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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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Can we eliminate Icelandic specificity?
[GL] Wicker, man? NO
[Rosie] Non-Icelandic? YES
Does this involve string?
[Rosie] No strings attached.
Does it involve paper?
[GL] Papery? YES! *applause*
A globular paper lampshade?
The House at Pooh Corner?
(the book, not the abode)
[Rosie] Seventies interior decor nightmare? NO
[CdM] Pooh-ey book? NO
A book?
[GL] Big papery thing tied up with string? (or glue for that matter) NO
Is it likely that any member of the morniverse owns one of these?
[CdM] Morniversal ownership? PRETTY LIKELY. I don't, as it happens.
A periodical publication?
Wallpaper?
[Tuj] Beano? NO
[Soft] Anaglypta? *laughter* NO
primarily decorative?
Does it take the form of a single sheet of paper?
[INJ] Primarily decorative? SEE ABOVE (I said that the most helpful thing is to think of it as functional, but the more strict answer in this particular case might be that it's decorative)
[CdM] A single sheet? YES *applause*
Recap, as there seems to be a generalised torpor...
This "Vegetable" is a single sheet of paper (of which there are many instances), most helpfully described as functional, from Britain.
Is it usually affixed to a wall?
A map or chart of some sort??
Sorry - missed Rosie's previous question.
Christmas card?
[GL] Wall? NO
[INJ] Topographical? NO
[Soft] Xmas card? NO
A doiley?
Does it have words printed on it?
[INJ] Like the Irish Parliament? NO
[Rosie] Words thereon? YES!
Is it something that would be used as advertising?
Beer mat?
I think you still need a couple more deductive questions...
[GL] PR? NO
[Soft] Beer mat? NO
Is it smaller than a credit card?
Is it larger than a bath towel?
[Chalky/GL] It is larger than a credit card and smaller than a bath towel.
Fish & Chip newspaper?
Does one write on this?
Is it a legal document?
[INJ] Newspaper? NO
[Rosie] For writing on? NO
[Tuj] A legal document? YES. *hearty applause mixed in with a couple of questioning murmurs*
The Magna Carta?
Although I doubt it, because checking back I see that Projoy set that before, and I guessed it...
[CdM] My memory is indeed that long and it isn't the Magna Carta :-)
Is there a requirement that it be on display in certain locations?
Related to a specific city?
A "Last Will and Testament"
Hm. Still something you're missing.
[CdM] Mandated display? NO
[Tuj] City-specific? NO
[irach] Give the spoons to Cousin Doris? NO
Is it blank on one side?
Birth Certificate?
[CdM] Blank on either side? NO
[Software] Baby Receipt? NO
Are all the instances identical copies of a single identifiable original?
A certificate of achievement?
[CdM] Copies of a single...? YES, TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, AND YET, IMPORTANTLY, NOT QUITE.

[Rosie] Achievement? NO
A certificate of some sort?
[GL] Not a certificate.
A ten shilling note?
Ah ha!!
[CdM] A ten-shilling note? NO *tumultuous applause*
A pound note?
[Rosie] Well carpe'd! The words on the card are: A Series D One Pound Note. Please accept this as your prize money:
Isaac Newton's on the back

*hands rolled up note to Rosie*
Oops. Sorry vincelewis. Here's how it looked...
Oscar accpetance speech
I owe everything to CdM. *breaks down and weeps uncontrollably*.

*Pulls self together* Stop giggling at the back there and announces that the next subject is

ABSTRACT with MINERAL and ANIMAL connections.

Altogether now... a human construct?
Is the animal human?
Is it a fictional location?
e.g. Gotham City, Hogwarts or Moon Base Alpha
(Projoy) - Not in the way we all know and love.
(INJ) Human? - YES, but this connection is not the most important.
(GL) - Fictional location? - NO.
Begins with a P?
Fictional?
Any sort of entertainment?
(Tuj) - Pinitiation? - NO.
(Projoy) - Fictional - NO.
(Raak) - Entertainment? - NO, not at all.
Connected with the natural world?
An activity?
Science-related?
(Damn! I was almost sure I had that last one right. I probably would have gotten it right, too, if I had remembered that pound notes weren't circulating any more (something that I knew but had not really absorbed , if you see what I mean).)
A single-word answer?
[CdM] Remind me not to ask you for change for a fiver ;)
[CdM] Strictly speaking, there are still RBoS pound notes in legal circulation in the UK, and there are also pound notes in the Channel Islands and probably other places, hence my being forced to choose a specific note series rather than just "a one pound note". I almost went for the Duke of Wellington fiver. I must admit, that last one seemed to go down a wrong turning, but I think I was right to say "yes" to "a legal document".
(INJ) - Mountains, typhoons, worms etc? - YES, partly.
(Projoy) - NOT an activity.
(CdM) - Science-related? - NO, not directly.
(Tuj) - One word? - NO, four times NO.
Does this occur naturally?
(Projoy) - A natural occurrence? - NO.
Do animals make it happen?
(Projoy) - Caused by animals? - Let's say there's a contribution.
Weather or Climate related?
(Projoy) - Weather or climate related? - YES. *applause*
The Greenhouse Effect?
Specific to a restricted geographical location or zone?
(GL) - Greenhouse effect, anthropogenic or otherwise? - NO.
(INJ) - Specific location or zone? - YES.

I should add that the weather/climate connection is by no means the whole picture.

Chernobyl fall-out?
That reminds me of a very old joke.
Something that happens because of the weather?
Specific to wintry weather?
(ISP) - Growing extra fingers etc.? - NO.
(Projoy) - YES. *some applause*
(INJ) - Wintry weather? - NO, not speciifically, but...
The rain in Spain ?
(irach) - Las lluvias? - NO, señor.
Anything to do with cicadian rhythms?
Windy?
(Projoy) - Did you mean circadian?. The answer is NO, anyway.
(Softers) - Windy? - Very much so, Gary. *applause*. But see my comment 3 answers back.
A weather forecast?
(GL) - Weather forecast? - NO. See the penultimate reply to Projoy.
Something that happens *after* the weather than causes it, then?
(post hoc ergo propter hoc)
s/than/that. Dunno what's going on with my spelling lately.
(Projoy) - Caused by the weather? - YES, but by no means wholly. *Moderate applause. Good.* BTW, according to Derek and Clive it's "yer post hocter proc, mate."
A geological feature?
Sorry I'm late. Computer illiteracy (continuing). Bah!
(Dujon) - Geological feature? - NO.
(All) This is not a natural occurrence. See early question by Projoy.
Does mineral activity also contribute to making this happen?
(Projoy) - Mineral activity involved? Rather an unusual way of putting it, but the answer is YES. *some applause*
Wind power generation?
Where animal activity contributes to making this thing, is this exclusively about human activity?
(INJ) - Big windmills? - NO.
(Projoy) - Animal contribution human? YES.
Would this generally be considered unfavourable?
Is this is 'A well-known phrase or saying in four words?'
(INJ) - Unfavourable? - Again, very much so, Gary.
(Chalky) - "All men are fools"? - Not a phrase or saying but a well-known combination of 4 words, shall we say. Includes the definite article.
"The Bloody English Weather"?
To do with erosion?
(Pj) - The vile elements? - NO, but there's a contribution.
(INJ) - Erosion? - NO.
Reminder: Weather is only a part of this.
Anything to do with work?
(Projoy) - Work-related? - NO.
(All) A change of tense in some of the questions would be quite helpful.
Is this something that happened in the past?
(Chalky) - An event in the past? - YES. *cheering, applause, etc*
Did this happen in the UK?
(Chalky) - Happened in the UK? - YES.
Before 1953?
(Projoy) - When ah were a lad, or earlier? - YES
Before 1900?
After 1912?
(Projoy) - Before 1900? - YES.
(Gusset Login) - Not the Titanic. :-)
If I said it was cold would I be getting warm?
Before 55 B.C.?
(Duj) - Essentially cold? - NO. My guess is at the time of this event the temperature was about 6°C, which I suppose is a bit chilly for an Aussie.
(GL) - Pre-Roman? - NO.
Before 1812?
Before 1700?
The Little Ice Age?
(GL) - Before 1812? NO.
(Projoy) - Before 1700? - NO?
(Softers) - Global, or at least European, cooling? - NO.

This is an event, caused mainly by the weather.

A shipwreck?
(The Mystery of the Mary Celeste, for instance?)
(Projoy) - Shipwreck? - NO, moving in the right direction. *some scattered applause*.
A maritime event?
The weather-caused destruction of a building?
A Tsunami?
(Projoy) - Maritime event? - In one sense, YES, just about, but no ships involved.
(CdM) - Building destroyed by weather? - Well, I wouldn't call it a building. *Some applause*
(Softers) - Tsunami? - NO.
A hurricane?
Happened on the coastline?
The Tay Bridge Disaster?
Topical, if so!
Projoy has got it...
(CdM) - He has. It's THE TAY BRIDGE DISASTER. Well done, Projoy. Poetry, please. I hand you the single-line token and a piece of Dundee cake.
It was on the second of February, and in the year two thousand and ten
A day that will be remembered for a very long time by all men
That a very good AVMA puzzle was solved by Projoy
Causing all the players to jump up and down for joy.
[CdM] :)
Glad I got that, but being a bit maxed out with work at the mo, I think I have to pass to someone else to set one. I guess first come, first served...?
(CdM) - Excellent. I chortle, not doing ROFLMAO. You could set the next one.
All right, since I have had one in my head for a while. This is

Possibly VEGETABLE with ABSTRACT CONNECTIONS but probably ABSTRACT with VEGETABLE CONNECTIONS
Is the vegetable a tree?
Begins with a P?
Oh, the emotional rollercoaster of being an audience member...
A tree? Yes. *excited applause*
Beginning with P? No. *disappointed silence*
A diagram of some kind?
Diagram? No.
The Wind in the Willows?
Wind in the Willows? No.
Alive?
A specific, named tree?
The Tree of Life?
Alive? No. *laughter*
A specific named tree? Yes. *applause*
Tree of life? No.
The Tyburn Tree?
In the UK?
The Faraway Tree?
I wonder why I haven't bought any Enid Blyton for my new daughter...
Tyburn Tree? No.
In the UK? No.
Faraway Tree? No.
A small clarification to my answer to Projoy: this is a specific tree, but it's probably not correct to call it a "named" tree. The words on the card describe rather than name it.
The Tree of Knowledge?
The burning bush?
Tree of knowledge? No.
Burning bush? No.
Is it a specific tree because of a record property it has?
Apologies for the double post, but I'm logging off in a couple of minutes
Is it a palm tree on a desert island?
Record property? No.
Palm tree? No.
Would this be symbolic tree (as on the flag of a nation)?
A symbolic tree? Um. I think the best answer is No, or at most: Sort of, but not really.
On the flag of a nation? No.
Is it mentioned in an authentic historic text?
Not a txt msg.
Mentioned in a historical text? *applause for the question* I think the best answer is No, but I really need to know what you mean by "an authentic historical text".
Mentioned in a document?
(CdM) - Yes, a bit vague. I meant The Bible, Koran, etc.
Oak Apple Day?
Bible, Koran, etc? No.
Oak Apple Day? No.
A family tree?
Again, getting it out of my head.
Family tree? No.
The tree chopped down by some ancient Usatian vandal?
The Cherry Tree chopped down by George Washington?
Is it a tree from an historical/semi-legendary story?
Yes, yes, and again yes.
The words on the card are The Cherry tree allegedly chopped down by the young George Washington. The story is probably fabricated, hence my classification. I am pretty certain that this was exactly what INJ was referring to, so I think he should get the rather nicely turned cherrywood baton ahead of GL.
I agree, I would have had to turn it down anyway due to lack of free time.
Well, thank you
[GL] Very gentlemanly of you Sir or Madam. Right, after a somewhat busy weekend, we'll start again with:
ANIMAL with ABSTRACT connections - or - ABSTRACT with ANIMAL connections - Depends on your pov
Is the animal human?
[Chalky] human? - NO
A mammal?
[Chalky] mammalian? - NO
A Dragon?
The serpent in the Garden of Eden?
News International get everywhere.
Insect?
Fictional?
Not many more orders to try
[GL] Hidden Dragon? - NO
[Rosie] herpetological? - NO
[Software] Insect? - NO
[Kinrah] Made-up? - Well, that's why the question is posed as it is. FWIW, my answer is YES, and I suspect that would apply to most, but maybe not all, of the contributors to the morniverse.
To do with religion?
[Projoy] smells and bells? - YES (*a small ripple*)
I did rather signal that, didn't I?
Something from Judeo-Christian legend/history?
Angelic?
A sacred animal in some religion?
[Projoy] Judeo-Christian? - YES
[Dujon] Non angli sed angeli? - NO
[Rosie] Baal-lamb? - NO
Devilish?
A character from the Old Testament?
[Software] From the very dark side? - NO
[CdM] OTT? YES
A bird?
[Rosie] Avian? - YES *applause*
Dove-ish?
[Software] Dived? - NO
A raven?
[Projoy] Raven? - YES * Applause and the noise of coats being put on, bags being picked up, etc.*
The raven that couldn't find the olive tree?
We have a winner
Very impressive - I thought that would prove a little more difficult.
The answer is indeed The Raven that was the first bird released from the Ark
One gopher-wood baton handed on
Oops. Was working all day. I think I might have to pass again, as still rather behind with work. The floor is open.
It's been sitting here for a while, so I'll take it.

ABSTRACT with ANIMAL and sometimes MINERAL connections
Fictional?
Are the animal connections non-human and mammal?
[Tuj] Made up? YES
[irach] Mammalian but non-human? NO
Does this come from a work of fiction such as a novel?
Animal human?
[Rosie] Bookish? YES and NO
[INJ] Humanity? YES
From a non-novelistic work of fiction?
Is the mineral metal?
Religion based?
[Projoy] Fictional? YES
[GL] Metal? CAN BE
[Dujon] Religous? NO
A weapon?
Science fiction?
[Dujon] Object capable of harm? NO *animated whisperings from audience*
[Software] SciFi? CAN BE, but it would be more helpful if I said NO
From the world of motion pictures?
[INJ] YES and NO; however again NO is more helpful.
Begins with P?
Is the mineral liquid?
[Tuj] P-to the rest of it? NO
[INJ] Liquidity? NO
Is the Abstract a quality ascribable to humans?
[Rosie] Quality of humanity? NO
Is the animal a single identifiable person?
[INJ] A single identity? VERY NO.
A single-word answer?
A particular battle?
[Tuj] One word? To be honest it depends on whether you're being definitive, in which case the answer is YES, or whether you're being more abstract, in which case NO. Either way you won't get a very helpful answer.
[Dujon] A battle? Some could call it a battle, but it's going to help more if I say NO
A riot or similar unruly assembly?
A cause? (e.g. Suffragettes)
[Rosie] I predict a riot? NO
[Dujon] Group with a common goal? NO
Any chance of a clue?
[Tuj] I don't see why not.
A run through of what you know:
It is fictional
Involves humans in some way
The mineral can be metal at times
Not a weapon but the audience seemed to like the word
Nowhere near a single person

If I had to give an extra clue: it is a game. I can't get more blunt than that.
Does or has the game exist(ed) in the real world as well as the fictional one?
Is it something akin to chess pieces?
Lewis Carroll connection?
[Rosie] I'm not quite sure what you mean. Could you please elaborate?
[Dujon] Chess pieces? NO
[irach] Alice related? NO
Nought's and Crosses?
(tic-tac-toe to our American Morniversers)
[Software] O&X? NO
Boardo?
(Kinrah) You say it's a game and is fictional, which to me could mean it only takes place in a story and could be a game that does not exist in the real world (e.g. competitive vole-polishing). Or it could be a known game between fictional contestants, such as Melchester Rovers etc.
[GL] Checkmate, I'll take that card? NO some whisperings from audience
[Rosie] Ohh. I meant fictional as in the story behind the game is fictional, as opposed to something based on a true story. I apologise if you didn't read it that way. Yes, the game exists in the real world, whether the players are fictional or not is entirely up to a writer's discretion.
Is the result of the game significant to the story?
Nonsense - is it?
Fantasy Football?
[Rosie] Result significant? YES
[Software] Gobbeldegook? NO
[Kim] Fan Made Foot Sports? NO
Ok, since this doesn't seem to be going anywhere, I'm going to reveal the answer and pass the baton to somebody else.

I was thinking of the game of Cluedo (or I believe it's called Clue in the US). Hence:
Fictional
Animal connection human
There have been books and films made on the subject
Pieces can be made of metal or other minerals
Involves weapons (see audience reaction)
Many identities
A one or multi-word answer depending on whether you say 'A Game of Cluedo' or 'Cluedo'
The end of the game is significant in that the true murderer is locked up

In any case, a candlestick-shaped baton handed to whoever wants to take it.
Well, reading back, I think that Tuj actually won the round at 3:48 pm on the 2nd of March. So it must be his turn.
[CdM] Very generous ;) I'll have to decline as this is about the busiest period of my life, certainly thus far. Baton, anyone?
I'll take the baton if no one is using it. MINERAL
Metal?
Stone?
[Rosie] Metal? No.
[Software] Stone? No.
liquid?
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