# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 3) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 29, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157 "2026-01-29T18:21:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 96
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2026, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1901 "2026-06-08T17:03:50Z")
My friend is ordained from the [Church of Gnome](https://www.churchofgnome.org/) She’s officiated a couple of offbeat weddings. The oven I want is a Rational, combi convection it s self cleaning and programmable for sounds, even has we wish you a merry Christmas and Westminster chimes. ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2026, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1902 "2026-06-08T18:22:24Z")
I think the SCTV cast were all tremendously talented people, and once you got to know each one you thought of them as old friends whose strengths as performers were very fine tuned. I picked Joe Flaherty. But I must say that I’m still not sure which one is Dave Thomas and which is Harold Ramis. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2026, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1903 "2026-06-08T18:34:05Z")
> [@Hatchie](#): > > But I must say that I’m still not sure which one is Dave Thomas and which is Harold Ramis. Harold Ramis co-wrote _Ghostbusters_ and _Groundhog Day_, which was enough to get him my vote. Dave Thomas’s main claim to fame (outside of SCTV) seems to be _Strange Brew_, which bored me to death. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2026, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1904 "2026-06-08T18:41:32Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Harold Ramis co-wrote _Ghostbusters_ and _Groundhog Day_, which was enough to get him my vote. Also, on screen, Ramis was one of the two main characters in _Stripes_, and played Egon, one of the four original Ghostbusters. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2026, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1905 "2026-06-08T18:43:04Z")
If the epicurean gods are giving me a free cooking appliance, I’m taking the opportunity to replace my gas range with an induction cooktop, which is something I’d kind of like to do anyway. I could probably compensate for the lack of an oven by figuring out how to do baking in a Dutch oven on the burner. The way I read the poll, this appliance restriction only only applies to home, correct? So I can still reheat leftovers in the microwaves at the office. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2026, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1906 "2026-06-08T19:15:42Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Our dryer doesn’t make any noise when finished. Some dryers have a setting for that, and maybe yours and others here have not set it to make a noise. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2026, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1907 "2026-06-08T19:38:21Z")
I was going to choose my existing gas range, but since someone has taken a sawzall to separate the cooktop from the oven I’ll take my charcoal grill (especially with a lifetime warranty). I can do anything with it that I can do with the cooktop AND the oven. Also, I’m not sure what is meant by “charbroiler”. That is a brand name for cheap grills (gas and charcoal). Or is it another ludicrous separation of the broiler element included in the oven in most ranges? ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2026, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1908 "2026-06-08T19:53:03Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Harold Ramis co-wrote _Ghostbusters_ which came out 42 years ago _today_! Don’cha feel old now? ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2026, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1909 "2026-06-08T20:29:41Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Harold Ramis co-wrote _Ghostbusters_ and _Groundhog Day_, which was enough to get him my vote. And mine! ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1910 "2026-06-09T01:34:38Z")
Where and when was “Kidnaped” considered a correct spelling? I thought it might be a weird British spelling, but that isn’t the way Robert Louis Stevenson spelt it. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1911 "2026-06-09T03:30:10Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Where and when was “Kidnaped” considered a correct spelling? [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kidnap](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kidnap) > kidnapped also kidnaped [ˈkid-ˌnapt](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kidnap?pronunciation&lang=en_us&dir=k&file=kidnap11) ; kidnapping also kidnaping Lots of words have two different spellings or pronunciations. ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1912 "2026-06-09T03:37:42Z")
Stevenson was of course British so would obviously conform to the British way. I was taught kidnaping is the American way. But it seems to be falling by the wayside. Never mind, I will do it the correct one P way and dare anyone to try to tell me it’s wrong. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1913 "2026-06-09T04:07:47Z")
> [@Hatchie](#): > > Never mind, I will do it the correct one P way and dare anyone to try to tell me it’s wrong. Not wrong, just not used as much anymore. Like Rhyme and Rime. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1914 "2026-06-09T10:41:29Z")
The popularity of Stevenson’s _Kidnapped_ ensured a unified British-American spelling for all time. The one-p version did not stand a chance. It isn’t like “traveled,” because there the vowel before the L is an unstressed schwa, but in “kidnap” the vowel before the p is a full vowel with secondary stress. One that could go long. Schwa never goes long. ---
**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:** [June 9, 2026, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1915 "2026-06-09T11:33:34Z")
I didn’t vote, because i don’t have a strong opinion and I’m pretty sure i was never taught to spell it any way. But i feel like I’ve seen kidnaping not than kidnapping, even though the second makes more sense. ---
**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:** [June 9, 2026, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1916 "2026-06-09T12:19:23Z")
> [@Hatchie](#): > > I was taught kidnaping is the American way. The Merriam-Webster (which is American) link in the post above yours gives the two-p version first, and all their recent examples use two ps. As an American, the one-p version looks weird to me, and I can’t remember when or if I’ve ever seen it. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1917 "2026-06-09T13:29:14Z")
At the turn of the century, I worked at a startup company building consumer electronics. The owner would bring his friends in to tour the labs, see the product, get their feedback. One day, the owner brought Harold Ramis through and afterwards he chatted with the team. On a lark, one of the hardware techs grabbed a stack of random papers and asked Ramis if he would mind “reading his script”. Without missing a beat, Ramis replied “Sure thing. Would you mind soldering some stuff for me?” It wasn’t snarky; he was just playing along. It got a big laugh of course. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1918 "2026-06-09T13:37:00Z")
Apparently kidnapers can’t find more than one “P” to cut out of a magazine ad. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1919 "2026-06-09T15:19:35Z")
Thanks for this Harold Ramis anecdote! I’m pleasantly surprised to see that in the poll he’s currently tied for second place. I expected him to get beat out by more prolific actors like Rick Moranis, Eugene Levy, and Martin Short—especially the latter two, who have remained very active up to the present. (Fun fact: after a three-decade retirement, Rick Moranis will be returning to the big screen next year in _Space Balls: The New One_.) ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1920 "2026-06-09T20:32:47Z")
I was hoping to see more love for Andrea Martin. She was magnificent in the series _Evil._ Her addition to the cast rescued that show. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=95) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=97)