Here she be, folks.

COYPU

Animal? Vegetable? Mineral? (And aren't there things that are none of the above? I was once baffled trying to guess "pitfalls" in a game of 20 Questions...)

The polls are open. Send your cards and letters via PM.

EDIT: I find I've been ambiguous by not making it clear this was a bluffing-game word. Apologies to any I have led astray by my attempts to be clever and sound breezy. If you were misled and looked it up, please feel free to send in a daffynition anyway.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: haberdasher,

question sent via PM.

So far I have contributions from jerry thomas, Kalleh, jo, tinman, arnie, BobHale,
Caterwauller,Asa Lovejoy.

And the polls are still open!

Mine on the way via email.

quote:

---

Originally posted by haberdasher:
So far I have contributions from jerry thomas, Kalleh, jo, tinman, arnie, BobHale,
Caterwauller,Asa Lovejoy.

---

And KHC and Cat.

Last Call? I'll post the choices Sunday or maybe Monday.

Don't forget to turn your clocks back at bedtime tonight!

Cat -

check your PM

Good. I think that's everybody.

So here's the deal.


COYPU is one of these:

A) a vegetable found in subtropical areas having large flat yellowish leaves, generally used to wrap shellfish for steaming; can also be pounded into a semi-gelatinous consistency not dissimilar to poi

B) a deer-like mammal from India and Sri Lanka, deep brown in color with creamy or whitish markings and antlers that are carried on long, bony hair-covered pedicles

C) a Brazilian term of endearment for a shy child

D) the genus of aggressive vine-like plant that quickly spreads in swampy semi-tropical areas

E) a colorful Japanese silk robe, tied at the waist by an obi

F) a type of small animal, like a rat, chipmunk, squirrel, or pika

G) a Welsh dish of cheese, bread, and leeks baked in an oven

H) a beaver-like aquatic rodent native to South America, valued for its fur; nutria

I) the flexible section of medieval full plate armour consisting of small
overlapping plates that protect the throat and neck

J) a rare fish that lives off the coasts of Asia

K) cervical subluxation that results in bilateral dystonia

L) the specific form of marine crustacean which attaches itself to the body of killer whales

Well, there seems to be general agreement that it’s a noun, anyway.

I count 6 animal, 3 vegetable, 1 mineral, 1 abstract. Plus silk. Is silk animal or vegetable? I guess it’s animal. Milk would be animal, wouldn’t it? And eggs? So silk should be too. Make that 7 animal, 3 vegetable, 1 mineral, 1 abstract.

Pick one!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: haberdasher,

lots of furry animals.

I will take Door H

Wow! What lovely variety! I think I'm hungry, though, so I'll go with

G

I'm for H.

I vote B... B for Boston, B for beans, B for BS

H please

H for me please.

Oh? So far this is a 4-H club?!

I first thought, "H," but then thought, no, that's "capybara." So maybe it's a shy Brazilian beaver with a sore neck wearing a Japanese robe?

Well, since I still think it's a rodent, I'll go with "F," despite arnie, who is always (almost) right!

Oh, I logged in too late, and now I am all biased by the "H's!"

Okay, I will be a good little girl and choose "J."

However, it is a good thing we aren't keeping score anymore, that's all I have to say!

I shall have to go for H.

I think everyone but Tinman has voted. Are you there? I'm all ready to post, but I don't like to start without you!

I'll sit this one out.

Tinman

One absention, then.


COYPU

A) a vegetable found in subtropical areas having large flat yellowish leaves, generally used to wrap shellfish for steaming; can also be pounded into a semi-gelatinous consistency not dissimilar to poi
submitted by jo

B) a deer-like mammal from India and Sri Lanka, deep brown in color with creamy or whitish markings and antlers that are carried on long, bony hair-covered pedicles
submitted by Kalleh
chosen by KHC

C) Brazilian term of endearment for a shy child submitted by
submitted by Cat

D) genus of aggressive vine-like plant that quickly spreads in swampy semi-tropical areas
submitted by jerry thomas

E) a colorful Japanese silk robe, tied at the waist by an obi
submitted by haberdasher

F) a type of small animal, like a rat, chipmunk, squirrel, or pika submitted by tinman
chosen by Asa Lovejoy

G) a Welsh dish of cheese, bread, and leeks baked in an oven
submitted by arnie
chosen by Caterwauller

H) a beaver-like aquatic rodent native to South America, valued for its fur; nutria
The right answer. See Bartleby, among other sources.
chosen by Jo, jerry thomas, BobHale, arnie, Cat

I) the flexible section of medieval full plate armour consisting of small
overlapping plates that protect the throat and neck
submitted by BobHale

J) rare fish that lives off the coasts of Asia
submitted by Caterwauller
chosen by Kalleh

K) cervical subluxation that results in bilateral dystonia
submitted by Asa Lovejoy

L) the specific form of marine crustacean which attaches itself to the body of killer whales
submitted by Kay Charbonneau


Well, that's it, folks. I had thought at first that coypu was one of the "See also"s for hyrax, but not so. Some of you knew it beforehand, and applause is due to the inventors of a number of close and distracting near-definitions. -)

Now, who's next?

Coypu were a great pest In East Anglia and the Norfolk Broads, an area of rivers and waterways in eastern England. They were brought over from South America to be farmed for their fur, and inevitably some escaped. They had no natural enemies (apart from cold) and would undermine river banks and dykes, and damage crops.

A campaign to eradicate the coypu began in earnest in 1981 and the last was caught in 1986.

See here for more information.

I see the three Brits who entered (Bob, Cat, and me) got the right answer. I suspect we had a slight advantage here.

quote:

---

Originally posted by haberdasher:
applause is due to the inventors of a number of close and distracting near-definitions. -)

---

Dammit. I never thought of that.

When we play Balderdash at home (on which I think this game is based?), any daffynitions similar to the real one are discarded and the creator given points instead. I keep thinking in that vein, and forgetting to try and trap people.

Next time...

Well, Cat, we have a similar rule. However, I don't really think the fish and deer-like selections were similar, though "F" was very close. I think we should make Asa a winner too.

To me, the word sounded like an animal (thus my "B" daffynition), and I imagine I have seen it before in a zoo or book.

quote:

---

When we play _Balderdash_ at home (on which I think this game is based?),

---

Actually, Cat, Balderdash is fairly recent version of a much older parlo(u)r game.

quote:

---

I think we should make Asa a winner too.

---

Kalleh, if you'll recall, when I started this game here, I awarded one point to someone (Tinman?) who guessed the "almost right" definition. Since we're not keeping score any more, it's moot. Thanks anyway!

I feel so proud to have fooled Kalleh! WooHOO!

I think it is Cat or Kalleh's turn for Wordmistress... yes?

quote:

---

Originally posted by Asa Lovejoy:
Actually, Cat, Balderdash is fairly recent version of a much older parlo(u)r game.

---

What's it called, Asa - is it "Call My Bluff"? The TV version of that has been going on British TV for decades (and radio before that, probably). It's amazing how many words there are in our language that I've never heard of - sigh.

speaking of British tv and radio, is My Word still on the air, anywhere?

How about you, KHC? If you can't post more than a couple of lines (is that still a problem?), you could e-mail me the daffynitions.

quote:

---

Originally posted by jo:
speaking of British tv and radio, is My Word still on the air, anywhere?

---

should be on many NPR radio staions. Here's a sample schedule: Sundays at seven, if you live in Atlanta, Georgia and can get WABE, 90.1 on your FM dial. [Digression: when's the last time you saw a dial on a radio? Probably since before you last saw a dial on a telephone...] I saw another listing for Southern California, and I'm sure there are many more. Google 'NPR "My Word"' and happy hunting!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: haberdasher,

OH JOY! Thank you. My favorite show. Now to find it here in the Middens.

quote:

---

Originally posted by jo:
OH JOY! Thank you. My favorite show. Now to find it here in the Middens.

---

Good luck, Jo. It's on in Eugene, but not in Portland! Go figure...