curiosa

[Dennis R. Preston]

My version had it as a Hollywood director who needed two of the little
critters for a movie, writing to an animal supply house. The punch line was
"Please send me one mongoose. Oh, while you're at it, send me another one."
But variation like this is just good grist for folkorists.

dInIs



>At 9:32 PM -0400 9/20/00, Dennis R. Preston wrote:
>>Shame on you larry. Lots of young folks out there never heard the mongoose
>>story.
>>
>>dInIs
>>
>Well, if anyone hasn't figured it out retroactively, this involves
>the small mammals guy at the zoo writing a requisition letter that
>begins "Please send two mongooses".  Doesn't look right, he decides,
>so he crumples it up and re-begins "Please send two mongeese."  Looks
>even worse.  Aha, he thinks--"Please send me a mongoose.   Make it
>twins."
>And he breaks out two bottles...er, a bottle or two of Shiraz to
>celebrate the solution.
>
>larry


Dennis R. Preston
Department of Linguistics and Languages
Michigan State University
East Lansing MI 48824-1027 USA
preston at pilot.msu.edu
Office: (517)353-0740
Fax: (517)432-2736