h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I do not think I will have an answer in the next 12 minutes and RL is calling.

Tragically it would appear not.

Let's review.


What big and round and goes wrr-wrr-wrrr-hmmmmm-*click*-wrrr-hmmmm-wrrrr-wrrrrrr and lies somewhere East of Egypt and West of China and in Arabic is called "snorter" and does something useful?

Buggered if I know.

Oh wait - I *do* know!

Guessing is *your* job.

Something that is now empty, that was used in the past....


A particularly large example. It has an Arabic name, therefore presumably Middle-Eastern......


Bottle shaped.......


Proverb: 'Empty vessels make most noise!'

If it is bottle shaped, the neck could be a vent of some sort, to carry away 'vapour' or 'fumes'..


Don't mind me. Just thinking!



GT

as I was going to say it is also the job of GT and Bob, and Bel, and MMF. You will need to get your answer from one of them. I'm out of here.

Don't mind me. Just thinking!

We like to encourage that.

Hence:

"Something that is now empty, that was used in the past...."

DGI +1

There isn't much use for these now, they've been superseded but they keep these ones more for display - hence the tourism function.


"If it is bottle shaped, the neck could be a vent of some sort, to carry away 'vapour' or 'fumes'.."


DGI +1


That's a definite 'getting closer' DGI.....

Klaxons left??


East of Egypt, West of China. Big area!!

Say it is Middle Eastern then.


Three guesses.

Grain Silo

Bronze Age Smelting Oven for smelting Copper/Tin

Wind Powered Archimedian Screw for drawing water from aquifers.




GT

I think this one is great, Clive. Keeps us entertained for days.

I think we've rather passed beyond the initial flurry of klaxonable items. Time however will tell.

It is located in the Middle East - yes it is. DGI +1

That probably only sounds strange becuase we've essentially circumnavigated the globe and come to it via London, Derry, Florida, Michigan, Hawaii, Lhaos, Bangladesh - and then over-shot into Egypt.

Grain Silo - Nope

Bronze Age Smelting Oven for smelting Copper/Tin - Nope.

Wind Powered Archimedian Screw for drawing water from aquifers.

- That's so damn close, but I'm only going to give it a DGI +1 because I've saving the +3 for whoever says what it is first.

Hee-Hee - Thanks Bel!

A well?

Oil well pump?



GT

It's not a well.

Not that I'm trying to hurry you along but my dinner is coming out of the over in 5 minutes so I'll vanish for a bit.

Also within the next page or so we will have equalled the record-busting number of posts to a QI forum set by "Happily violence" (I remember the days when if a thread got into the high 20's it was doing well!)

I'd also point out that by then the majority of the riddle had been solved and it was just sweeping up the last bits of the detritus.

Here you're skirting close - but there's still all to play for.

Isn't this exciting?

Wind powered water pump of some kind...



GT

You know the phrase "you're half-right."

Well you're one-third right.

It's not powered by wind and it's not a pump but it does involve moving water from one place to somewhere else.

Right my dinner's ready.

Fight amongst yourselves for the remaining points and if you can muster the energy to be quiet interesting you may yet end up on top.

I'll review your efforts when I return from spicy Jamaican chicken medley.

Not a well, not powered by wind, not a pump, but does involve moving water from one place to another.

An aqueduct of some kind then.

In the M.E. they may have to use enclosed water channels. The sound could be caused by the water pushing air ahead of it. Is it artesian water being forced upwards by underground pressure into one of these enclosed watercourses?


GT

Any more ideas, Bel?



GT

I'm totally stuck, GT.

There is an aqueduct invovled - but that's not the source of The Sound.

DGI +1