Book Read Free

When Do Fish Sleep?

Page 25

by David Feldman


  “Deaf and dumb”

  Decaffeinated coffee

  leftover caffeine usage

  orange pots in restaurants

  “Deep-six”

  Deer, automobile headlights and

  Deer ornaments, plastic lawn

  Dehumidifiers, operation of

  Delaware, incorporations in

  Dentist offices, smell of

  Deodorant aerosols, shaking of

  Desert, rising cool air in

  Dessert, fast-food restaurants and

  Detergents, laundry

  bleach in

  package sizes of

  Detroit Red Wings and octopus throwing

  Diagonal measurement of TV sets

  Dictionaries

  pronunciation and

  thumb notches in

  Diet soft drinks

  calorie constituents in

  phenylalanine as ingredient in

  Dimples

  auto headlamps

  facial

  golf balls

  Dinner knives, rounded edges of

  Dinner plates

  repositioning of

  round shape of

  Dirt, refilling of, in holes

  Disc jockeys and lack of song identification

  “Discussing Uganda,” origins of term

  Dishwashers, two compartments of

  Disney cartoon characters

  Donald Duck

  Goofy

  Mickey Mouse

  Disposable lighters, fluid chambers of

  Distilleries, liquor, during Prohibition

  Ditto masters, color of

  “Dixie”

  Dixieland music at political rallies

  “Dixieland”

  DNA, identical twins and

  Doctors, back tapping of

  Doctors and bad penmanship

  “Dog days”

  Dogs

  barking, laryngitis in

  black lips of

  body odor of

  cavities and

  circling before lying down

  crooked back legs of

  Dalmatians and firefighting

  drooling in

  eating cat feces

  eating posture of

  head tilting of

  lifting legs to urinate in

  miniature

  poodles, wild

  rear-leg wiggling, when scratched

  “sic” command

  sticking head out of car windows in

  wet noses

  Dollar sign, origins of

  Dolls, hair of

  Donald Duck, brother of

  Donkey Kong, origins of

  “DONT WALK” signs, lack of apostrophes in

  Doors

  double, in stores

  knobs versus handles on

  opening orientation of, in buildings

  shopping mall entrances

  “THIS DOOR TO REMAIN UNLOCKED DURING BUSINESS HOURS” signs, in stores

  “Doozy”

  “Do-re-mi”

  Dots on cue balls, in pool

  Double doors in stores

  “Doubleheader”

  Double-jointedness

  Double-yolk eggs

  Doughnuts

  tissues and handling in stores

  origins of holes in

  Downhill ski poles, shape of

  Dr Pepper

  origins of name

  punctuation of

  Drains, location of bathtub

  “Draw a Bead,” origins of term

  Dreams, nap versus nighttime

  Drinking glasses, “sweating” of

  Dripless candles, whereabouts of wax in

  “Driveway”

  Driveways, driving on, versus parkways

  Driving, left-versus right-hand side

  Drooling, dogs and

  Drowsiness after meals

  Drugstores, high platforms in

  “Dry,” as terms for wines

  Dry-cleaning

  French

  garment labels and

  One Hour Martinizing

  raincoats and

  Dryers, hand

  in bathrooms

  “off” switches

  Ducks

  lakes and ponds and

  on Cadillacs

  Duels, timing of

  Dugouts, height of

  “Dukes”

  “Dumb [mute]”

  “Dumbbells”

  Dust, ceiling fans and

  E

  as school grade

  on eye charts

  “Eagle [golf score]”

  Earlobes, function of

  “Earmark”

  Earrings, pirates and

  Ears

  hairy, in old men

  popping in airplanes

  ringing, causes of

  Earthworms as fish food

  Easter

  chocolate bunnies and

  dates of

  ham consumption at

  “Easy as pie”

  Eating, effect of sleep on

  “Eavesdropper”

  Ebert, Roger, versus Gene Siskel, billing of

  Egg, versus chicken

  Egg whites and copper bowls

  Eggs

  color of

  double-yolk

  hard-boiled, discoloration of

  meaning of grading of

  sizes of

  “Eggs Benedict”

  “Eighty-six,” origins of term

  Elbow macaroni, shape of

  Elderly men

  pants height and

  shortness of

  Elections, U.S.

  timing of

  Tuesdays and

  Electric can openers, sharpness of blades on

  Electric drip versus electric perk, in coffee

  Electric perk versus electric drip, in coffee

  Electric plug prongs

  holes at end of

  three prongs versus two prongs

  Electricity, AC versus DC

  Electricity, static, variability in amounts of

  Elephants

  disposal of remains of

  jumping ability of

  Oakland A’s uniforms

  rocking in zoos

  Elevator doors

  changing directions

  holes

  Elevators

  overloading of

  passenger capacity in

  “Eleventh hour”

  Emergency Broadcasting System, length of test

  “Emergency feed” on paper towel dispensers

  Emmy awards, origins of name

  English, driving habits of

  English horn, naming of

  English muffins

  in England

  white particles on

  Envelopes

  Christmas cards, paper bands on

  colored stickers on

  computer scrawls on

  red letters on back of

  return windows on

  size of, in bills

  Escalator knobs, purpose of

  Escalators

  green lights on

  rail speed of

  Evaporated milk

  refrigeration of

  soldered cans and

  Evolution, loss of body hair and

  Exclamation marks in telegrams

  Executions

  autopsies after

  hours of

  “EXEMPT” signs at railroad crossings

  Expiration dates

  on bottled waters

  on fire extinguishers

  on toothpaste

  Exposures, number of, in film

  Exterminators, hard hats and

  Extremities, wrinkles on

  Eye chart, E on

  Eye closure during kissing

  Eyeglasses and nerdiness

  Eyes

  bags under

  floaters and

  pain, when tired

  positio
n, during sleep

  rubbing of, when tired

  sneezing and

  Fading, causes of

  Fahrenheit scale

  increments in

  zero degrees, meaning of

  Fainting and women, lessening of

  “FALLING ROCK” signs, purpose of

  Falsetto voices

  techniques for men producing

  women’s inability to produce

  “Fan [loyal partisan]”

  Fan speeds, order of

  Farm plots, circular shape of

  Fast-food restaurants, dessert and

  Fat people and alleged jolliness

  Fathers, new, passing out of cigars and

  Fats, on nutrition labels

  Faucets, water

  “FD&C,” meaning of, on food and shampoo labels

  Federal Express, hours of employees of

  Feet, swelling in airplanes of

  Fences, height restrictions of

  Field goals, measurement of

  Fifty-five mph

  reasons for speed limit of

  speedometers and

  Fighting Irish, Notre Dame and

  Figure skating and dizziness

  “Filibuster”

  “Filipino,” spelling of

  Film

  countdown leader on

  measurement of, in millimeters

  number of exposures in

  prints, after theatrical runs

  wagon wheels in, movement of

  width of

  X- and XXX-ratings

  Filters, cigarette, brown spots on

  “Filthy lucre”

  “Fin [five-dollar bill]”

  Fingernails

  biting of

  growth of, versus toenails

  growth of, after death

  lunula on

  yellowing of, and nail polish

  Fingers, length of

  “Fink”

  Fire, crackling sound of

  Fire extinguishers, expiration date on

  Fire helmets, shape of

  Fire hydrants

  freezing of water in

  shape of valve stems of

  Fire trucks, roofs of

  Firearms, confiscated, after arrests

  Fireplaces, rain in

  First basemen, ball custody of, in baseball

  First class mail, priority mail versus

  Fish [see also specific types]

  biting in rain

  eating preferences

  fear of, in aquariums

  floating upon death

  pebble spitting

  return to dried-up lakes and ponds

  saltwater coloration

  sleep patterns

  urination

  Fish tanks, oxygen in

  Flagpoles, balls atop

  Flags, Japanese, red beams and

  Flags, U.S.

  half-mast

  on airplanes

  “Flak”

  “Flammable,” versus “inflammable”

  “Flash in the pan”

  Flashlights, police and grips of

  Flat toothpicks, purpose of

  “Flea market”

  Flies

  landing patterns of

  winter and

  Flintstones, Barney Rubble’s profession on

  Flintstones multivitamins, Betty Rubble and

  Floaters in eyes

  Floral graphics on mattresses

  Florida, cost of auto rentals in

  “Flotsam,” versus “jetsam”

  Flour, bleached

  Flour bugs, provenance of

  Flour tortillas, size of, versus corn

  Flu, body aches and

  Fluorescent lights and plinking noises

  Flush handles, toilets and

  Flushes, loud, toilets in public restrooms and

  Fly swatters, holes in

  FM radio, odd frequency numbers of

  Food cravings in pregnant women

  Food labels

  “FD&C” on label

  lack of manufacturer street addresses

  Football

  barefoot kickers in

  college, redshirting in

  distribution of game balls

  goalposts, tearing down of

  measurement of first-down yardage

  origins of “hut” in

  Pittsburgh Steelers’ helmet emblems on

  shape of

  sideline population in

  tearing down of goalposts

  two-minute warning and

  yardage of kickers in

  “Fore,” origins of golf expression

  Forewords in books, versus introductions and prefaces

  Forks, switching hands to use

  “Fortnight”

  Fraternities, Greek names of

  “Freebooter”

  Freezer compartments, location of, in refrigerators

  Freezers

  ice trays in

  lights in

  French dry cleaning

  French horns, design of

  “French” bread versus “Italian”

  “French” style green beans

  “French” versus “Italian” bread

  Frogs

  eye closure when swallowing

  warts and

  Frogs of violins, white dots on

  Frostbite, penguin feet and

  Fruitcake, alleged popularity of

  “Fry”

  Fuel gauges in automobiles

  “Fullback”

  Full-service versus self-service, pricing of, at gas stations

  Funeral homes, size of

  Funerals

  burials without shoes

  depth of graves

  head position of, in caskets

  orientation of deceased

  perpetual care and

  small cemeteries and

  “Funk”

  “G.I.”

  Gagging, hairs in mouth and

  Gallons and quarts, American versus British

  Game balls, distribution of football

  Gasoline, pricing of, in tenths of a cent

  Gasoline gauges, automobile

  Gasoline pumps

  rubber sleeves on

  shut off of

  Gasoline stations, full-service versus self-service, pricing of

  Gasoline, unleaded, cost of

  Gauge, width of railroad

  Gauges, fuel, in automobiles

  Geese, honking during migration

  Gelatin, fruit in

  “Gerrymander”

  “Get the sack”

  “Get your goat”

  “Getting down to brass tacks”

  Gifts, children and

  Girdles and fat displacement

  Glass, broken

  Glasses, drinking

  squeakiness of

  “sweating” of

  Glasses, wine, types of

  Glitter, sidewalks and

  Glow-in-the-dark items, green color of

  Glue

  stickiness in the bottle

  “Super” versus conventional

  “Super,” and Teflon

  taste of postage stamp

  Glutamates, MSG and

  Gnats, swarming of

  Goalies, banging of sticks by

  Goalposts, football, tearing down of

  “Goat”

  Goats, kids versus adult

  “Gobbledygook”

  Gold bullion, shape of

  Golf

  origins of eighteen holes

  origins of term “fore”

  pain of mishits

  Golf balls

  dimples on

  veering toward ocean while putting

  Golfers and sunglasses

  Gondolas, black color of

  “Good Friday,” origins of term

  Goofy

  identify of

  marital status of

  Goofy, Jr., origins
of

  Goosebumps, faces and

  Gorillas, chest pounding of

  Gowns, and caps, at graduations

  Grades in school, E

  Grading of cigarettes

  Grading of eggs, meaning of

  Graduations, military academy

  “Grandfather” clock, origins of term

  Grape jellies, color of

  Grapefruit, sweetness of, canned versus fresh

  “Grape-nuts”

  Grapes, raisins and

  Gravel and placement on flat roofs

  Graves, depth of

  Gravy skin loss, when heated

  “Gravy train”

  Grease, color of

  Grecian Formula, process of

  Greek names of fraternities and sororities

  Green beans, “French” style

 

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