When Do Fish Sleep? (37 page)

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

Bathubs, 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

twistoff 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

Birds (
cont
.)

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, twistoff, 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”

Breath, bad, upon awakening, in the morning

Brick shape of gold bullion

Bricks

holes in

in skyscrapers

Bridges versus roads, freezing characteristics of

Bridges, covered, purpose of

Briefs, versus boxer shorts

Brights/dimmer switch, position of, in automobiles

Broccoli and cans

Brominated vegetable oil in orange soda

Brushes, hair, length of handles on

Bubble gum

baseball card gum

Bazooka Joe’s eyepatch

bubble-making ingredients

flavors of

pink color of

“Buck”

Buckles, pilgrim hats and

Buffets, new plates at

Bulbs, light

and noise when shaking

halogen

high cost of 25-watt variety

Bull rings, purpose of

“Bulls [stock market]”

“Bunkum”

Bunnies, chocolate Easter

Buns

hamburger bottoms, thinness of

Buns (
cont
.)

hot dog, number of in package

versus rolls

Burger King wrappers, numbers on

Burials, position of deceased

Burping and babies

Buses

entry into

idling of engines on

ridges on sides of

seat belts and

Busy signals, fast versus slow, on telephones

Butter

hardening after refrigeration

sticks, lengths of

versus margarine, in restaurants

Butterflies

rain and

sneezing and coughing in

“Butterfly”

Buttons, men’s versus women’s shirts

Buzzing, bees and

“BZ,” origins of expression

“Cab”

Cable TV

channel allocation of

volume levels of

“Caboodle,” “kit” and

“Caddy”

Cadets, military, cap throwing and

Cadillacs, ducks on

Cafeterias, popularity of, among elderly

Caffeine, leftover, from decaffeinated coffee

Cakes

angel food and cooling position

reaction to loud noises

seven layer, missing layers of

Calculators, key pad configurations of

Calico cats, gender of

Calories, measurement of

Calves, versus cows

Cameras, black color of

Camouflage, colors in

Can openers, sharpness of blades on

Canada Dry, origins of name

Canadiens, Montreal, uniforms of

Canceled checks

numbers on

returned, numerical ordering of

white paper attachments

Candles, trick birthday, relighting of

Candlestick Park, origins of

Candy

Baby Ruth, origins of

caramels versus toffee

Milk Duds, shape of

Oh Henry, origins of

placement in vending machines

shapes of boxed chocolate

wrapping of boxed chocolate

“Cannot complete your call as dialed” telephone message

Cans, aluminum, crushability of

“Can’t hold a candle”

Capital punishment, hours of execution and

“Capital punishment”

“Capitalization”

Caps and gowns, at graduations

Caps, baseball

buttons atop

green undersides

Captain, Navy and Army rank of

Caramels, versus toffee

Cardboard on automobile grills

Carpenter’s pencils, shape of

CAR-RT SORT on envelopes

Cars (see “Automobiles”)

Cartoon characters

Casper the ghost

Donald Duck

Goofy

Mickey Mouse

Cash register receipts, color of

Cashews, lack of shells in

Caskets, position of heads in

Casper the ghost, identity of

Cassette players, audio, battery drainage in

Cassette tapes, audio, on roadsides

Cat feces, as food for dogs

Cat food, tuna cans of

“Cat out of the bag”

“Catercorner”

Catnip and effect on wild cats

Cats

calico, gender of

catnip

ear scratching

eating posture

hair, stickiness of

miniature

sight, during darkness

swimming and

“Cats and dog, raining”

“Catsup”

Cattle guards, effectiveness of

“Cattycorner”

Cavities, dogs and

CDs, Tuesday release of

Ceiling fans

direction of blades

dust and

Ceilings of train stations

Celery in restaurant salads

Cement

laying of

versus concrete

Cemeteries

financial strategies of owners of

perpetual care and

Ceramic tiles in tunnels

Cereal

calorie count of

Cereal (
cont
.)

joining of flakes in bowl

Snap! And Rice Krispies

Chalk outlines of murder victims

Champagne

aluminum foil on neck of

name of, versus sparkling wine

Channel 1, lack of, on televisions

Chariots, Roman, flimsiness of

“Checkmate”

Checks

approval in supermarkets

numbering scheme of

out-of-state acceptance of

white paper attachments

Checks, canceled

numbers on

returned, numerical ordering of

white paper attachments

Cheddar cheese, orange color of

Cheese

American, milk in Kraft

cheddar, orange color of

string, characteristics of

Swiss, holes in

Swiss, slice sizes of

Chef’s hat, purpose of

Chewing gum

lasting flavor

water consumption and hardening of

wrapping of