Sunday, February 05, 2006

Sepilok, Sabah, E Malaysia.

Been raining all day here in the jungle, so much so that the walkway to the orang-utang feeding station, at a height of 3 feet above the jungle floor, was flooded by 3 pm. It's now 8 pm and it hasn't stopped wellying down. A few bedraggled 'men of the jungle' put in an appearance this afternoon, but this morning it was a no-show, much to the disgruntlement of the assembled American Tourist Hordes, who were asking for their money back after coming all this way. A guide said 'well what would you do in this rain, stay at home or come here?', which was a bit of a non-question as we were definitely not at home.

The orangs are amazingly strong dudes. Brachiation? No problem. One-arm pull-ups, a cinch. Dead hangs - how long have you got? Just goes to show what you can achieve if you start your climbing career from birth.

Tomorrow I'm heading for Singapore, just a one-night stopover before moving on to Cairns in Oz. I suspect that 'What Afterlife' may take a back-seat Down Under, while his alter-ego racks up a negative karmic balance, but hey, when in Rome and all that.

Anyways, while I was waiting for our 96.4% identical DNA cousins to show up for their bananas, I dreamed up a hot competition to a) bring us all together in a spirit of on-line communal fun and b) get you lazy-assed passive surfer wasters to join in this blog before I give it up altogether and read a book. Do you think I'm doing it for fun or something? Give me a break. So here goes with the...

Fish Brain-teaser!

The perceptive diver cannot help noticing that many types of fish are named after other animals! That's because the animals were named first and the fish kind of look a bit like them - for example the tiger shark, batfish or butterfly fish! Other fish are often named after familiar household objects - the box fish, trumpetfish and pipefish spring instantly to mind!

However, only a few land animals or household objects are named after fish. It seems a bit unfair to our aquatic cousins, but it’s true!

How to enter
How many non-fishy animals or inanimate objects that are named after fish can you think of? Here are a few to get you started: silverfish, Ray, codpiece. And here are some also rans: plaice mat, stickleback plastic, carp ark.

List your answers in ‘comments’, taking note that answers, once listed, become invalid in subsequent postings, obviously. (postings? who am I kidding)

It’s that simple!

Why on earth should I bother?
You could win an exciting fish dinner! The reader with the most correct answers wins an exciting fresh fish of their own choice* for each correct answer, from a well-known Macclesfield fishmonger. What's more, the judging panel may cook it for you on their back garden barbeque if you're lucky, and they feel like it.

*Subject to availability. The panel reserve the right to substitute sardines (or equivalent) if the are feeling stingy or you get more than one right answer. Boring answers to do with recreational fishing (eg 'perch pole' or 'herring paternoster') will be met with the scorn they deserve. In the event of petty squabbles, the panel's decision is final.

4 comments:

Pete said...

Stop carping on, we do read this.

Unknown said...

Fish joke! Half a point to bullyboy!

Pete said...

OK, here's a few.

Brewed since 1777, Bass.

Locksmiths since 1818, Chubb.

Smoking aid synoymous with the Rizla, the Roach.

Someone on the small side is sometimes unfairly described as a Shrimp.

A merger of gospel-charged singing, secular subject matter, and funk rhythms, Sole music.

And finally, one which needs no introduction, the humuhumu-nukunuku-a-pua‘a.

But not forgetting the fastest vehicle in the river, the motorpike and sidecarp.

Unknown said...

Six points!

Plus a bonus point for adding historical dates, whether you made them up or not they add credibility.

humuhumu-nukunuku-a-pua‘a is the famous "fish with a pig's nose" in Hawain...a futher well-earned bonus point for nominating a fish named after a nose.

Another fish joke...add 1.

Total: an impressive 9.5 points!

Anyone care to knock bullyboy off his perch?