Funerals, and head position of deceased, in caskets
Gasoline pumps, rubber sleeves on
Gauges, fuel, in automobiles
Glues, “super,” vs. regular
Golf balls and veering toward ocean, when putting
Gowns, and caps, at graduations
Grading of cigarettes
Gravel and placement on flat roofs
Gravy skin loss, when heated
Greeting cards, shape of
Gulls, “sea,” in parking lots
Hail, measurement of
Hats
decline in use of
dents in cowboy
Haystacks, shape of
Hearts, shape of, idealized vs. real
Heat and effect on sleep
Height of elderly
Holes on bottom of soda bottles
Horses, vomiting and
Hotel amenities, spread of
Houses, settling in
“Hut,” as football term
“I” before “e,” in spelling
Ice cream and thirstiness
Imperial gallon, vs. American gallon
Ink, color of, in ditto masters
Insects
ants, and separation from colony
moths, and attraction to light
roaches, and reaction to light
Jams, contents of
Jars, food, refrigeration of opened
Jeans
Levi, colored tabs on
Levi 501s, naming of
Jellies, contents of
Judges and black robes
Kissing and female leg kicking
Letters
Levi jeans
colored tabs on
origin of “501” name
Light bulbs, air in
Lighters, disposable, and fluid chambers
Lips, upper, groove on
Lobsters, ambidexterity of
Lotion, after-shave, and stinging
M&Ms, peanuts in plain
Mailboxes and postmaster general approval
Mall, shopping, entrances, doors at
Marmalades, contents of
Matchbooks, location of staples on
Matches, color of paper
Meatloaf, taste of, in institutions
Meats and doneness preferences
Men
dancing ability of
feelings of coldness
remote controls and
Mickey Mouse, four fingers of
Milk, skin on, when heated
Mobile homes, tires atop, in trailer parks
Monitors, computer, shape of
Moths, reaction to light of
Mottoes on sundials
Movie actors, speed of speech of
Mustaches, policemen and
Neckties
direction of stripes on
taper of
Nine-volt batteries, shape of
Nipples on men
Nutrition labels, statement of fats on
Oakland A’s, elephant on uniform of
Orange coffee pots, in restaurants
Painters and white uniforms
Pants, height of old men’s
Paper sacks, jagged edges on
Penmanship, bad, doctors and
Pens, disappearance of
Pepper, and salt, as table condiments
Perfume, wrists and
Philtrums, purpose of
Photographs, poses in
Physicians and bad penmanship
Pita bread, pockets in
Plastics, recyclable, numbers on
Pockets in pita bread
Policemen and mustaches
Poodles, wild
Pot pies, vent holes in
Potato chips, green tinges on
Potatoes, baked, and steak houses
Preserves, contents of
Pretzels, shape of
Pubic hair, purpose of
Pudding, film on
Purple
Christmas tree lights
royalty and
Putting, veering of ball toward ocean when
Q-tips, origins of name of
Quarterbacks and exclamation, “hut”
Rain, impending, smell of
Ranchers’ fenceposts, boots on
Razors, men’s vs. women’s
Recyclable plastics, numbers on
Refrigeration of opened food jars
Remote controls, men vs. women and
Restrooms, group visits by females to
Roaches, reaction to light of
Robes, black, and judges
Rodents and water sippers
Roller skating rinks, music in
Roofs, gravel on
Rubble, Betty, nonappearance in Flintstones multivitamins
Sacks, paper, jagged edges and
Salads, celery use in
Salt and pepper, as table condiments
“Sea” gulls in parking lots
Settling in houses
Seven-layer cakes and missing layers
Shaving of armpits
Shirts, single-needle stitching in
Shoes on side of road
Shopping malls, doors at entrances of
Side vents in automobile windows
Silica gel packs in electronics boxes
Single-needle stitching in shirts
Skating music, roller rinks and
Skyscrapers, bricks in
Sleep
babies and
drowsiness after meals and
eye position during
heat and effect on
Smell of impending rain
Snake emblems on ambulances
Snickers, wavy marks on bottom of
Social security numbers
Socks, disappearance of
Soft drinks
bottles, holes on bottom of
brominated vegetable oil in
calorie constituents in
phenylalanine as ingredient in
Soups and shelving in supermarkets
Speech, elderly vs. younger and
Spelling, “i” before “e” in
Sperm whales, head oil of
Stains, elimination of, on clothing
Steak houses and baked potatoes
Strait, George, and hats
Sundials, mottoes on
“Super” glues vs. ordinary glues
Supermarkets
check approval policies of
public bathrooms in
shelving of soup in
Surgeons’ uniforms, color of
Tall people, aging and
Tape counters, audio and VCR
Taste, sense of, in children vs. adults
Television sets, measurement of
Thermometers, color of liquid in
Throwing, sex differences in
Tiles, ceramic, in tunnels
Tires
atop mobile homes
bluish tinge on new whitewalls
inflation of, and gasoline mileage
Toothpaste, expiration date on
Traffic noise of U.S. vs. other countries
Traffic signs
“DONT WALK,” lack of apostrophe on
“FALLING ROCK,” purpose of
Trailer parks, tires atop mobile homes in
Trees
bark, color of
growth on slopes of
Tumbleweed, tumbling of
Tunnels, ceramic tiles in
“Turkey,” origin of term
Turn signals in automobiles, clicking sounds of
TWIX cookie bars, holes in
Underarm hair, purpose of
Uniforms
painters’ whites
surgeons, color of
Upper lips, groove on
Vegetable oil, vegetables in
Vending machines, bill counting and
Vent windows, side, in automobiles
Vitamins, measurement of, in foods
&nb
sp; Voices, elderly vs. younger
Vomiting and horses
Watches (timepieces)
Water, boiling, during home births
Water temperature and effect on stains
Water towers in winter
Weather
clear days following storms
forecasting of, in different regions
smell of impending rain
Whales, sperm, head oil in
Whitewall tires, bluish tinge on
Women
dancing ability of
feelings of coldness in
group restroom visits of
leg kicking when kissing of
remote controls and
Wool, shrinkage of, vs. cotton
Worms, larvae and
Wrists as perfume target
Wristwatches
Yellow Freight Systems, orange trucks of
Help!
We hate to end the book on a downbeat note, but we have to admit one dread fact: Imponderability is not yet smitten. Let’s stamp it out.
“How?” you ask. Send us letters with your Imponderables, answers to Frustables, gushes of praise, and even your condemnations and corrections.
Join your inspired comrades and become a part of the wonderful world of Imponderables. If you are the first person to submit an Imponderable we use in the next volume, we’ll send you a complimentary copy, along with an acknowledgement in the book.
Although we accept “snail mail,” we strongly encourage you to e-mail us if possible. Because of the volume of mail, we can’t always provide a personal response to every letter, but we’ll try—a self-addressed stamped envelope doesn’t hurt. We’re much better with answering e-mail, although we fall far behind sometimes when work beckons.
Come visit us online at the Imponderables website, where you can pose Imponderables, read our blog, and find out what’s happening at Imponderables Central. Send your correspondence, along with your name, address, and (optional) phone number to:
[email protected]
www.imponderables.com
Imponderables
P.O. Box 116
Planetarium Station
New York, NY 10024-0116
About the Author
David Feldman is the author of the Imponderables™ series–Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise? When Do Fish Sleep?, Why Do Dogs Have Wet Noses?, and Do Penguins Have Knees?–as well as Who Put The Butter In Butterfly? and How to Win as Just About Everything. He has a master’s degree in popular culture from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and consults and lectures on the media. He lives in New York City.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors
Also by David Feldman
Do Elephants Jump?
How Do Astronauts Scratch an Itch?
What Are Hyenas Laughing at, Anyway?
How to Win at Just About Anything
How Does Aspirin Find a Headache?
Do Penguins Have Knees?
Why Do Dogs Have Wet Noses?
When Do Fish Sleep?
Who Put the Butter in Butterfly?
Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise?
Why Don’t Cats Like to Swim?
(formerly published as Imponderables)
Credits
Cover design and hand tinting of illustrations © 1990 by Gloria Adelson/Lulu Graphics
Cover illustration © 1990 Kassie Schwan
Copyright
ARE LOBSTERS AMBITEXTROUS? Copyright © 1993, 2005 by David Feldman. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of PerfectBound™.
PerfectBound™ and the PerfectBound™ logo are trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
Imponderables® is a trademark of David Feldman
Previously published by HarperPerennial, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, in 1993 as When Did Wild Poodles Roam the Earth?
Mobipocket Reader February 2006 ISBN 0-06-114306-5
Library of Congress has catalogued the hardcover edition as follows:
Feldman, David, 1950-
When did wild poodles roam the earth?: an Imponderables TM book /David Feldman.
p. cm.
Includes Index
ISBN 0-06-016908-7 (cloth)
ISBN 0-06-076295-0 (pbk.)
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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Are Lobsters Ambidextrous? Page 26