When Do Fish Sleep? (44 page)

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Authors: David Feldman

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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

Help!

 

 

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

 

About the Author

 

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.

ALSO BY DAVID FELDMAN

 

 

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
)

 

Credits

 

Cover art by Kassie Schwan

Copyright

 

 

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.)

 

10 9 8 7 6 5

 

 

About the Publisher

 

 

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.

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http://www.perfectbound.ca

 

New Zealand

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http://www.harpercollins.co.nz

 

United Kingdom

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

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London, W6 8JB, UK

http://www.uk.perfectbound.com

 

United States

HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

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http://www.perfectbound.com

Table of Contents

Preface

Why Do Roosters Crow in the Morning?

Why Do Many Hotels and Motels Fold Over the Last Piece of Toilet Paper in the Bathroom?

Why Do Gas Gauges in Automobiles Take and Eternity to Go from Registering Full to Half-full, and Then Drop to Empty in the Speed of Light?

How Is the Caloric Value of Food Measured?

Who Put E on Top of the Eye Chart? And Why?

Do the Police Really Make Chalk Outlines of Murder Victims at the Scene of the Crime? Why Do They Use Chalk?

What Do Restaurants that Specialize in Potato Skins Do with the Rest of the Potato? What Do Restaurants that Specialize in Frogs’ Legs Do with the Rest of the Frog?

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 You Are Driving Your Car at Night and Look Up at the Sky, Why Does It Seem that the Moon Is Following You Around?

When Does a Calf Become a Cow?

When One Has a Cold, Why Does Only One Nostril at a Time Tend to Get Clogged (Even Though Which Nostril Gets Clogged Can Change at Any Time)? Come to Think of It, Why Do We Need Two Nostrils in the First Place?

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?

Why Are Tupperware ® Brand Products Sold Only at Parties? Couldn’t They Make More Money by Selling the Stuff in Stores Too?

Why Do Monkeys in the Zoo Pick Through Their Hair All the Time? Why Do They Pick Through One Another’s Hair?

Why Is Cheddar Cheese Orange?

What Is the Circle Adjacent to the Batter’s Box on Baseball Fields?

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