# Debunk these debunkings? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 2, 2003, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunk-these-debunkings/165928 "2003-04-02T09:03:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunk-these-debunkings/165928/101 "2003-04-03T08:18:36Z")
> [@](#): > > “Most people think that when you snap your fingers, it’s the thumb and finger separating that makes the noise. Actually, it’s the finger hitting against the heel of the thumb.” > –True, but I thought everyone knew that. To be nitpicky, neither one is true. Try holding your ring finger away from the heel of the thumb when snapping your fingers. Do you get the snapping noise? I don’t, even though the middle finger hits the heel of my thumb. What actually causes the noise is air being compressed in the space enclosed by the ring finger, the middle finger and the heel of the thumb. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunk-these-debunkings/165928/102 "2003-04-03T09:02:39Z")
‘Many important buildings, especially in the 17-19th century, were designed by master-builders or engineers, not architects. Petty semantics, but in this case probably true.’ Absolutely… Castle Howard and Blenheim Palace in England were designed by Vanbrugh, a playwright and dilletante, who became the greatest architect of his age. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunk-these-debunkings/165928/103 "2003-04-03T13:46:14Z")
[dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com): ar·chi·tect n. 1. \*\*One who designs and supervises the construction of buildings or other large structures. \*\* He may not have been previously an architect, or trained as one, or certified as one, but he _is_ one. NB: one definition for doctor requires a license, another doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunk-these-debunkings/165928/104 "2003-04-03T14:08:28Z")
Except the title ‘architect’ is a legally protected word to relate to a specifically qualified individual , not ncessarily subject to a dictionary definiton. Designing a building does **not** make you an architect. Only legal registration with the appropiate body does. ([ARB](http://www.arb.org.uk/) in the UK) (But I’ll leave this alone from now on and apologies for the hi-jack.) ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunk-these-debunkings/165928/105 "2003-04-03T14:22:44Z")
OK, Aro (just arguing for the fun of it, so don’t take it personally), then in the 17th century could ANYONE be an architect, given that there were no appropriate bodies to legally register with? In which case, what would you call someone of the 17th century who spent their life designing and supervising the construction of buildings? I think ‘petty semantics’ describes a lot of the list we’re discussing. Along with ‘well, duh’. And when I snap, there’s two parts to the noise: a drawn-out scrape of my finger against the end of my thumb, and then the thunk of my finger against my palm (i.e. root of my thumb). Maybe that’s just how us geniuses snap, though. ---
**Author:** ![dono](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e0b2c6/32.png) [@dono](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dono)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunk-these-debunkings/165928/106 "2003-04-03T14:28:59Z")
With all due respect to **Chronos** and **Walloon** , the whole cent/penny controversy seems to me a bit like saying, “Contrary to popular belief, there is no such bill as a ‘buck’ in U.S. currency! It is a ‘One Dollar Federal Reserve Note’.” ---
**Author:** ![El\_Zagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@El\_Zagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Zagna)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunk-these-debunkings/165928/107 "2003-04-03T14:53:57Z")
If you debunk a debunking, is that the same as _bunking_ the original story? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunk-these-debunkings/165928.md?page=5)