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To want to know the useless facts you store in your brain..

334 replies

IseeNarcPeople · 31/07/2023 20:25

The ones that never get an outting, the chance to use them has never arisen.
For instance, from the many useless facts in my brain:
The phrases "Not enough room to swing a cat" and "Don't let the cat out of the bag" are actually about a whip "Cat O' nine tails" which was kept as a warning and punishment on ships.
Oh and snails can sleep for three years.
Please release some of yours.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
HRTQueen · 02/08/2023 14:25

Allchangehereagain the ban was from the 1930’s (can’t remember the exact year) until 1966

Some little disease they apparently spread

They would probably spoil Ribena anyway by adding more sweetener so best left to us to keep it to ourselves and hopefully one day it shall return to the unique delicious original recipe

Obviously I ❤️ Ribena and was thrilled to hear Kayne West refer to it on American Boy 😊

IseeNarcPeople · 02/08/2023 20:13

mrsmacmc · 01/08/2023 00:17

Place marking to learn new facts 🤓

Aberdeen based fire engines used to be white as the commander at the time didn't want to spend money on getting them sprayed red

That did make me laugh.

OP posts:
IseeNarcPeople · 02/08/2023 20:16

Soubriquet · 01/08/2023 15:39

In Costa Rica, a crocodile lay fertile eggs despite never being in contact with a male. She had been kept in a zoo for 7 years and had never been placed with a male

Ants nod at each other as they pass by

I dreamt of ants nodding at each other last night because of reading this.

OP posts:
Hawkins009 · 02/08/2023 20:17

IseeNarcPeople · 02/08/2023 20:16

I dreamt of ants nodding at each other last night because of reading this.

In the jungle the mighty jungle the ants nod tonight

Soubriquet · 02/08/2023 20:21

Some species of burrowing spider, have small species of frogs as pets. It’s a symbiotic relationship between them.

The spider has the benefit of the frog because it eats bugs too small that would eat the spiders eggs. The frog benefits from the spider as the spider protects the frog from predators

Hoppinggreen · 02/08/2023 20:22

Post menopausal Orcas will protect their male offspring but not their female offspring

IseeNarcPeople · 02/08/2023 20:23

SarahAndQuack · 31/07/2023 23:22

This is my favourite: before humans could reliably write, they knew how to graft trees (ie. grow a par tree spliced onto a quince rootstock). They basically made aliens!

I worked for many years with an elderly lady who grafted plants, she said as far as she could trace back in her family it was done. It blew my mind at the time this was a thing.

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Figmentofmyimagination · 02/08/2023 20:25

Until the late 1800s, little boys as young as 5 or 6 were sent to work in the fields as bird scarers. They were allocated a field each where they had to remain all on their own, walking up and down, all day long. The farmers had a saying: ‘one boy’s a boy, 2 boys are half a boy, and 3 boys are no boys at all’.

IseeNarcPeople · 02/08/2023 20:28

Hawkins009 · 02/08/2023 20:17

In the jungle the mighty jungle the ants nod tonight

Ha ha, thanks for the intended earworm it's been received and firmly lodged for tonight's sleep.

OP posts:
Hawkins009 · 02/08/2023 20:30

IseeNarcPeople · 02/08/2023 20:28

Ha ha, thanks for the intended earworm it's been received and firmly lodged for tonight's sleep.

All the best and anty dreams

Curlyshabtree · 02/08/2023 20:36

Avocados and latex have the same chemical makeup. If you’re allergic to latex then you need to avoid avocados as well!

HollyRocks · 02/08/2023 20:44

"Sirius is 8.6 light years away, Arcturus is 37"

Most of my random useless facts come from song lyrics....

IseeNarcPeople · 02/08/2023 20:49

Needhelp101 · 31/07/2023 21:31

Queen ants can live for over thirty years (that one blew my mind).

Only guinea pigs, a specific species of monkey and humans cannot synthesise their own vitamin C and have to consume it, or get scurvy.

Oh..my..God

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IseeNarcPeople · 02/08/2023 20:54

HollyRocks · 02/08/2023 20:44

"Sirius is 8.6 light years away, Arcturus is 37"

Most of my random useless facts come from song lyrics....

Well getting your facts from a Nick Cave song is a lot cooler than me knowing the sequence of snooker balls from the Snooker loopy song.

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HollyRocks · 02/08/2023 21:04

IseeNarcPeople · 02/08/2023 20:54

Well getting your facts from a Nick Cave song is a lot cooler than me knowing the sequence of snooker balls from the Snooker loopy song.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr........

Earworm "Snooker loopy nuts are we"

..........I hate you @IseeNarcPeople

Glowie · 02/08/2023 21:39

To native Germans, Arnold Schwarzenegger's accent makes him sound like their equivalent of a West Country Farmer.

This is why he didn't voice his own characters in the German dubs of his action movies, despite being able to speak the language.

IseeNarcPeople · 02/08/2023 21:41

Soubriquet · 02/08/2023 20:21

Some species of burrowing spider, have small species of frogs as pets. It’s a symbiotic relationship between them.

The spider has the benefit of the frog because it eats bugs too small that would eat the spiders eggs. The frog benefits from the spider as the spider protects the frog from predators

I love this but maybe the frog thinks the spider is their pet?

OP posts:
AmandaHoldensLips · 02/08/2023 22:28

There are no moles in Ireland.
(The small burrowing animals. Not the skin spots.)

HollyRocks · 02/08/2023 22:38

The oldest wombat was a Southern Hairy Nosed Wombat born in 1975 and it died age 34

That one didn't come from a song lyric.......

Minimili · 02/08/2023 23:17

Some penis facts for us ladies…

Sea turtles have enormous penises, The leatherback turtle can have an erect penis half the size of its 8 foot long body.

A river fish in Vietnam has been discovered with a penis growing out of its head.
It’s a literal dick head!

Dolphins have retractable penises that swivel round and they use them to feel around for things like a hand!
Dolphins are known for being promiscuous and this probably explains some of it.

Pigs have corkscrew shaped penises - but so do ducks and when male ducks hang out together they all get erections.
Female ducks have twisted vaginas that have dead end pockets that they can engage when they don’t want to be fertilised.
Male ducks are like sexual deviants that don’t take no for an answer and mating can be quite violent.

Flatworms are hermaphrodites but fight with their penises that they use like tiny swords!

and lastly Dr John Harvey Kellogg invented cornflakes to stop men masturbating.
He thought “plain foods” would discourage men from the “sin” of wanking.
That didn’t work did it?!

Doihavetogotoworkdotcom1 · 02/08/2023 23:30

A rat has a long tail for balance and temperature regulation.

HopeSpringsInfernal · 03/08/2023 00:13

All people with blue eyes share a single common ancestor

Toohotto · 03/08/2023 01:54

@Jewelanemone
Same, I've had to double check the coordinates for Edinburgh & Bristol as i thought @MrsMoastyToasty had got this wrong!

SirSmellyJohn · 03/08/2023 02:16

Wombats poo is cube shaped X

Capybaras, Maras, agoutis and the hyrax are all members of the Cavy (guinea pig) family.

Contrary to MN folklore, spiders don't have willies. Your washing is quite safe!

SirSmellyJohn · 03/08/2023 02:33

Guinea pigs cannot burp. Or vomit. They have no gag reflex.

Guinea pig females (called sows) have a hymen which dissolves every time they are in heat.

Guinea pigs produce two kinds of faeces. One is just waste, the other kind they eat. They do this for nutritional reasons.

The oldest living guinea pig ever recorded was a Peruvian (longhaired) called Snowball, from Canada. 15 years. The usual lifespan is about 5-8 years.

The domestic guinea pig is descended from the wild Cuy (plural Cuyos) and is native to Peru, especially the Andes region, Ecudor and Colombia . They are larger and leaner and have 5 toes on the front paws, 4 on the hind paws, as opposed to the 4 toes on the front and 3 on the hind found in domestic piggies.

Having said the above, polydactylism, (having an extra toe) is quite common in domestic guinea pigs.

Some guinea pigs have been known to hear a phrase of music and be able to sing it back in exact time and pitch. It's a rare gift.

Guinea pigs first came to Britain in the 16th century. They were pets for the aristocracy. Elizabeth 1 was a notable guinea pig owner.

They are called guinea pigs because when America was "discovered" it was thought by some sailors to be Guyana.. However in French they are known as "Cochon D'Inde" (Indian pigs) because some thought that they had reached India when they arrived there. In Finland and Germany respectively, they are known as "Marsu" and "Meerschweinen" both of which translate into "sea pigs" because they came from across the ocean.

Guinea pigs make two kinds of purring noises one is when they are happy and relaxed , the other is more like a low pitched growl, often accompanied by rattling teeth. This is when they are territorial or angry. Boars often sway their hips, and make a rumbling noise to impress sows. This is called Rumblestrutting.

Baby guinea pigs are called pups, not piglets.

When they are happy, guinea pigs will perennial high In the air. This is known as popcorning. When they lie flat it is called pancaking.

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