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

Guess which is the real definition:
1. a political state in India, as in "Rioting broke out in Upper Gutta-Percha yesterday..."
2. a kind of fish found in the Galapagos Islands region of the Pacific
3. a decorative material, as in "The bride wore a dress of white silk, trimmed with silver gutta-percha."
4. a plastic-y substance derived from the sap of certain malaysian trees and used in dentistry.

Asteroid Lil

Okay, I'll bite. Is it the fish?

And have you ever played Balderdash?

Not the fish.
Never heard of Balderdash!
Lil

I think it also goes by another name, but I can't remember it....

Basically, one person reads off a word, then everybody makes up a definition and writes it down on a piece of paper, and then the reader mixes up all the pieces of paper, along with one that has the real definition on it, and reads them off, and everybody has to try and guess which one is the real one. It's a lot of fun.

Miz Wolf, did you do that to my fishicon? I love it.

Balderdash sounds like a tv program I used to love when I lived in England, called My Word. Hosted by Robert Robinson, it was a group of very clever people such as the late Frank Muir, the late Patrick Campbell, the late Graham Hill, Richard Ingrams, the late Peter Cook (I'm not THAT old, but this is suddenly very depressing)....

Anyhow, the rules were the same.

Are you going to guess again?

Lil

'Twarn't me, ma'am--you'll find all the smileys have been spiffed up a bit in honor of All Hallows' Eve.

Be it the dental substance, then?

Winnah! Winnah! Winnah!

Sounds even more like an old British TV programme named 'Call My Bluff' - also involving Frank Muir, Patrick Cambell et al (Robert Robinson was the chairman). The two main regulars on 'My Word' (which was a radio programme) were Frank Muir and Dennis Norden. 'Call my bluff' has been revived with Alen Coren and Sandy Toksvig leading the teams, and Bob Holness as chairman. Unfortunately it's on at lunchtime, so I don't get to see it as often as I'd like to.

Was My Word the same as Call My Bluff?

Woohoo! What's my prize then?

Miz Wolf wins glory and a reputation for erudition.

I had the programs mixed up and Researcher nnnnn has politely set me straight (well, it was a long time ago). The telly program was Call My Bluff, and the radio show was My Word. I loved that show, too. Have they revived I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again? When I listened to it, it had John Cleese, Bill Oddie, Graeme Garden, the other Goodie...

Lil

Yay! Glory!

Maybe "erudition" should be a WOTD....

"I'm sorry I'll read that again" is sorely missed. "I'm sorry I haven't a clue" is not bad, but not quite as much fun some how. However BBC radio comedy is still alive and well, especially on Radio Four. It may be worth trying out the BBC World service occasionally. It was on the European Broadcasts of the world service that I first caught H2G2 many years ago. It was broadcast at around 04:30 GMT if I remember rightly (luckily I was a student at the time).

P.S. The other Goodie was Tim Brooke-Taylor

Tim Brooke-Taylor, of COURSE. That was bothering me!