“Recent reference to Icelandic names had me thinking about why English adopted a million surnames ending in ‘son’, but none ending in ‘dottir’, or it’s English equivalent ‘daughter’,” muses Stein Boddington of St Clair. “Did the Scandinavians have a Germaine Greer long before we did?”
Greg Phillipson of Aranda (ACT) does the Herald Superquiz every weekday. “I have never gotten less than six out of 15, but very rarely have I gone above 11. Is there anyone in your readership that has gotten all 15 correct?” Aficionados will know this results in a score of 30.
What’s the deal with snakes (C8) and shotguns? While sounding like a tribute band of sorts, recent offerings indicate they go hand in hand, as evidenced by Peter O’Brien of Shoalhaven Heads: “I recall when a weekend game of cricket involving the locals from Crookwell at Tuena Oval was interrupted by a brown snake curling up and around the stumps during a break in play. When we walked back on and saw the snake, he was quickly dispatched with a blast from a 410 shotgun along with the stumps. The rest of the game was spent bowling from one end!”
And while we’re (still) talking snakes, George Manojlovic of Mangerton thinks the actions of Margaret Grove’s family are totally reasonable: “Margaret, I can fully understand your mother and sister locking themselves in the car. That snake was a windscreen viper.”
“Olympic track athletes should realise it’s no use praying at the start of races,” says Stephanie Edwards of Leichhardt. “God is well known to be a rugby fan.”
And has Kiama’s Mickey Pragnell uncovered officialdom’s plans for a new hybrid event with this commentary gem? “Tell us about the hurdles she had to overcome to win her BMX gold.”
Priorities. “I was in the newsagency yesterday and a customer noted that Australia Post can produce gold medal stamps faster than they can deliver letters!” contemplates Gary Mills of Mosman.
Another Mosmanite, Michael Strickland writes: “There we were, seven friends enjoying a coffee on the occasion of a birthday, when the question arose – in which year were you born? And someone was silly enough to ask each of us the same question. Lo and behold! The seven of us could claim a run of 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, and a 1949. Sadly, the odds didn’t hold for the lottery ticket we purchased.”
Column8@smh.com.au
No attachments, please. Include
name, suburb and daytime phone