Books, Arts & Manners: Having the Last Word

I wish space permitted printing all the amusing conversation openers our many contestants thought up, no doubt in hours of concentrated brooding. But here are the Honorable Mentions:

From Jeane Tarleton in London: “If you could change the color of custard, what color would you make it?”; and “Do you think two legs are better than three, and why?” From Kevin Embree of Portland, Ore.: “If your pets could talk, for how much would they blackmail you?” From A. Kenney, Union, N.J.: “Do you know whether rattlesnakes coil clockwise or counterclockwise?” From Tim Colarik, Warren, Ohio: “Can you think of some possible industrial use for Jell-O?” From D. S. Bakin, Boston: “Is it possible to smell the scent out of a rose, if you sniff at it long enough?” From B. Terry Thornton, Albany, Ga.: “Can you think of four reasons why handkerchiefs are square?”; and “Name eight colors you’ve never seen.”

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Nika Hazelton

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I wish space permitted printing all the amusing conversation openers our many contestants thought up, no doubt in hours of concentrated brooding. But here are the Honorable Mentions:

From Jeane Tarleton in London: “If you could change the color of custard, what color would you make it?”; and “Do you think two legs are better than three, and why?” From Kevin Embree of Portland, Ore.: “If your pets could talk, for how much would they blackmail you?” From A. Kenney, Union, N.J.: “Do you know whether rattlesnakes coil clockwise or counterclockwise?” From Tim Colarik, Warren, Ohio: “Can you think of some possible industrial use for Jell-O?” From D. S. Bakin, Boston: “Is it possible to smell the scent out of a rose, if you sniff at it long enough?” From B. Terry Thornton, Albany, Ga.: “Can you think of four reasons why handkerchiefs are square?”; and “Name eight colors you’ve never seen.”