mc5 - AVMA Take 2

arrow_circle_left arrow_circle_up arrow_circle_right

AVMA Take 2

help

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 ....

arrow_circle_up

[Assume the position] No.
[Large numbers] If "large numbers" means what I think it means, then yes.
[Interactivity] Yes, human interactions are involved.
Some signs of interest from the audience, mainly due to finally getting a couple of affirmatives

A flash mob, or maybe a mexican wave?

Would this be a board game?

The Glastonbury Festival?

I think that's its proper title.

A historical event (or series of events)?

[Flash ... AAAH!] No.
[Bored game] No.
[Festival of Mud] No, but you're getting warmer.
[Hysterical event] No. Well ... no.
Some members of the audience are nudging others awake

Some form of festival?

Woodstock?

[Festivities] Yes. Audience applause

Edinburgh Festival?

A Music Festival?#

The Edinburgh Fringe?

Related to food or drink?

[Auld Reekie] Nope.
[The sound of...] No, although there is music involved.
[Fringey] No.
[Alimentary, my dear...] Yes. Audience applause

The GBBF?

[GBBF] YES! Audience goes wild. The Great British Beer Festival it is! One slightly sticky baton passes to INJ.

Well, that's what my previous question had had in mind, so I don't feel too guilty about asking 2 questions in a row - and I did leave over an hour between guesses.

So the next one is ABSTRACT with Animal Connections

Does animal = human?

[FGZstar] Human animal? - YES, mostly.

Fictional?

[GL] Tall tales? - YES

A traditional tale such as Little Red Riding Hood?

Well this is going well

[Rosie] Once apon a time? - YES (with slight reservations)

A Hans Christian Anderson story?

Aaah, you've spoiled it.

[FGZstar] Danish and Scandinavian books? - NO

On a religious theme?

[Raak] God-bothering? - NO is easily the best answer

Made into a Walt Disney film?

Made into a non-disney animated film?

Related to knights in shining armour?

Aesop's Fables?

[FGZstar] Walt disnae? - NO
[GL] Other animated film? - NO *some murmuring in the audience*
[Duj] Tin Men? - NO
[Rosie] Aesop? - NO *a small ripple of applause*
The audience is definitely awake after that series of questions.

La Fontaine?

[Raak] The Urinal? - NO

Was this tale known in antiquity (say, BC anywhere)?

[Raak] BCE story? - NO, on current evidence.

Babes in the wood?

[FGZstar] Pre-freudian paedophilia? - NO

Anthropomorphised animal(s)?

[Rosie] Bunnykins etc.? - NO

Greek connection?

One of the canterbury tales?

[Phil] Attic? - NO
[FGZstar] Chaucerian? - NO

Collected by the Grimms?

[Raak] Eeh it's Grimm? - NO *the audience is settling down again for a long haul*

The Chronicles of Narnia?

Is the human part of the animal part a part of a partitioned animal (in the sense, say, of a centaur)?

The boy who cried wolf?

Going off at a tangent

[FGZstar] Religious metaphors? - NO
[Dujon] Part man, part ....? - NO (If I hadn't done some research, I would just have answered 'YES' to the 'Human?' question - so it's probably not a helpful angle)
[GL] Serial false alarms? - NO

Both animals and humans in the story?

[FGZstar] Animals & Humans? - Animals are not significant in the answer

Attempting to adjust orbit:

Something to do with 'artificial intelligence'?

Good thought, but actually getting colder

[Dujon] AI? - NO

A porky pie?

[Software] Coo, what a whopper? - NO (Well, it's fiction, but I assume that isn't what you meant)
A clue: There is one word on the card with no article.

Related to a television program?

[Juxtapose] Boxy? - NO *a few chuckles in the audience*

Is the answer on the card the name of a mythical/legendary/fictional 'person'?

Well, it's been a bit quiet in here of late.

I thought you'd all gone to sleep

[Dujon] Mythical Person? - YES *the applause from some of the audience wakes the rest*

Rumplestiltskin

Shrek?

[FGZstar] I'll guess that name in 3? - NO
[Software] Schrecklich? - NO
None of the guesses have really been in quite the right genre, although you've got close to identifying it a couple of times

Magical in some way?

[FGZstar] Just like that!? - NO *A very few audience members purse their lips*

Is this word also the title of a book?

[Dujon] Eponymity? - NO

Blair?

Which, you may ask.

[Software] Journeyman? - NO
You really don't know enough to be guessing actual names/answers. I'll try to think of a hint.

You don't know language/culture, location, author, time set/written/drawn/sung, symbolic importance, etc. - some of these would help (but possibly not all)

Written by a british author?

Start with the hard one, why don't you?

[FGZstar] British author? - Tricky one. I don't know. YESish is probably the best answer, but if there was a single author it's doubtful if they would have considered themself British.

An Anthology of short stories?

[FGZstar] Short stories? - NO (technically the person does appear in a collection of stories, most of which are short, but yes would lead you wildly off-track)

I'm going to be offline from later this evening until Sunday evening (for reasons known to people on Dan's site). I'll pop in again in a couple of hours.

Rhyming?

.. anxious not to offend

(ImNotJohn) Should I be asking 'people on Dan's site' why you haven't returned?

Sorry about that

I've just spent a week away in the South-West, but although I had my laptop and 3G card I had no connectivity at all. Anyway, back now, so:
[Spangle] Rhyming? - NO (actually, I'm not quite sure of that, but I would be surprised if it were). I will attempt to get a definitive answer, but assume NO

Where are we?

Who am I?

A Superhero?

[Software] Ubi? - On a speck of dust
[GL] Quis? - You are Gusset Login and I claim my £5
[Spangle] Superhero? - YES, though possibly not in the sense you're thinking of.

Originating before 1000AD?

Ooh, a question!

[Phil] 1st millennium? - This could be one of 2 questions - I'll answer them both.
YES - the mythical person referred to is from pre-1000CE
NO(ish) The written work(s) referring to the person are post 1000 (but with internal evidence of earlier works)

Merlin?

[Software] Rolls Royce? - NO

Noah?

OK, I'm down to guessing now. Sorry.

Is this something to do with the bible?

[Dujon] Noah? - Ah NO.
[FGZstar] Biblical? NO
I know that I didn't help by my absence, but I'm surprised that this has got so stuck. I think you need to pin it down to a culture/location before guessing names.

Related to the Egyptians?

Imhotep? (Actually an Architect)

From Asia?

[FGZstar] - Egypt? - NO
[GL] Asia? - NO

Europe?

[GL] European? - YES

Germany?

Ancient Greek character?

Nordic?

[GL] Germanic? - NO
[Phil] Lost in the attic? - NO
[Software] A Thor point? - NO

UK?

Aha!

[Phil] UK? - YES (primarily) *the sole remaining member of the audience applauds*

Is the word 'magician' relative to the answer?

Is one of the authors Malory?

[Dujon] Magician-related? - NO
[IS,P] Malory? - NO

Regal?

Bat's dos. I notice that Knnnnniggets in armour was already a NO. Duuuh.

[IS,P] Royalty? - NO (at least the named character is not a monarch although there are connections to royalty)

A person from legend/fable?

Thank goodness for that!

[Phil] Legendary/fabulous/almost Beckhamesque? - YES

Male?

Beowulf?

(I know it's not right, but I'm hoping I might learn something from the audience reaction.)

Merlin?

[Phil] Male? - YES
[CdM] - Beowulf? - NO *the audience are all awake again and looking expectant*
[Spangle] Merlin? - This would be a different Merlin to the last one that was suggested and not a magician, I assume? - Still NO I'm afraid

Pryderi?

Getting closer

[CdM] Pryderi? - NO (he would have got a Yes on the Regal question)

From Celtic legend?

Finn MacCool?

Nearly there

[Phil] Celtic? - YES
[Spangle] Finn MacCool? - NO *the audience is torn between loud applause and gathering up bags, coats etc. ready to head for the exits*

Cuchulain?

A male legendary character from the UK, pre 1000AD, written about post 1000AD, one word, Celtic, not royalty...hmmm, don't think I'm right, but I need to rule Colin's Dog out.

[Phil] - YES CUCHULAINN it is!
The non-human element referred to the physical changes that affected him in battle when he suffered a beserker frenzy and turned into a sort of monster. As for the rest - exactly as you said - UK because he is mostly associated with Ulster.

A dusty cobwebbed baton handed on to Phil

Gosh - I was aware of the Ulsterness, and thought the animal smidgen might refer to his name, and status as Culann's hound (hence "Colin's Dog", which was a name I used in a few MUDs many years ago).
This time I'll go for ANIMAL

Human?

Mammal?

Merely a fall-back question should the answer to FGZ* be 'no'.

Single specific human/mammal/something else?

[FGZ] Human? NO
[Dujon] Mammal? NO
[CdM] A specific instance of a creature? NO (presuming I've interpreted the question correctly)

Aquatic?

Currently extant?

[Raak] Aquatic? NO
[INJ] Extant? YES

Reptilian?

[Dujon] Reptile? NO

Avian?

Dodo?

Naturally occuring in the UK?

[GL] Extant, not extinct.

Puffin?

Damn these eyes. I must get them replaced.

[INJ] Avian? YES *applause*
[GL] Dodo or puffin? NEITHER
[jim] UK-native? NO

A bird of prey?

[Raak] Bird of Prey? NO

Generally found in a watery habitat?

Waders, gulls, waterfowl etc

Flightless?

Parrot?

[INJ] Found in a watery habitat? NO *a smattering of laughter*
[GL] Flightless? YES *more laughter, mixed with applause*
[Software] Parrot? NO

Alive?

As opposed to, say, cooked.

Native to the continent of Oceania?

My first instinct is to say 'Kiwi'

Ostrich?

Emu?

Turducken?

[INJ] Alive? NO *the distant echoes of previous laughter are replaced by rapturous applause*
[FGZstar] Native to Oceania? NO
[Software] Ostrich? YES-ish, but not the answer on the card. more applause*
[GL] Emu? NO
[jim] Turducken? eh? *sound of Phil googling* Ah! NO, alas.

A clue

The answer on the card is three words, one of which is the indefinite article.

A wild goose?

[Raak] A wild goose? NO
To clarify - perhaps my answer to Software should have been YES, rather than YES-ish. It's not the complete answer, though.

An ostrich egg?

[CdM] An ostrich egg? NO *much applause for two words out of three*
I'm predicting there will be at least one more incorrect guess :-)

sommat do with flaming resurrection?

An ostrich omelette?

Ostrich Egg Omlette?

being more precise

An ostrich steak?

[Dujon] Phoenix? NO
[GL] Omelette? NO
[Software] OMELETTE? NO
[Raak] An Ostrich Steak? YES - the very words on the card! I was expecting feather first. Please accept this low-cholesterol baton of ostrich meat.

Yum. The next is VEGETABLE and MINERAL.

Vegetable = wood?

A hammer?

[Software] Not wood.
[GL] Not a hammer.

Is the mineral metal?

[INJ] Not metal.

Is it man-made?

Edible?

[GL] Yes, man-made.
[Software] Edible? the audience murmurs, wondering how the referee will adjudicate this Strictly speaking, no.

Is the mineral liquid?

[INJ] It is liquid.

A nice cup of tea?

[jim] Not a nice cup of tea (but some applause from the audience).

The brew of a witch?

Is the vegetable paper/card?

[Dujon] Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble? No.
[INJ] Not paper/card.

A pint of beer?

[Software] Not a pint of beer.

A really bad cup of tea?

Containing alcohol?

[jim] Not bad either.
[Spangle] No alcohol.

Is it something that people normally choose to drink?

[GL] Yes, people drink it. (Hence it not being "edible".)

Normally drunk hot?

[INJ] Normally hot.

Associated with a particular place or culture?

[CdM] Particular place or culture? Um...very broadly. We're not talking about boiled yak's milk or infusion of Patagonian lemurs.

Ovaltine?

Used on occasion to promote sleepiness?

Cafe au lait?

A triple venti decaf skinny mocha latte with one shot of hazelnut syrup and whipped cream?

[Projoy] Not Ovaltine.
[Dujon] laughter Does not promote sleepiness.
[irach] applause! Not café au lait.
[CdM] Not, erm, that thing you said.

Contains coffee?

Is coffee?

I'll have a double espresso please.

[INJ] *applause*
[GL] *more applause*
[INJ] *cheering in the aisles* Of the 40,000 ways to prepare an infusion of Coffea arabica, it is indeed a double espresso. One stainless steel lead-weighted rosewood-handled coffee tamper passed on.

Coo

Moving along quickly then. This one is:
ABSTRACT with Mineral (and arguably Animal and Vegetable) connections

A human concept?

[Software] That human question? - YES

Is the mineral stone?

[CdM] Stony? - YES and NO (but more NO than YES)

Fictional?

[CdM] Fictional? - NO

Begins with T?

Unique?

Specifically cultural?

Ends with Y?

[Puj] FirstT? - YES (ish) - I would accept an answer with an initial T although it isn't the first letter on the card
[Dujon] Unique? - YES (at least as a human concept)
[CdM] Neither specifically cultural nor culturally specific in the normal sense of those phrases.
[GL] Yending? At last, an easy question - NO

Something people do?

[Software] An Action? - NO
BTW I've just looked again and technically 'T' is the initial letter on the card, but that's because it's the definite article.

Two word answer incl the definite article?

[Spangle] The Answer? - NO
(4, 5 or 6 words will be accepted - the 6 word version is on the card and starts with the definite article)

Confused enough yet?

Actually I can also think of a 2-word answer that I'd accept as well.

Does the answer contain a superlative?

Does the answer contain a number?

Do any of the words begin with P?

[Raak] Bestest? - NO
[jim] Numeric? - NO
[GL] P-ness? - YES

Scientific?

A geographical feature?

Does the answer involve damming?

[CdM] Boffinology? - YES *considerable audience applause*
[Raak] Geography? - NO
[Dujon] Dam your eyes? - NO (where did that one come from?)

A scientific law or theory?

Related to theoretical physics?

Related to applied physics?

Completely unrelated to physics?

[jim] law/theory? - NO
[CdM] Theoretical? - YES
[Projoy] Applicable? - YES
[GL] Unrelated? - I think you can guess this one;-) - NO

Does this have to do with standard weights and measures?

[Raak] Weights and Measures? - NO (well, actually it has got quite a lot to do with them, but not in a helpful way)

Might we poor souls who aren't very scientific have actually heard of this?

Rephrase: Is it a phrase or saying that is in common usage?

[Spangle] Well known to us poor non-scientists? - YES (I promise you'll know this). As to the rephrase, I wouldn't really call it a phrase or saying, but it is in common usage.

Does it have to do with levers?

[Raak] Momentous? - NO

Does the word Principle appear on the card?

[CdM] You should know by now that I'm completely unprincipled, so: NO

Does the word Power appear on the card?

[GL] Powerful? - NO

Electrical?

[Software] Electric? - NO

A summary

OK, it’s a non-fictional unique scientific human concept, but not a law or theory. It’s related to Physics, both theoretical and applied. The mineral connection is partly, but not predominantly to stone. It has nothing to do with electricity, levers, weights & measures (with some caveats – as a clue, I would say that you can draw a tenuous connection to an awful lot of things if you put your mind to it). There are 6 words on the card, one of which starts with P, the first word being the definite article – I will not insist on your getting the exact words. None of these words is a number nor a superlative.
It is not an action, nor is it culturally specific, nor to do with geography.

So, if it’s not a law or a theory but is a scientific human concept, what is it?

The periodic table of the elements?

Not really physics, but connected, and it fits the pattern of words.

Fallait y penser

[jim] Indeed yes. The periodic table of the elements it is
No-one asked the Chemistry question, but I couldn't really say it was not related to Physics.

Here, have this glowing transuranic baton before it disappears.

Takes glowing thingy with some caution

My hair is falling out fast enough as it is, thankyou. No, the physics thing was definitely the right call. It's amazing how misleading one can end up being--completely unintentionally--by simply answering the questions as asked.

Anyway, let's have a nice ANIMAL/ABSTRACT.

Is the animal element human?

[Jim] Many of us will sympathise with that. I've gotten myself terribly tied in knots before now, just trying to say "yes" or "no" truthfully.

Is the answer a fictional character?

[jim, Kim] I know exactly how that feels, I remember trying to decide if Jupiter was flammable.

Unique?

[Kim] Human: YES
[GL] Fictional character: YES
[INJ] Unique: YES

Well, it doesn't look like this is going to take long.

Related to Harry Potter?

Male?

[GL] "Is Jupiter Flammable?" There must be scholarly philosophical articles written on that very question.

[Raak] Potter: NO (phew!)
[GL] Male: YES

In a work originally published post 1899 CE?

Originally in written fiction?

Narrowing frighteningly fast

[INJ] Post 1899: YES
[Raak] Written: YES

Biggles?

Was the fiction written by a British author?

[Raak] Several, they generally conclude that there isn't enough oxygen (or mass if you want to use fusion to light it) but if you could provide that, then it would be.

An eponymous character?

[GL] British: NO
[INJ] Eponymous: NO (that is, there are many things named after this character, but the book in which he originally appears isn't.)

Raffles?

[Software] Raffles: NO

In a work originally published prior to 1999 CE?

[GL] Pre 1999: YES

Was the author American?

In a work originally published in English?

[Raak] American: YES
[CdM] In English: YES

Originally in a cartoon/graphic work?

[INJ] Cartoon: NO

Science fiction?

Would the creator of this character be blessed with a name that relates to the provision of particular goods and services?

Did this character appear in more than one book?

Is this character under the age of 20?

[Raak] Science fiction: NO
[Dujon] Service industry: NO
[CdM] Multiple books: As far as I know, NO. He's mentioned in other works, but the only book I know of that he actually appears in is a stand-alone.
[Spangle] Under 20: NO

Is the work based in a war zone?

Sorry, missed one

[Raak] Biggles: NO (you might have been able to infer this from other answers)
[INJ] War games: NO, it isn't Catch-22 :)

Oh dear, that's a major, major disappointment!

Sports connection?

[Software] Sporty: NO

"Other works" = film?

Written between 1950 & 1970?

[Phil] Film: That's not what I had in mind when I said it, but the original written work has been transferred to the silver screen.
[INJ] 1950-1970: YES

arrow_circle_down

Want to play? Online Crescenteering lives on at Discord