collective cry of "Moi?" from the audience* Very close!
Waldorf?
Actually, forget that. Too obviously human. How about Beaker?
Animal?
Ha-ha.
Kermit?
*throws drumsticks at Tuj* AARGH! TUJ! LURKER! WINNER!
While attempting to google for information on Animal's supposed species, I found this lovely quote from the show:

Kermit the Frog: "What's wrong with your drummer? He seems a little crazed."
Sgt. Floyd Pepper (Animal's handler and bandmate): "He's just upset because he missed the Monet exhibit at the British Museum."
Animal: "RENOIR!! RENOIR!!"
Didn't meant to be lurking... I was fairly sure that was wrong...
*throws baton at Iroléguy*
...OK, not Irouléguy, someone else. But the reason I didn't take part is I have very little time on my hands! Someone else best do it.
[Tij] No, you do it. Unless you're not gonna be here to answer people's stuff..
Tuj] Sorry if I offended you - it was a joke, honest :) Do set one...
Projoy] Did you find anything one way or another?
FFS somebody start one.
Yeah, looks like Tuj has timed out.
I nominate Projoy
I'm pro Projoy as well.
Hm. Well, here's a hopefully pretty easy one, then, altho I'm interested to see how it responds to an attempt to pin it down deductively.

It's ABSTRACT with mainly ANIMAL connections (but there's arguably connections to the other two too).
Begins with P?
Yeh sorry guys, that was my point... I apologise for feigning so much offense Irouléguy :P
I'm very in-and-out at present, as you probably haven't noticed: hence 2 queries to the last one & not having been here since my last comment.
[Tuj] P, please, Bob? NO.
Is the ANIMAL in question human?
(sigh)
[Tuj] Human connection? YES, basically.
NB to all. I suspect there's going to be a few questions where true pedantry would insist on a YES AND NO answer. However, I intend to employ a bit of lassitude sometimes in order to give helpful answers.
Is it as basic as life itself?
Lassitude? Isn't that the state of being dog food? Did you mean latitude, or are you actually knackered? :-)
Oops. Yes. Latitude.
As basic as life itself? NO. Some silly people might say YES, but they are silly.
Is it something you could do in bed without help from others?
A human construct?
Tuj] No worries.
Somethihng you can do in bed alone? NO
Human construct? YES
Doesn't lassitude make you poo?
Is it a fictional 'human construct' (whatever that may be)
Is it an action?
Is it an art form?
Some people think farting is an art form, and so it is, but I didn't mean that.
[ISP] Fictional? NO
[Raak] An action? NO
[Rosie] An artform? YES
Is music involved?
This one's gonna go quickly, I think
[Lib] Music involved? YES
A musical?
Opera?
[Lib] A musical? OOOH. ALMOST. *muchos audience applause*
[Raak] Opera? OOOH. ALMOST. *muchos audience applause*
First one to the punch will nod this one in, I think.
The Musical?
Music?
Phantom of the opera?
[rab, Rosie] A touch more specific than music and a touch less than Phantom of the Opera, the words on the card are Musical Theatre, which I think is close enough for Lib to claim the victory. *passes baton to Lib in order to complete the circle of life before the parade passes by*
(Projoy) Quite so. No probs. :-)
Hello everybody. I've not done this before. Did I lurk a bit? Sorry! Hmmm. Let me think.... Right. An easy one for my first time, methinks. This one's Animal and Vegetable.
The Good Old British Sausage?
[Raak] Big Banger? No.
Is it edible?
Bigger than a toaster?
Alive?
[Irouléguy] Edible? Mmmmm. Yep! [Tuj] Bigger than a toaster? Not usually, but some would prefer it that way! [Rosie] Alive? Nah.
Hmmm, time to sign up for that basic HTML nightclass.
Begins with P?
Hahahaha!
Is the animal a specific animal (species)?
Might one eat this in a restaurant?
Opens HTML handbook....
[Tuj] No peas please. No.
[Irouléguy] Specific animal Yes.
[Raak] Rest-your-auntie? Not usually.
Is the animal a bird?
[Inkspot] Birdy song? No.
A pie of some kind?
Is this usually eaten cold?
[Rosie] Pied? No
[Irouléguy] Chilly? Not usually, but not uncommon either!
Is the animal part meat?
[Raak] Meaty goodness? Yes.
Shepherd's Pie?
er, except that fails on the "pie" technicality, doesn't it. Oh well.
Does it require significant preparation?
Is pastry involved?
Is just one type of vegetable involved?
[CdM] Significant preparation? Kinda depends on what you call significant. To a student the answer probably would be yes, as it takes more effort than putting water onto the pot noodle. To Gordon Ramsey then probably yes too, but his would be far too flouncey. To me and you, No.
[Raak] Puff? No pastry.
[Irouléguy] 5-a-Day? There is more than one type of vegetable.... *scratches chin, and hopes that isn't misleading....*
Did it originate in a particular part of the world?
[Inkspot] Original? Yes, I think so.
Pizza?
Is bread involved?
Chip Butty?
Fast food?
[Projoy] Pizza? No.
[Raak] Right said Fred? Yes! (Much applause from the audience)
[INJ] Chip butty Nah.
[rab] Speedy eats? Not so fast, No within traditional definitions although they have become a bit blurred.
You're all getting very warm...
Bacon sandwich?
*Apologises for lurking*
*hits Uncle Korky over the head with a nice bacon butty for winning having lurked* Well Done Guys. Uncle Korky has seized the victory. The words on the card are indeed A Bacon Sandwich. I was rather impressed at Raak's first guess, well done that man!
Oops!
OK - I'll reiterate my apologies! Hopefully this'll be easy enough to guess so that someone more appropriate can take over the reins quickly... This one's animal and vegetable.
Sausages?
[Projoy] Walls have ears? Nope.
Is the animal part alive?
Foodstuff?
Is the animal a specific animal (species)?
it was right lat time...
[Projoy] Livin' thing? Definitely not
[Lib] Munchable? Nope
[Irg] Particular genus? Not one specific one, no...
Elephant's foot umbrella stand?
[INJ] Leg of Nellie No - not a specific animal, remember? :-) (Although one or two audience members were heard to murmur at INJ's question...)
Larger than a toaster?
[Lib] On the appliance graph... Yes, definitely bigger than a toaster
A stuffed animal head mounted on a wall?
Is the animal part leather?
Does it involve an elephant?
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