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

This is not as easy as it sounds. I will be away for a day or two, I look forward to the best effort winning.

Oooh - there was what my doctor said to me the other day :

"Exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale."

Yeah...Three's a mistake. I always have to make a mistake in these Q's, remember.
I actually had 55 at first, then at the last minute I thought 33 was longer.
Well, it is, sure, but it's also wrong...

For you "straight" guys, then, the final challenge is to add a sentence. But intelligibility is a bit arbitrary, yeah, take your point. And adding "then" would not be satisfying.

Why not have a sentence to go with the first one (now referring to 1955)? Kind of make a paragraph...or a novel. Yeah, let's write a novel, using only 15 letters of the alphabet...

On second thoughts, shall we just give it to toxxin?

Go on toxxin, post an explanation and a correction, and you're next up.

Gotta go...
Pin

OK Pin, but don't anyone hold their breath while I think of a question. The idea is that if the sentences etc are written out in upper case letters, only straight lines will appear. That's why THREE doesn't work, because of the R. FIFTY FIVE and NINETY NINE are longer anyway; so if we substitute 99 for anything chosen by Pin then we get a longer string. A trivial but rather satisfying way of doing it, I reckon!

Oops! Gone wrong already. I should have said NINETY NINE is longer than FIFTY FIVE.

Just gotta pop in and say 'hi' so's there no question of my still being here. Been following with interest. A great deal of interest actually, but no answers because all the questions on the last five pages have left me stumped. Even when I see the final solutions. Good to see Wumbeevil out and about; I almost got his 'fries' question. Yep, just a few more hours and I mighta got it.
peace
~jwf~

That's disappointing ~jwf~! Are you really saying you don't follow my account of the solution to that last one? For example: all french numerals except MILLE contain at least one curved letter in upper case. UN, DEUX etc........... While we have FIVE (all straight lines) they have CINQUE (kinda curly). Very neatly spotted by Pin, I thought; especially the unique status of MILLE. Cheers Pin.

>> That's disappointing ~jwf~! <<

Oh god you sound just like all my teachers from long, long ago.

No I only meant that the last few pages of questions have been unique, original and quirky. I have really enjoyed following along, admiring the ability of some of you folks to shift from obscure visuals (as you explain above), to mathematical, to having fries with that, to doing shopping lists of the 'hunger hurts' songs from Oliver ...
It's quite entertaining and educational, so don't weep for me Anorexia. As the little mouse said, "I am more than content to read between the lions."

~jwf~

Yep, I'm a fan of crosswords, so here's one I found earlier. It's a cryptic one, of course, and there are five letters in the answer. If folks are struggling, I'll start to fill in the blanks at some suitable juncture. I think the answer is unique, but since this isn't the whole puzzle, I guess I'll have to accept any good answer.

Inventor of the saw?

Off ya go............

Yeah, it's me again. I couldn't leave the last one alone, sorry. This is my stab at a rather longer sentence, and it's got no 3s in it, even.
It seems to be about some kind of stone-age Jamie Oliver

IN TIME, AN EFFETE YET INVENTIVE MAN WILL MAKE A NEAT HAM WITH FENNEL IN WHITE WINE WITH A FINE FLINT KNIFE.

(Wotcha ~jwf~ )

...Right. I'll shut up now. Back to the crossword...
Pin

You knew what I'd do, Pin. I'm gonna put 'then' in so 'WILL THEN MAKE' amends your sentence to a longer one. I spotted you online a minute ago. I was wondering whether a slight cluette might be required. I found it a tough one. Must admit I had one letter before I got it.

The Weddell wants to put ,LITHE in after the EFFETE, too. Just 'cos she's got a J-O fixation

...OK, now, this x-word thing. Saws are serrated, flat-bladed cutting tools, but also proverbs. And we could be about past participles of the verb "to see". Hmmm....

Just a hunch...
Hiram Maxim invented the machine gun (?)
A maxim is a proverb=saw
...and we do seem to have a bit of a thing about x's, don't we?
So...MAXIM?

Nice one Pin. As you know, hardly any facts are required for cryptic xwords. You note, I followed tradition with a clue in the heading. Subtle, but clearly doesn't elude you. Over to you.

OK, this is a scramble, 'cos I'm too tired to think straight, though the two gentlemen concerned here are just that, in the terms of the Q before last, anyway...

The similarities between the two products are obvious.
One did it in Italy, 1530s. The other in France, 1860s.
Both have maids in evidence.
Both subjects sport a wrist-band.
The latter substituted a cat for a dog.

Identify and explain.

>> (Wotcha ~jwf~) <<

*tries to resist impulse to respond ..fails*

Oh I see. To boldly go in straight lines.
I can hardly wait for my turn now. To 'round' things out I'm gonna ask for the longest possible sentence with all words containing the letter O.



peace
~jwf~

Oh no, no, no, no, no, ..............................

TITIAN--Venus of Urbino--1538
Nude with wristband, maid, and dog

MANET--Olympia--1863(first exhibited 1865)
Nude with wristband, maid, and cat

Seamus

You beat me to it, Seamus. I had it except for the title of Titian's painting. Couldn't remember it. I was Googling for it when I saw you had already answered!

Well done Seamus

Does anyone have a link to an art site for these for us philistines?