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

Fathom - sorry, forgot to mention that bit Yup, one on each leg.

I took my girl to the opera
The python she carried was orange
The brooch she wore was copperer
Than a copper plated door hinge

Her face turned slowly purple
While she struggled to get her breath
She said "urgle gurgle gurple"
As the python squeezed her to death

I like a challenge.

F

'Gurple'?

'Wet and smelly' was right: I couldn't find anything to rhyme with 'purple' so I made a word up. It was good enough for Lewis Carroll and Shakespeare so it's good enough for me.

F

while we are (were) (vaguely) on the subject of bones (a few posts back), I seem to remember (or have I made it up) that giraffes have the same number of bones in their neck as humans (or some other short-necked creature).

This useless fact was brought to you by me, and made even more useless by the number of parentheses and inaccuracies contained therein. and all who sail in her.

rt

Yes, that's true: giraffes have the same number of vertebrae (seven, I think) in their necks as humans.

St. Patrick wasn’t Irish—he was Welsh

How queer!

St Patrick wasn't Irish, he was Welsh.

It is a common misconception that Florence Nightingale spent her life doing nursing - she didn't. In truth, she spent only performed nursing duties for about three years.

"Clinophobia" is the fear of beds.

27% of female lottery winners hide their ticket in their bra.

73.2% of all statistics are made up on the spot

Researchers don't always read the backlog. (See post 51)

F

France has the only airspace in the world where English is not the mandatory language of communication.

Ca c'est typique des francais!! Bloody french!!

A lot of people pronounce opera as 'opra', so you could say it rhymes with 'copra' (dried coconut kernels). Even if you stick with 'opera', you could rhyme it with 'koppara', which is the Malayalam word for cocoonut.

There are no snakes in Ireland. (Other than in zoos presumably, although I think they are actually prohibited)

F

Aren't there no snakes cos they were supposed to have been driven out by St Patrick (who from an earlier post, wasn't actually Irish?)

That's the story.

There're no wolves either. Those Irish Wolfhounds were obviously successful too. (An Irish Wolfhound is a large dog; before someone asks)

F

The cheetah is the only big cat that can lift its tail higher than the level of its back--they need the extra flexibility because they use the tail for a stabilizer when running. Other than that, only ordinary house cats can lift their tails up in the air.

And way over to the side at certain times that cannot be mentioned on a family site like this.

F S