Hi Tweets,

Kelly Cassidy writes:

>Yes, certain words have lost their shock value and require appropriate
>substitutes. Imagine Dad and Son, in the backyard building a fence. Dad
>hits his thumb with the hammer.
> "Breeding feathers on a duck!" he yells. Unforturnately for him, Mom
>overhears.
> "How many times have I told you not to use that kind of # at $^& language
>around Junior! Son, polite people say Alternate Definitive Plumage."

Hilarious! And here I thought the only feathers which had shock value were
those covering up Sally Rand's naughty bits!

Come to think, where *did* ostrich feathers come from in the 1930's? Farmed
birds or wild? Their call is described as a "nocturnal; deep leonine roar".
Is their someone familiar with African birds that could answer whether
there's some mimicry of lions in the ostrich's call?

Michael Price A brave world, Sir,
Vancouver BC Canada full of religion, knavery, and change;
mprice at mindlink.net we shall shortly see better days.
Aphra Behn (1640-1689)