When Do Fish Sleep? (44 page)
Volkswagen Beetles, elimination of
Vomiting and horses
“Waffling”
Wagon wheels in film, movement of
Waiters’ tips and credit cards
Walking the plank, pirates and
Walking, race, judging of
Wall Street Journal
, lack of photographs in
Warmth and its effect on pain
Warning labels, mattress tag
Warts, frogs and toads and
Washing machine agitators, movement of
Washing machines, top-versus bottom-loading, and detergent
Washington D.C., “J” Street in
Watch, versus clock, distinctions between
“Watch,” origins of term
Watches and placement on left hand
Water
bottled, expiration dates on
chemical manufacture of
clouds in tap water
color of
Water faucets
bathroom versus kitchen
location of, hot versus cold
Water temperature
effect on stain
versus air temperature, perception of
Water towers
height of
winter and
Water, boiling, boiling, during home births
Water, cold, kitchen versus bathroom
Watermelon seeds, white versus black
Wax, whereabouts in dripless candles
“Wear his heart on his sleeve”
“Weasel words”
Weather [see also particular conditions]
clear days following storms
forecasting of, in different regions
partly cloudy versus partly sunny
smell of impending rain
West coast versus East coast
Wedding etiquette, congratulations to bride and groom and
Wedding invitations, tissue paper in
Weigh stations, highway, predictable closure of
Wells, roundness of
Wendy’s hamburgers, square shape of
Western Union telegrams
exclamation marks and
periods
Wet noses, dogs and
Wetness, effect of, on color
Whales, sperm, head oil in
Whiplash, delayed reaction of
Whips, cracking sound of
Whistling at sporting events
White Castle hamburgers, holes in
White chocolate, versus brown chocolate
“White elephant”
White paint on homes
White pepper, source of
White wine, black grapes and
Whitewall tires
bluish tinge on
thickness of
Wigwams near highway
Wind on lakes, effect of different times on
Window cleaning, newspapers and
Window envelopes, use by mass mailers
Windows, rear, of automobiles
Windshield wipers, buses versus automobile
Wine
chianti and straw-covered bottles
dryness of
temperature of serving, red versus white
white, black grapes and
Wine glasses, types of
Wine tasters, drunkenness in
Wing-tip shoes, holes in
Winter, first day of
Wisdom teeth, purpose of
Women
dancing ability
fainting
feelings of coldness
group restroom visits
hair length of aging
leg kicking when kissing
remote control usage
spitting
uncomfortable shoes
Wood, popping noise of, in fires
Woodpeckers, headaches and
Wool
shrinkage of, versus wool
smell of, when wet
Worms
appearance on sidewalk after rain
as fish food
birds and
in tequila bottles
larvae and
survival during winter
Wrapping
Burger King sandwiches
chewing gum
gift box chocolate
Wrinkles on extremities
Wrists as perfume target
Wristwatches, placement on left hand
X
as symbol for kiss
as symbol in algebra
“X ray”
“Xmas,” origins of term
X-rated movies, versus XXX-rated movies
“XXX [liquor]”
Yawning, contagiousness of
Yeast in bread, effect of
Yellow, aversion of insects to
Yellow Freight Systems, orange trucks of
Yellow lights, timing of, in traffic lights
Yellow Pages, advertisements in
Yellowing of fingernails, nail polish and
YKK on zippers
Yogurt
fruit on bottom
liquid atop
Zebras and riding by humans
ZIP code, addresses on envelopes and
“Zipper”
Zippers, YKK on
Zodiac, different dates for signs in
Zoo animals, rocking in
We hate to end the book on a downbeat note, but we have to admit one dread fact: Imponderability is not yet smitten. Let’s stamp it out.
“How?” you ask. Send us letters with your Imponderables, answers to Frustables, gushes of praise, and even your condemnations and corrections.
Join your inspired comrades and become a part of the wonderful world of
Imponderables
. If you are the first person to submit an Imponderable we use in the next volume, we’ll send you a complimentary copy, along with an acknowledgment in the book.
Although we accept “snail mail,” we strongly encourage you to e-mail us if possible. Because of the volume of mail, we can’t always provide a personal response to every letter, but we’ll try—a self-addressed stamped envelope doesn’t hurt. We’re much better with answering e-mail, although we fall far behind sometimes when work beckons.
Come visit us online at the
Imponderables
website, where you can pose Imponderables, read our blog, and find out what’s happening at Imponderables Central. Send your correspondence, along with your name, address, and (optional) phone number to:
[email protected]
http://www.imponderables.com
Imponderables
P.O. Box 116
Planetarium Station
New York, NY 10024-0116
DAVID FELDMAN is the author of the Imponderables ® series, as well as
Who Put the Butter in Butterfly? and How to Win at Just About Everything
. He has a master’s degree in popular culture from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and consults and lectures on the media. He lives in New York City.
More Imponderables® available from HarperCollins Publishers.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
Do Elephants Jump?
How Do Astronauts Scratch an Itch?
What Are Hyenas Laughing at, Anyway?
How to Win at Just About Anything
How Does Aspirin Find a Headache?
Are Lobsters Ambidextrous?
(Originally published as
When Did Wild Poodles Roam the Earth?
)
Do Penguins Have Knees?
Why Do Dogs Have Wet Noses?
Who Put the Butter in Butterfly?
Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise?
Why Don’t Cats Like to Swim?
(Originally published as
Imponderables
)
Cover art by Kassie Schwan
Imponderables ® is a trademark of David Feldman
WHEN DO FISH SLEEP
? Copyright © 1989 by David Feldman. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of PerfectBound™.
PerfectBound™ and the PerfectBound™ logo are trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
Mobipocket Reader February 2006 ISBN 0-06-115145-9
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Feldman, David.
When do fish sleep? an imponderables book
p. cm.
Includes index
ISBN 0-06-074093-0 (pkk.)
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321)
Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia
http://www.perfectbound.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
Toronto, ON, M5R, 3L2, Canada
http://www.perfectbound.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.uk.perfectbound.com
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
New York, NY 10022
http://www.perfectbound.com
Table of Contents
Why Do Roosters Crow in the Morning?
Why Do Many Hotels and Motels Fold Over the Last Piece of Toilet Paper in the Bathroom?
How Is the Caloric Value of Food Measured?
Who Put E on Top of the Eye Chart? And Why?
If Water Is Heavier than Air, Why Do Clouds Stay Up in the Sky?
Why Are There More Holes in the Mouthpiece of a Telephone than in the Earpiece?
How Do Fish Return to a Lake or Pond that Has Dried Up?
Why Do We Call Our Numbering System “Arabic” When Arabs Don’t Use Arabic Numbers Themselves?
When Does a Calf Become a Cow?
Why Do New Fathers Pass Out Cigars?
What Are Dimples? And Why Do Only Some People Have Them?
Why Do Bath Towels Smell Bad After a Few Days When They Are Presumably Touching Only Clean Skin?
How Do Stamp Pads Keep Moist When They Are Constantly Exposed to the Drying Influence of Air?
What Is the Circle Adjacent to the Batter’s Box on Baseball Fields?
