Downsizing the N-pound gorilla

[Jonathan Lighter]

Wackipedia attempts to settle the question once and for all:

"Adult males also called as [sic] silverbacks range in height 1.65–1.75
metres (5 ft 5 in–5 ft 9 in), and in weight 140–200 kg (310–440 lb). Adult
females are often half the size of a silverback, averaging about 1.4 metres
(4 ft 7 in) tall and 100 kg (220 lb). Occasionally, a silverback of over
1.8 metres (5 ft 11 in) and 230 kg (510 lb) has been recorded in the wild.
Obese gorillas in captivity have reached a weight of 270 kg (600 lb.)."


JL

On Sun, Apr 17, 2011 at 7:20 PM, Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Downsizing the N-pound gorilla
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> The other day, someone on some random TV "reality" show made reference to
>
> "... a _200_-pound gorilla."
>
> Didn't the gorilla used to weigh *800* pounds, back in the day? *Two*
> hundred pounds is only about the size of a well-fed chimpanzee.
>
> --
> -Wilson
> -----
> All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange complaint
> to come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
> -Mark Twain
>
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