You guys should write a book.

Thanks for the info about "Pulp Fiction" Marko, I'm going to have to knock that one off my list and thrash my source on that one...

Ellen, shouldn't there be a more "colorful" group name for a group of magicians? I'm thinking "a sleight of magicians" perhaps? Anyone got any others?

-Reg {*}

After a bit more research, though conlicting stories do exist, I have to agree with you. I stand corrected.

Bzzzzt. I'm sorry. Thank you for playing. While "Peter Pan" popularized the name Wendy, the name wasn't invented for the book.

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mpeterpanwendy.html



That depends on the make and brand. There are some brands of golf balls that have as many as 450 dimples.



The longest word that can be typed using only the top row of keys on a QWERTY keyboard is TYPEWRITER.

Scott, notice how he said regulation golf ball.

Wouldn't that make it a true statement?

Chris

Nice lists...I shall have to dig out some old books from underneath the bathroom sink..

I did a search on the net one day, because I had heard everything from your tongue, to your gluteous maximus! Basically, it comes down to what you mean by strongest muscle. If you take it as 'strength', or ability to lift weight, I THINK it was the tongue. However, if you take it to mean 'endurance', not surprisingly it's your heart (it's a muscle). There were a couple other examples, but I can't think of them at the moment.

Item 1. Ok I repeated Rumor and stand corrected.

Item 2. Actually, there is a standard number of dimples: 336. However, if you look at the US Golf Association’s list of conforming golf balls, very few actually have 336 dimples—most have 392 or 440. Now, as to why they’re there, As John Newman wrote in an e-mail: "They increase the turbulence in the layer of air around the ball. This increased turbulence reduces the aerodynamic drag which, increases the distance in flight over that of a smooth ball." More Info is Here

Item 3. Your response is irrelevant and repeats what I already pointed out. Stewardesses is typed completely with the left hand. TYPEWRITER is typed entirely with the top row of keys.

The TYPEWRITER thing wasn't a correction. The STEWARDESS thing just made me think of it.

Someone just sent me this list:


Many years ago, in Scotland, a new game was invented.
It was ruled to be "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"....and thus the
word GOLF entered into the English language.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime
time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the US Treasury.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Coca-Cola was originally green.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is impossible to lick your elbow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work:
Alaska

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28%

(now get this...) The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The average number of people airborne over the US any given hour: 61,000.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The world's youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The youngest pope was 11 years old.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:

Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th,
John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on
August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?

A. Their birthplace


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name
requested?

A. Obsession

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you
would find the letter "A"?

A. One thousand

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser
printers all have in common?

A. All invented by women.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?

A. Honey

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?

A. Father's Day

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by
ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making
the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep
tight."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month
after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all
the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their
calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey
month...which we know today as the honeymoon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts.. So in old England,
when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your
pints and quarts, and settle down. It's where we get the phrase "mind your
P's and Q's"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into
the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a
refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the
phrase inspired by this practice.

Sorry, this is false. Check out Snopes: Language (Golf Carte)



Again, this is false. Check out Snopes: History (The Four King Truth).



Snopes: Military (Statue of Limitations)

"Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur."

Now, who was the poor sap who had to shave a tiger to find this out!?

Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?

A. All invented by women. '

Isn't it sad that you can name all four things women have invented?

There are more people in American jails for drug offences than there are in jails in Western Europe for ALL offences. The relative populations are about the same.

I'd say a Murder of Magicians is a good one. Not only is it easy to recall, being alliterative, but... how many times have people around you wish they could'a died right there when they saw you coming with another trick to show them when you were first learning, and likely a terrible pest around the house and elsewhere...?



I wonder if this was true outside the prudish old USA...

The first 'real' couple to sleep in the same bed on US TV were Carol and Mike Brady.

I wish I could recall the source, but I have also seen this debunked in the past. The person who wrote about this stated that it is all a matter of personal preference of the artist, and those who commission the statue. Hmmm, I'll have to check out some statues in WDC sometime, and test both ideas. (OH, I see, now, that Snopes already did this... Sorry I missed your earlier note, Scott.) ---I'm thinking that I probably had it on my old Hard Drive, which imploded in November. (Back-up your data, folks!)

JM

JM, you can't have a Murder of Magicians because that term is already used for crows as in a murder of crows.
How about a hat of magicians or a tux of magicians or a mirror of magicians or a levitation of magicians or a vanish of magicians or a blaine of magicians?
Greg

I didn't know we had to make up something unused for other species... Others were repeated... How about a wand of wizards...? Still alliterative. If the term is ever chosen to speak of us in a group as a "Blaine" of magicians, you will never see me in a group of us. If you wish to honor a magic great, choose a great magician... A Dai of Magicians, A Marlo, a Dingle; or go with a great known to the lay audiences... A Houdini, A Blackstone, ... hahaha-->> A Brodein... A Bixby... A Merlin... I like "A sleight of magicians", too!


Check this out. The Science correspondent also has a connection to magic. He was my student when he was 8 and 9. http://www.npr.org/lightningcast/index.h......ext=.asx

JM

Actually, I have a friend who honestly can lick his elbow. Hes the only person Ive ever met who can do it though.

I don't know if this is true, but I heard most toilets flush in the note of E flat.

James