16) Not made of metal.

What is this "13" you speak of?

ES and anybody else wanting only "yes" and "no" answers" look away now...

Trust me, not paid for, not found in nature. I suppose somebody somewhere has to pay something for them, but not the end recipient - I've certainly never paid for any of the ones I've ended up with, and just like you - I've had loads.

Ah, perplexing and evidently not William Shatner. Must ponder further and wait with bated breath for Doctor Who.

Is it a business card?

0) Mostly, but not exclusively, mineral.
1) Frequently, arguably vegetable.
2) Not designed to be eaten.
3) Not a chair.
4) Nearly all are quite a bit smaller than the average bar of unused soap.
5) Not made to be worn on the body.
6) No moving parts.
7) Relatively easy to damage but unlikely to break when dropped
8) Not a household appliance.
9) Not a communications device but it does communicate something.
10) Combustible
11) Not red - really very important
12) Can be taken on a plane
12a) You don't pay for them
12b) FFordean connection
14) Not found in nature
15) Not triangular
15a) Not William Shatner, not a pond, not bait, not Doctor Who
16) Not a business card

geg Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What is this "13" you speak of?

Your compilation jumps from 12 - 12a - 12b to 14, The 13 I speak of is the number between the two. But if this number is a taboo to you I fully respect that.

It is a bit like the number between 7 & 9: in certain places certain numbers should be avoided.

In the olden days, before DTP, text for magazines used to be laid out onto blue grids. Grids that showed where the margins, columns etc were. The text was then filmed using a blue light so the grids didn't show up. Although in theory any colour except blue (red for instance) could have been used for the text, people tended to use black.

Can't think why I mention it. Especially when everybody else is talking about numbers not text.

Never Red.
Small.
Free.

...

Still not Red.

Hmmm.

Is it an end in itself or a tool towards something else?

I still have non-photo blue pencils. Can't seem to make myself toss them out.

And I like buildings that don't have a 13th floor. Not b/c I'm afraid of the 13th floor, I just think it's fun. Makes me want to send something to "Mr. John Smith, suite 1307" or something. Except then the post office would complain. But it's fun to think about. I can't think of a single building missing an entire floor, but I promise I'm not making it up.
*****

Every single thing that I can think of that fits the answers fall apart at the "red" qualification. Can't think of anything on earth that can't be red.... hmmmm.

17)Ouch - not really an end in itself - a "tool" to allow something else to happen, I guess. But definitely an entity in itself.

I wonder if they're just so familiar that nobody notices them any more.

geg Wrote:
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> I wonder if they're just so familiar that nobody notices them any more.

Apparently!!!! <grin>


<grumble grumble> cellphones, business cards, watches, all can be red. diamonds aren't red, but they aren't combustible...

OK, now wait. This item is combustible, but is mostly "mineral", meaning not animal but maybe, a little bit, vegetable. So it could be plastic. Except that I have seen a red credit card, that would be a guess. I had to pay for my drivers license. And I have no idea what blue grids and black ink have to do with anything... or magazines...

I'll swap you the answer for a non- photo blue pencil.

Utterly clueless.

Egon, I didn't know you knew me so well.

geg- If I had a decent chance of finding that pencil among the hundreds in my home office, I'd say we have a deal. But let me look for it first. Might take me a while...

a paper clip?

For lack of a better idea, is it a Blue pencil?

0) Mostly, but not exclusively, mineral.
1) Frequently, arguably vegetable.
2) Not designed to be eaten.
3) Not a chair.
4) Nearly all are quite a bit smaller than the average bar of unused soap.
5) Not made to be worn on the body.
6) No moving parts.
7) Relatively easy to damage but unlikely to break when dropped
8) Not a household appliance.
9) Not a communications device but it does communicate something.
10) Combustible
11) Not red - really very important
12) Can be taken on a plane
12a) You don't pay for them
12b) Shades of Grey connection
14) Not found in nature
15) Not triangular
15a) Not William Shatner, not a pond, not bait, not Doctor Who
16) Not a business card
17)Ouch - not really an end in itself - a "tool" to allow something else to happen, I guess. But definitely an entity in itself.
18) Not a blue pencil.

Refusing to answer the paper clip question on the grounds that they come in red.


9, 11, 12 and 17 with 16 being the closest guess.
They are everywhere.

um, is it a post-it note?

19) Not a post- it note