Egon, what about an item of clothing? As there are only 2 questions left, I will not make a guess.

is it google?

19) Clothing? Yes.
18) Photograph? No.
17) Particular thing (as opposed to genre)? Yes (but could be used as genre as well).
16) Found in a normal family home? Yes (in a fair part of them, more than one can be found).
15) Fictional? No.
14) Sex aid/toy? No (but can be sexy).
13) Buyable in a shop? Yes.
12) Fossil fuel? No (most of it can be burnt, though).
11) Coral? No.
10) Smaller than adult human? Yes and No (one aspect is larger, if only a little bit).
9) Land-mass? No.
8) Used to make other things? No (though parts of it can be re-used).
7) Used under water? No (but predecessor was partly designed to cope with such circumstances).
6) Artistic? Depends (up-market yes, down-market no).
5) Manufactured? Yes.
4) Planet Earth? No.
3) Needs payment? Yes (except for certain persons related to questions 5, 6 or 13).
2) Edible? No (but: De gustibus non disputandum).
1) Material? Yes.
0) Animal, vegetable, or mineral? Composition vegetable with mineral; usage animal.

The dramatic turn so close to the finish makes me willing to answer the unasked question, and to ignore the google suggestion for which I can see no justification.
As a further hint, and true to Jasper's last book, I state that what I have in mind is mostly associated with one specific colour.
This should give astute participants of this thread sufficient information to name the word.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/17/2010 11:23AM by delacuesta.

I'm too overcome with tension to venture anything. And still clueless. Obviously not one of Speckles' elephant wellies though. Or a nine feet tall King Kong statue.

Clueless? Hardly so. For instance, what I wrote about astute participants may bear more than one meaning.

Okay, this isn't a guess, but my guess is some sort of underwear/bra/other type of (sometimes sexy) underclothing. Someone else can go ahead and guess a specific article and make it official.

Doesn't fit all the answers.

Now - about this bear....and the things he wears....

ES you are a genius.

Not a Guess

participants = Pants of the People = BlueJeans (obviously elastic, because that's a bit of a stretch.) Fits most of the answers (one size fits all), but THE answer is referred to as "it" rather than "them," so I think I'll just back quietly away...

What does "Not a Guess" mean"? Let me take it to be "knowing for certain".

20) Blue jeans? Yes.
19) Clothing? Yes.
18) Photograph? No.
17) Particular thing (as opposed to genre)? Yes (but could be used as genre as well).
16) Found in a normal family home? Yes (in a fair part of them, more than one can be found).
15) Fictional? No.
14) Sex aid/toy? No (but can be sexy).
13) Buyable in a shop? Yes.
12) Fossil fuel? No (most of it can be burnt, though).
11) Coral? No.
10) Smaller than adult human? Yes and No (one aspect is larger, if only a little bit).
9) Land-mass? No.
8) Used to make other things? No (though parts of it can be re-used).
7) Used under water? No (but predecessor was partly designed to cope with such circumstances).
6) Artistic? Depends (up-market yes, down-market no).
5) Manufactured? Yes.
4) Planet Earth? No.
3) Needs payment? Yes (except for certain persons related to questions 5, 6 or 13).
2) Edible? No (but: De gustibus non disputandum).
1) Material? Yes.
0) Animal, vegetable, or mineral? Composition vegetable with mineral; usage animal.

We might have a little language problem here. I'm not sure of the usage of the word in Anglosaxon speaking areas, but on the Old Continent we tend to call the thing "jeans" or "a jeans", never "a jean".
I would have accepted variants, but Blue jeans is as perfect as it can get.

<hands over the parafernalia to MistyCat>

...and this round of applause.

<Drum roll!>

I'm reluctant to accept the infernalia because my bet contained considerable hedging. However, if I view the task as a punishment rather than a privilege, I'm honour bound to accept the mantle.

"Not a Guess" is of course derived from the Latin Nota Bene, therefore my request was, Please Note Well this Guess about which I am absolutely and incontrovertibly sure and certain. Looks shiftily away, avoiding eye contact.

I set up a GoogleFight on "Jeans is" vs "Jeans are," but at the moment I'm seeing no results. Here in New Zealand we also "tend to call the thingS "jeans" or "a jeans", never "a jean") ", but they would always be "them" rather than "it."

OK, then. Takes deep breath.
Ready now. Girds loins. examines result, girdles loins instead. Gives gasp (high-pitched), removes girdle, puts on Blue Jeans, relaxes.

Round three begins. The answer has been sealed in the Golden Envelope and double locked in the Pink Cardboard Box of Maximum Security.

First question, please.

MistyCat Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
...
> Here in New Zealand we also tend to call the
> thingS "jeans" or "a jeans", never "a jean",
> but they would always be "them" rather than "it."
...

I see your point. Now that I think of it, all Anglosaxons would probably use "them" to refer to Jeans. In my own language we don't feel Jeans to imply a plural. Worse, we use the counterpart of "him" instead.
My "it" was therefore an outright mistranslation. My apologies.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/18/2010 10:38PM by delacuesta.

First question:

Is it edible?

MistyCat Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I set up a GoogleFight on "Jeans is" vs "Jeans
> are," but at the moment I'm seeing no results.
> Here in New Zealand we also "tend to call the
> thingS "jeans" or "a jeans", never "a jean") ",
> but they would always be "them" rather than "it."


Think of them as a pair of jeans and the problem goes away.

01) Edible? No.

It isn't a book on philosophy or something? In other words, a book or written.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/20/2010 04:41AM by BibwitHart.

02) A book? No.
01) Edible? No.

Question 0: Animal, vegetable, mineral or mixed up, hybrid, something else category.