# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 28, 2022, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380 "2022-09-28T11:33:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 438
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/8744 "2023-12-18T21:01:07Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > BTW- it is octopuses. Octopi is wrong on several levels. Or octopodes. > **[The Many Plurals of 'Octopus'](https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/the-many-plurals-of-octopus-octopi-octopuses-octopodes)** > > Which is correct? We'll get into it. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/8745 "2023-12-18T21:25:01Z")
> [@Reeses\_Monkey](#): > > Mel Brooks has you covered. [They said you was hung!](https://youtu.be/cdExsAQuCQA?si=JWqg2AbVT6X3iowg) Immediately where my mind goes when I hear the phrase. I have to keep it to myself. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/8746 "2023-12-18T21:27:29Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Octopi is wrong on several levels. Unless we are talking about being served eight pies. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/8747 "2023-12-18T21:37:10Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > > [@DrDeth](#): > > > > Octopi is wrong on several levels. > > Unless we are talking about being served eight pies. Or the constant 25.1327412287… ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/8748 "2023-12-18T22:05:47Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > We have gotten rid of a number of these silly-ass things- beeves, niblings, Niblings? I’ve been seeing “niblings” more in the last three years or so than I think I ever did in my life before that. “Nibling” is gender-neutral. Niece and nephew aren’t; and “nieces and nephews” is a whole lot more of a mouthful than “niblings”. Let alone than “niece and/or nephew”. Let alone than “niece and/or nephew and/or nonbinary child of one’s sibling.” I have driven a three speed manual, and so voted; but it’s been a long time, much longer than it has been since I drove a 4 or 5 speed. So I’d be a bit out of practice at first. I had braces as a kid. I’ve had at least one dentist tell me I need them as an adult; but I ain’t getting them, my teeth work well enough now as they are and I ain’t going through that again, even if I could afford it. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/8749 "2023-12-18T23:08:35Z")
Woody Allen fifty years ago said “I don’t tan, I stroke.” ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/8750 "2023-12-18T23:25:37Z")
From [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com): > ## Origin of nibling > > 1 > > [n(ephew)](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/nephew) or [n(iece)](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/niece) + [(s)ibling](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/sibling); coined by U.S. linguist Samuel E. Martin (1924–2009) in 1951 I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I think it is an ugly-sounding word. On the other hand, it is easier to type than “niece or nephew”. Has anyone devised an analog for “aunt and/or uncle”? ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/8751 "2023-12-19T00:05:40Z")
Every time I hear nibling, I think of [Nibbler.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qDG_u499Ag) (So I approve, obviously.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/8752 "2023-12-19T00:19:34Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Or octopodes. That’s just _less_ wrong. 😀 ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/8753 "2023-12-19T03:19:29Z")
I had braces as an adult because I had really bad TMJ so we had to get the teeth in the right place before the surgery. I have 8 places in my jaws where they cut the bone and put it back together ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/8754 "2023-12-19T07:35:18Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > That being said: the plural of “moose” should be “meese.” That is a hill I am willing to die on. So the one with the rack on its head is a mander? And the little ones are moslings? _That_ hill? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/8755 "2023-12-19T12:43:00Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > From [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com): > > > ## Origin of nibling > > > > 1 > > > > [n(ephew)](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/nephew) or [n(iece)](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/niece) + [(s)ibling](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/sibling); coined by U.S. linguist Samuel E. Martin (1924–2009) in 1951 > > I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I think it is an ugly-sounding word. On the other hand, it is easier to type than “niece or nephew”. > > Has anyone devised an analog for “aunt and/or uncle”? I, too, have seen “niblings”, or just “nibs” quite a lot recently. Definitely on the increase. The generic term for aunts and uncles is “cousins”, which traditionally has been used for pretty much any relative who isn’t in your immediate line. And anyway, it’s common to deal with a group of niblings plus your brother, but no other relatives. It’s uncommon to deal with a group of uncles and aunts without a lot of other family present. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/8756 "2023-12-19T13:34:45Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > I have 8 places in my jaws where they cut the bone and put it back together Oof! How long did that take? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/8757 "2023-12-19T13:41:31Z")
I had braces as a kid. I probably didn’t “need” them. My teeth migrated back to where they had been before the braces within a few years. No, my front teeth don’t meet. So i can’t “cut” properly with my teeth. Fortunately, knives exist. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/8758 "2023-12-19T14:04:52Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Oof! How long did that take? Over 12 hours! > [@puzzlegal](#): > > So i can’t “cut” properly with my My mom could cut thread with her teeth. Me, not so much. I could stick a tongue depressor between my teeth without touching ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/8759 "2023-12-19T14:51:39Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Yeah, I’ve run into that one. Three new leaves, very early in the season when they first become visible, eaten every year: supposed to make you immune. I knew somebody who said he did this. He wasn’t otherwise insane in any way I could tell. > > I wouldn’t try it. If it goes wrong, it’ll go horribly wrong. You can indeed get poison ivy rash inside you, and yes that’s likely to land you in the hospital, and in a very unhappy state indeed. I read somewhere about killing weeds with boiling water. Then i found some poison ivy growing up the side of my house. So I, stupidly, boiled a pot of water and poured it over the vine. A rich vegetable odor immediately billowed up. I suddenly realized what a dumb idea that had been, and i left the area. I worried for a few days that i might get poison ivy rash in my lungs, but nothing ever happened. I still don’t know whether that was because the urushiol wasn’t actually volatilized or because i just didn’t react. Either way, i haven’t tried that again. But i did kill that vine. Also, cooked poison ivy smells delicious. I bet most people would enjoy eating it. > [@Zyada](#): > > I could stick a tongue depressor between my teeth without touching Ditto. But that’s with braces. A dentist sent me to an oral surgeon about it. He said it couldn’t be fixed without breaking the jaw, and he considered it purely cosmetic.(He said if i wanted to do it, he was very good at that surgery, but he didn’t recommend it.) So I took a pass. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/8760 "2023-12-19T16:41:03Z")
To me, a nibling is either a mutant golf club or one of the dwarves Wagner was on about. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/8761 "2023-12-19T16:56:35Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > The generic term for aunts and uncles is “cousins” Huh. The meaning of “cousins” that I’ve learned definitely excludes aunts and uncles. Cousins are the descendents of aunts and uncles. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > I read somewhere about killing weeds with boiling water. Then i found some poison ivy growing up the side of my house. So I, stupidly, boiled a pot of water and poured it over the vine. > > A rich vegetable odor immediately billowed up. Aim at the roots, not the leaves! Killing the roots will kill the leaves. Killing the leaves won’t kill the roots, and it’ll grow back. That said – what I’ve used for small areas of poison ivy is vinegar. You can get extra strength vinegar, but that requires extra care in handling, and the regular strength works; though it may take several applications. Apply to leaves, while they’re in full sun if possible. Repeat if it grows back (it probably will, see above) until it gives up. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/8762 "2023-12-19T17:39:26Z")
Years ago i had some established poison ivy, and i used a heavy-duty weed killer. That killed some nearby plants, despite my care in application. But it worked. Since then, i have patrolled the yard a few times a year for seedlings. It’s really easy to pull up the seedlings. I wear one disposable glove, and wrap it around the seedlings as i remove it. Then i wash my hands. Occasionally i miss a seedling and have to pull up a vine with several months of growth, but that’s still feasible to pull by hand. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/8763 "2023-12-19T23:14:39Z")
If I can have a good quality dehydrator, I’ll happily trade that for the toaster oven I selected. But a dehydrator wasn’t on the list. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=437) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=439)