| Author | Message | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 501 Registered: 7-2006 |
The Guardian recently ran a short article about the success of a group of birdwatchers. What was the brilliant headline for the article? | ||
| Tobasi (Tobasi)
New member Username: Tobasi Post Number: 767 Registered: 8-2006 |
Did the headline contain the words: bird? watch? watcher? Is the species of birds relevant? the location? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 502 Registered: 7-2006 |
Tobasi, Did the headline contain the words: bird? watch? watcher? NO Is the species of birds relevant? the location? YES, NO | ||
| Peter365 (Peter365)
New member Username: Peter365 Post Number: 1018 Registered: 1-2007 |
Well if it was The Sun or The Mirror i'd go for Tits but given that it's The Guardian i guess not Is there a pun involved? Is the species of bird native to the UK? Is it migratory? Is the bird small e.g robin sized or larger like a crow? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 503 Registered: 7-2006 |
Peter, Well if it was The Sun or The Mirror i'd go for Tits but given that it's The Guardian i guess not CORRECT! Is there a pun involved? YES Is the species of bird native to the UK? YES Is it migratory? NO Is the bird small e.g robin sized or larger like a crow? LARGER | ||
| Blazingphoenix (Blazingphoenix)
New member Username: Blazingphoenix Post Number: 190 Registered: 2-2007 |
Is it a waterfowl? A bird of prey? A ground bird (like a grouse or chicken)? A songbird? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 504 Registered: 7-2006 |
Blazing, Is it a waterfowl? NO A bird of prey? I WOULD SAY YES A ground bird (like a grouse or chicken)? NO A songbird? NO | ||
| Peter365 (Peter365)
New member Username: Peter365 Post Number: 1019 Registered: 1-2007 |
Eagle? Kestral? Hawk? Osprey? Buzzard? Falcon? Harrier? Kite? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 505 Registered: 7-2006 |
Peter, Eagle? Kestral? Hawk? Osprey? Buzzard? Falcon? Harrier? Kite? NO | ||
| Peter365 (Peter365)
New member Username: Peter365 Post Number: 1021 Registered: 1-2007 |
Hobby? Goshawk? Was there success in some sort of competition or did they just spot a particularly rare bird? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 506 Registered: 7-2006 |
Peter, Hobby? Goshawk? NO Was there success in some sort of competition or did they just spot a particularly rare bird? NO COMPETITION, DETAILS NOT REALLY RELEVANT | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 507 Registered: 7-2006 |
Peter, Was there success in some sort of competition or did they just spot a particularly rare bird? I CHECKED AND THEY DID SPOT SOME RARE BIRDS. | ||
| Gourami (Gourami)
New member Username: Gourami Post Number: 54 Registered: 2-2008 |
Is the name of the bird the word being punned on? Is it more than one word? Condor? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 509 Registered: 7-2006 |
Condor, Is the name of the bird the word being punned on? Is it more than one word? YES, NO | ||
| Grainbeer (Grainbeer)
New member Username: Grainbeer Post Number: 294 Registered: 4-2002 |
Owls? Like, for instance, "Nightowls" [Birdwatchers staying up at night to spot nightowls] | ||
| Beroean (Beroean)
Moderator Username: Beroean Post Number: 1470 Registered: 10-2001 |
Is the Crow relevant? | ||
| Peter365 (Peter365)
New member Username: Peter365 Post Number: 1022 Registered: 1-2007 |
I think Birds of Prey come under the generic term Raptors could the pun be something to do with Rapture? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 510 Registered: 7-2006 |
Guys, Owls? Crows, Raptors, Rapture, NO | ||
| Peter365 (Peter365)
New member Username: Peter365 Post Number: 1026 Registered: 1-2007 |
By bird of prey do you mean the sharp taloned hooked beak variety (raptor) or another bird that preys on animals or insects? My mother told me recently she saw a magpie take an injured sparrow in her back garden. Is it a magpie? What about the bustard? (lots of potential puns here and i know that they are being reintroduced to the UK) Heron? Does the bird feed on mammals? fish? insects? other birds? Does it take live prey or feast on carrion ? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 511 Registered: 7-2006 |
By bird of prey do you mean the sharp taloned hooked beak variety (raptor) or another bird that preys on animals or insects? SEE ANSWER BELOW My mother told me recently she saw a magpie take an injured sparrow in her back garden. Is it a magpie? NO What about the bustard? (lots of potential puns here and i know that they are being reintroduced to the UK) NO Heron? NO Does the bird feed on mammals? fish? insects? other birds? Does it take live prey or feast on carrion ? FISH | ||
| Grainbeer (Grainbeer)
New member Username: Grainbeer Post Number: 302 Registered: 4-2002 |
Kingfisher? | ||
| Grainbeer (Grainbeer)
New member Username: Grainbeer Post Number: 303 Registered: 4-2002 |
...or any kind of seagull? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 512 Registered: 7-2006 |
Grainbeer, Kingfisher ...or any kind of seagull? NO | ||
| Beroean (Beroean)
Moderator Username: Beroean Post Number: 1471 Registered: 10-2001 |
puffin? petrel? pelican? flamingo? cormorant? albatross? if none of the above - sea bird or fresh water fowl? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 513 Registered: 7-2006 |
Beroean, puffin? petrel? pelican? flamingo? cormorant? albatross? NO if none of the above - sea bird or fresh water fowl? FRESH | ||
| Beroean (Beroean)
Moderator Username: Beroean Post Number: 1472 Registered: 10-2001 |
swan? duck? goose? rare bird? a name that is not commonly known? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 514 Registered: 7-2006 |
Beroean swan? duck? goose? NO rare bird? NOT REALLY a name that is not commonly known? I AM SURE YOU WILL KNOW IT | ||
| Beroean (Beroean)
Moderator Username: Beroean Post Number: 1473 Registered: 10-2001 |
hmmm... Osprey? Bittern? Snipe? | ||
| Blazingphoenix (Blazingphoenix)
New member Username: Blazingphoenix Post Number: 193 Registered: 2-2007 |
Egret? Loon? Anything to do with golf? Like "Group Sees Rare Birdie on Golf Course"? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 515 Registered: 7-2006 |
B AND B Osprey? Bittern? Snipe? NO Egret? Loon? YES, NO Anything to do with golf? Like "Group Sees Rare Birdie on Golf Course"? NO | ||
| Beroean (Beroean)
Moderator Username: Beroean Post Number: 1474 Registered: 10-2001 |
Ee Great? Were the twitchers Scottish / Northern Brits? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 516 Registered: 7-2006 |
Beroean, Ee Great? NO Were the twitchers Scottish / Northern Brits? NO | ||
| Travis (Travis)
New member Username: Travis Post Number: 31 Registered: 12-2007 |
A play on the word "regret"? As in "No Egrets"? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 517 Registered: 7-2006 |
Travis, A play on the word "regret"? As in "No Egrets"? YES | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 518 Registered: 7-2006 |
Travis, As in "No Egrets"? ON THE RIGHT LINES BUT THAT IS NOT THE ANSWER | ||
| Peter365 (Peter365)
New member Username: Peter365 Post Number: 1030 Registered: 1-2007 |
Egrets I've had a few but then again to few to mention? Je ne egret rien? Or more simply any music theme? | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 519 Registered: 7-2006 |
Peter, Well done you got it. * * * SPOILER * * * The headline reads: Egrets, we've had a few, birdwatchers say. See the story at the bottom of this page: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/mar/15/11 I thought it was a clever headline. I hope you liked it too. More details on Lateral Thinking Puzzles and my books can be found here: http://destination-innovation.com/lateral_thinking_puzzles.cfm Paul Sloane | ||
| Peter365 (Peter365)
New member Username: Peter365 Post Number: 1034 Registered: 1-2007 |
Very nice Paul. The Guardian wouldnt be noted for it's witty headlines but that was a good one. I've always thought that newspaper headlines could provide lots of puzzles and I once considered running my own favourite as a puzzle but it required certain knowledge of soccer so i didn't think it would go well. Can't recall which paper but it was a report on Glasgow Celtics shock cup defeat to Inverness Caledonian Thistle some years ago, the headline read "Super Cali Go Ballistic Celtic Are Atrocious" . You gotta love that. | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 520 Registered: 7-2006 |
Peter, Good one. One of my favourite headlines was about cuts in library budgets in Essex. The headline was: Book Lack in Ongar | ||
| Blazingphoenix (Blazingphoenix)
New member Username: Blazingphoenix Post Number: 195 Registered: 2-2007 |
...That's sad, my friend just did an Egyptian painting for an art class with egrets on it, and in hieroglyphics he wrote "Egrets, I've had a few" I was going to write that down in my question, but I thought it was a bit too far-fetched. Darn those gut urges! Lol | ||
| Tobasi (Tobasi)
New member Username: Tobasi Post Number: 779 Registered: 8-2006 |
Hm, I don't understand Pauls answer to my first question then. | ||
| Admin (Admin)
Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 521 Registered: 7-2006 |
Tobasi, Hm, I don't understand Pauls answer to my first question then. The key part of the headline is - Egrets, we've had a few. The pun and the humour does not involve the words bird or watcher, so if I had said Yes to your question it would have led you down a wrong path I think. | ||
| Tobasi (Tobasi)
New member Username: Tobasi Post Number: 780 Registered: 8-2006 |
OK, I agree. | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 234 Registered: 5-2007 |
Some of these newspaper headlines are apocryphal, but this one was genuine and remains my all-time favourite: Incest More Common Than Thought In United States | ||
| Arek_fu (Arek_fu)
New member Username: Arek_fu Post Number: 296 Registered: 12-2007 |
An Italian left-wing newspaper, well-known for its witty headlines and for its sharply critical attitude towards the conservatism of the catholic Church, on the occasion of the election of the present Pope chose the following front-page headline: The German Shepherd | ||
| Travis (Travis)
New member Username: Travis Post Number: 34 Registered: 12-2007 |
This was found on a sports site, referencing an upcoming baseball game in which the Los Angeles Angels' Bartolo Colon (pronounced "ko-LONE") would be pitching: Royals To Get A Taste Of Angels' Colon |
