Salutatio William!
28-Dec-97, William Elliot wrote to Richard Meic
          Subject: Instant Riddle
 >>>> Richard Meic on Instant Riddle
 CH>>>> No more so than any other, but fortunately about six of one and
 CH>>>> half a dozen of the other!  :)
 WE>>> Riddle of the day:  When is a half dozen more than six?
 RM>>> Half of a "baker's dozen"?  6.5
 WE>> Correct.  Now my bitch littered my home with a baker's half
 WE>> dozen. How many pups were in her litter ---
 RM>> Six live pups and a stillbirth?  I do not see how one can get a
 RM>> "half" pup.
 WE> Simplistic answer tho similar to mine.  The dead pup wouldn't
 WE> count anyway, now would it?
A dead pup is no longer a pup?  Then what else is it?  If you call a
dead pup a "dead pup", you are still referring to it as a form of "pup",
so a dead pup is still a pup and still counts.  Now, if the pup is not
alive one cannot really say it is a whole pup, so a dead pup _could_ be
a half of a pup.
 WE> My answer is six pups and a non-surviving pup, perhaps premature.
Premature could still live for a time, so the premature pup can be
considered a half pup.
 WE> Now, Mr. Wise Guy, CH he up
 WE> and thought him a real smart answer.  Six pups born and a seventh
 WE> stuck in the birth channel hanging halfway out.  As he put it, six
 WE> and a half at the moment.  As I'd put it, six and a half and still
 WE> counting. Hasn't he topped us ---
But, the half sticking out is still attached to the other half, so it is
still a whole pup.  I would not go as far as to say that even half of
the pup is officially "born", I would say that a pup is not born until
the whole pup is out.  CH's half pup is therefore invalid as a half pup.
It was a noble effort though. ;)
 Dicere...
 email address (vrmeic@spots.ab.ca)
Richard Meic
--- Terminate 5.00/Pro 
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