Do Elephants Jump? (33 page)

“86,” origins of term

Alphabet soup, foreign countries and

Apples in roasted pigs’ mouths

ATMs

swiping of credit cards

swiping versus dipping of credit cards

Automobiles, batteries and concrete floors

Babies

burping

hair color

Baby corn, supermarkets and

Baby pigeons, elusiveness of

Baby Ruth, origins of candy

Barbecue grills, shape of

Bars

mirrors in

sawdust on floor of

television sound and

Baseball, Japanese uniforms

Bathrooms, ice in urinals of

Batteries

concrete floors and

drainage of, in cassette players

“Bead,” “Draw a,” origins of term

Beaks versus bills, birds and

Beans, green, “French” style

Beavers, dam building and

Bills versus beaks, birds and

Birds

bills versus beaks in

loons versus lunatics

worms and

Boeing 707, origins of

Boeing 717, origins of

Boots on ranchers’ fence posts

Boxers, sniffing and

Buckles, pilgrim hats and

Buffets, new plates at

Bull nose rings, purpose of

Burping and babies

Casper the ghost, identity of

Cassette players, battery drainage in

Cavities, dogs and

CDs, Tuesday release of

Ceiling fans, dust and

Channel 1 on television

Channel locations of television

Chariots, Roman, flimsiness of

Cheese, cheddar, orange color of

Chewing gum, water consumption and hardening of

Chirping of crickets, at night

Christmas lights, purple

Clef, treble, dots on

Coolers, Styrofoam, blue specks on

Corn

baby, supermarkets and

chips, black specks on

tortillas, size of, versus flour

Cows, nose rings and

Cravings, food, pregnant women and

Credit cards

dipping versus swiping and

quick swiping of

Crickets, chirping at night of

Cue balls, dots on, in pool

Dams, beavers and

Dictionaries, pronunciation and

DNA, identical twins and

Dogs, cavities and

Donkey Kong, origins of

Dots on cue balls, in pool

Double-jointedness

“Draw a Bead,” origins of term

Drinking glasses, “sweating” of

Dryers, hand, in bathrooms

Ducks, lakes and ponds and

Dust, ceiling fans and

Earrings, pirates and

“86,” origins of term

Elephants

jumping ability of

rocking in zoos

Eyes, rubbing of, when tired

Fainting and women, lessening of

Fan speeds, order of

Fence posts, ranchers’ boots on

Fighting Irish, Notre Dame and

Fire helmets, shape of

Fire hydrants, freezing and

Fish

biting in rain

in dried up lakes and ponds

Flags

half-mast

Japanese, red beams on

Flashlights, police and grips of

Flour tortillas, size of, versus corn

FM radio, odd frequency numbers of

Food cravings in pregnant women

Football

sideline population in

two-minute warning

Fraternities, Greek names of

Freezers

ice trays

lights in

“French” style green beans

Frogs, warts and

Glasses, drinking, “sweating” of

Glitter, sidewalks and

“Good Friday,” origins of term

Greek names of fraternities and sororities

Green beans, “French” style

Gretzky, Wayne, hockey shirts of

Guitar strings, dangling

Gulls, sea, parking lots and

Gum, chewing, water consumption and hardening of

Hair color, darkening of, in babies

Half-mast, flags

Hand dryers in bathrooms

Head injuries, “seeing stars” and

Head lice, kids and

Holes

in needles and syringes

in thimbles

Humming of power lines

Hydrants, fire, freezing and

Ice

in urinals

rinks, temperature of resurfacing water

trays in freezers

Insects

Head lice and children

Mosquitoes, biting preferences of

Japanese

baseball uniforms in

red beams in flag and

Jimmies, origins of

Keys, piano, number of

Lakes, fish returning to dried

Left-handed string players, in orchestras

“Legitimate” theater, origins of term

Lice, head, kids and

License placement, trucks and

License plates, prisoners and

Lights in freezers

Lone Ranger, origins of

Loons, lunatics and

Lunatics, loons and

Martial arts, sniffing and

Maximum occupancy in public rooms

Milk containers, plastic, dimples in

Mirrors in bars

Monopoly, playing tokens in

Mosquitoes, biting preferences of

Needles, holes in, of syringes

Newspapers, window cleaning and

North Pole

directions at

telling time at

Nose rings and bulls

Noses, runny, in cold weather

Notches on bottom of shampoo bottles

Notre Dame fighting Irish

NPR radio stations, low frequency numbers of

Occupancy, maximum, in public rooms

Oceans, boundaries between

Orange juice and toothpaste, taste of

Ovens, thermometers in

Parking lots, sea gulls at

Peanut butter, stickiness of

Peanuts,
origins of comic’s name

Photographs, stars in space and

Piano keys, number of

Pigeons, baby, elusiveness of

Pigs, roasted, apples in mouths of

Pilgrims, buckled hats of

Pirates

earrings on

walking the plank and

Poles

directions at

telling time at North and South

Police, flashlight grips of

Ponds, fish returning to dried

Pool balls, dots on

Popes

name change of

white skullcap of

white vestments of

Power lines, humming of

Pregnant women, food cravings of

Priests, black vestments of

Pronunciation, dictionaries and

“P.U.,” origins of term

Public radio, low frequency numbers of

Purple Christmas lights

Radio

FM, odd frequency numbers of

public, low frequency numbers of

Radios, battery drainage in

Rain, fish biting in

Refrigerators, thermometers in

Rice cakes, structural integrity of

Rings, nose, bulls and

Rinks, ice, temperature of resurfacing water

Rocking in zoo animals

Roman chariots, flimsiness of

Runny noses in cold weather

Rust, dental fillings and

Salt

round containers and

storage bins on highway and

Sand, storage bins on highway and

Sandbags, disposal of

Sawdust on floor of bars

Sea gulls, parking lots and

“Seeing stars,” head injuries and

Shampoo bottles, notches on bottom of

Sidewalks, glitter and

Silos, round shape of

Silver fillings, rusting of

Skunks, smell of

Snakes

forked tongues of

tongue darting of

Sniffing, boxers and

Snoring, age differences and

Sororities, Greek names of

Soup, alphabet, foreign countries and

South Pole

directions at

telling time at

Sprinkles, jimmies and

Staplers

fitting of staples into

outward setting of

Staples

clumping of

fitting into staplers of

Stars in space, photos of

Stickiness of peanut butter

Streets, glitter and

String players, left handed, in orchestras

Styrofoam coolers, blue specks on

Sweating, swimmers and

Swimming, sweating and

Swiping of credit cards

Syringes, hole in needle of

Teddy bears, frowns of

Teeth, silver fillings and

Television

channel 1 on

channel locations of

sound of, in bars

Theater, “legitimate,” origins of term

Thermometers in ovens and refrigerators

Thimbles, holes in

Ticklishness of different parts of body

Tiredness and eye-rubbing

Toads, warts and

Toothpaste and orange juice, taste of

Tortilla chips, black specks on

Tortillas

black specks on

size of flour, versus corn

Treble clefs, dots on

Trucks, license placement on

Tuesday release of CDs

Twins, identical, DNA and

Two-minute warning, football and

Urinals, ice in

Vestments

color of Catholic priests’

color of popes’

Walking the plank, pirates and

Warts, frogs and toads and

Wells, roundness of

Whiplash, delayed reaction of

Wigwams near highways

Window cleaning, newspapers and

Women, fainting and

Worms, birds and

Zoo animals, rocking in

Following is a complete index of all ten Imponderables
^®
books and
Who Put the Butter in Butterfly?
The bold number before the colon indicates the book title (see the Title Key below); the numbers that follow the colon are the page numbers. Simple as that.

Title Key

1=Why Don’t Cats Like to Swim? (
formerly published as
Imponderables)

2=Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise?

3=When Do Fish Sleep?

4=Why Do Dogs Have Wet Noses?

5=Do Penguins Have Knees?

6=Are Lobsters Ambidextrous? (
formerly published as
When Did Wild Poodles Roam the Earth?)

7=How Does Aspirin Find a Headache?

8=What Are Hyenas Laughing At, Anyway?

9=How Do Astronauts Scratch an Itch?

10=Do Elephants Jump?

11=Who Put the Butter in Butterfly?

“½,” meaning of, in street addresses

1040 form, numbering scheme of

20-20 vision, origins of

24-second clock in NBA basketball

3-D glasses and movies

501, Levi jeans, origin of name

7-11 stores, lack of locks on

7UP, origins of name

“86,” origins of term

9 as number to get outside line on telephones

911 as emergency telephone number

98.6 degrees Fahrenheit as comfortable ambient temperature

Absorbine Jr., origins of

Absorbine Sr., identity of

AC, and DC

Accents, American, of foreign singers

Aches

Acre, origins of

Acrylic, virgin

Actors, speed of speech of

Address labels on magazines

Addresses and ZIP codes, on envelopes

Addresses, street, half-numbers on

Advertising sales in TV programming, overrun live programming and

Aerosol cans, shaking of

After-shave lotion, stinging and

Age of majority, 21 as

Aging and effect on voices

Agitators in washing machines, movement of

Air mail and “
Par Avion
”

Air temperature, versus water temperature, perception of

Airlines

chime signals on

cold rolls at meal service

dearth of female pilots on

honey roasted peanuts

inflation of oxygen masks

tickets, red carbons on

Airplanes

coffee bags in lavatories

dimming of interior lights

ear popping and

feet swelling and

numbering of Boeing jets

“Qantas,” spelling of

red and green lights on

seat belts

shoulder harnesses

U.S. flags on exterior

Alarm clocks, life before

Alcohol

in cough medicine

proof of

Algebra, X in

“All wool and a yard wide,” origins of term

“Allemande”

“Alligator” shirts

Alphabet, order of

Alphabet soup

distribution of letters

outside of U.S.

Aluminum cans, crushability of

Aluminum foil

and heat to touch

on neck of champagne bottles

two sides of

Ambidexterity in lobsters

Ambulances, snake emblems on

American accents of foreign singers

American singles, Kraft, milk in

“Ampersand”

Amputees, phantom limb sensations in

Anchors, submarines and

Angel food cake and position while cooling

Animal tamers and kitchen chairs

Ants

separation from colony

sidewalks and

“Apache dance”

Apes, hair picking of

Appendix, function of

Apples, as gifts for teachers

Apples and pears, discoloration of

Apples in roasted pigs’ mouths

April 15, as due date for taxes

Aquariums, fear of fish in

Arabic numbers, origins of

Architectural pencils, grades of

Area codes, middle digits of

Armies, marching patterns of

Armpits, shaving of

Army and Navy, Captain rank in

Art pencils, grades of

Aspirin

headaches and

safety cap on 100-count bottles of

Astrology, different dates for signs in

Astronauts and itching

“At loggerheads”

Athletics, Oakland, and elephant insignia

“Atlas”

ATMs

swiping of credit cards in

swiping versus dipping of credit cards in

transaction costs of

“Attorney-at-law”

Auctioneers, chanting of

Audiocassette tape on side of road

Audiocassette tapes on roadsides

Audiotape, versus videotape technology

Audiotape recorders

counter numbers on

play and record switches on

Automobiles

batteries and concrete floors

bright/dimmer switch position

bunching of, on highways

cardboard on grills

clicking sound of turn signals

cockroaches in

Corvette, 1983

cruise controls

day/night switch on rear-view mirrors

dimples on headlamps

elimination of side vents

gas gauges in

headlamp shutoff

headlights and deer

holes in ceiling of

key release button on

keys, ignition and door

“new car smell”

oil loss after oil change

oil, grades of

rear windows of

rentals, cost in Florida of

side-view mirrors

speed limits

speedometers

tire tread

weight of batteries

white wall tires

windshield wipers, versus buses

Autopsies of executed criminals

“Ax to grind”

Babies

blinking

burping

hair color

high temperatures, tolerance of

sleep

Baby corn, in supermarkets

Baby pigeons, elusiveness of

Baby Ruth, origins of name

Baby shrimp, peeling and cleaning of

“Back and fill”

Back tapping during physical exams

Backlogs in repair shops

Bad breath, upon awakening, in the morning

Badges, marshals’ and sheriffs’

Bagels, holes in

Bags under eyes

Bags, paper, jagged edges and

Baked goods

Pennsylvania and

seven-layer cakes

unctuous taste until cooled

Baked potatoes in steak houses

Ball throwing, sex differences and

Ballet, “on pointe” in

Balls, orange, on power lines

Balls, tennis, fuzz and

Balsa wood, classification as hardwood

Banana peels as slipping agents

Bananas, growth of

Band-Aid packages, red tear strings on

Bands, tardiness of, in nightclubs

Bands, marching, formation of

Bands, paper, around Christmas card envelopes

Banking

ATM charges

hours

Barbecue grills, shape of

“Barbecue”

Barbie, hair of, versus Ken’s

Barefoot kickers in football

Bark, tree, color of

Barns, red color of

Bars

mirrors in

sawdust on floor of

television sound and

Baseball

black stripes on bats

Candlestick Park, origins of

cap buttons

caps, green undersides of

circle next to batter’s box in

dugout heights

first basemen, ball custody of

home plate sweeping, by umpires

home plate, shape of

Japanese uniforms

“K,” as symbol for strikeout

pitcher’s mounds, location of

Baseball cards

wax on wrappers

white stuff on gum

Basements, lack of, in southern houses

Basketball

24-second clock in NBA

duration of periods in

Basketballs, fake seams on

Baskin-Robbins, cost of cones versus cups at

“Batfowling”

Bathrooms

group visits by females to

ice in urinals of

in supermarkets

Bathtub drains, location of

Bathtubs, overflow mechanisms on

Bats, baseball, stripes on

Batteries

automobile, weight of

concrete floors and

drainage of, in cassette players

nine-volt, shape of

sizes of

volume and power loss in

“Battle royal”

Bazooka Joe, eye patch of

Beacons, police car, colors on

“Bead,” “Draw a,” origins of term

Beaks versus bills, birds and

Beanbag packs in electronics boxes

Beans, green, “French” style

Beards on turkeys

“Bears [stock market]”

“Beating around the bush”

Beavers, dam building and

“Bedlam”

Beds, mattresses, floral graphics on

Beef, red color of

Beeps before network news on radio

Beer

and plastic bottles

steins, lids of

temperature in Old West

twist-off bottle caps, merits of

Beetle, Volkswagen, elimination of

Bell bottoms, sailors and

Bells in movie theaters

Belly dancers, amplitude of

Belts, color of, in martial arts

Ben-Gay, creator of

“Berserk”

Best Foods Mayonnaise, versus Hellmann’s

Beverly Hills, “Beverly” in

“Beyond the pale”

Bias on audiotape

Bibles, courtrooms and

Bicycles

clicking noises

crossbars on

tires

Bill posting at construction sites

Billboards, spinning blades on

Bill-counting machines

Bills versus beaks, birds and

“Bimonthly”

“Bingo,” origin of term

Binoculars, adjustments for

Bird droppings, color of

“Birdie”

Birds [see also specific types]

bills versus beaks in

coloring of

death of

direction of takeoff

droppings, color of

honking during migration

jet lag and

migration patterns of

sleeping habits of

telephone wires and

walking versus hopping

worms and

Birthday candles, trick

“Birthday suit”

Biting of fingernails, reasons for

Bitings in keys

“Bitter end”

“Biweekly”

Black

clothing and bohemians

gondola color

judges’ robes

specks in ice cream

stripes on baseball bats

“Blackmail”

Blacktop roads, lightening of

Blades, razor, hotel slots for

Bleach, flour and

Blind

money counting

wearing dark glasses

Blinking and babies

“Blockhead”

Blood, color of

Blouses, women’s, lack of sleeve length sizes in

Blue

as color for baby boys

as color of blueprints

as color of racquetballs

in hair rinses

“Blue blood,” origin of term

Blue Demons and De Paul University

Blue jeans and orange thread

“Blue jeans”

“Blue moon”

Blue plate special, origins of

Blue ribbons (as first prize)

“Blue streak”

Blueprints, color of

“Blurb”

Blushing and feelings of warmth

Boats, red and green lights on

“Bobbies [London officers]”

“Bobby pins”

Body hair

loss of, in humans

pubic hair, purpose of

underarm hair, purpose of

Body odor, human immunity to own

Boeing, numbering of jets

“Bogey”

Boiling water during home births

Bombs and mushroom clouds

Book staining, of paperback book pages

Books

checkered cloth on

pagination in

Boots on ranchers’ fence posts

“Booze”

Bottle caps, beer, twist-off, merits of

Bottles, cola, one- and two-liter

Bottles, soda, holes on bottom of

Boulder, Colorado, magazine subscriptions and

Bowling, “turkey” in

Bowling pins, stripes on

Bowling shoes, rented, ugliness of

Boxer shorts, versus briefs

Boxers, sniffing and

Boxes, Japanese, yellow color of

Bracelets, migration of clasps on

Brain, ten percent use of, alleged

“Brass tacks”

“Bravo Zulu,” origins of

Brazil nuts in assortments

Bread

“French” versus “Italian”

kneading of

staling of

yeast in

“Break a leg”