Rabbits and nose wiggling
Racewalking, judging of
Racquetballs, color of
Radar and police speed detection
Radiators and placement below windows
Radio
beeps before network news
FM, odd frequency numbers of
lack of song identification
public, low frequency numbers
Radio Shack and lack of cash registers
Radios
battery drainage
lingering sound of recently unplugged
Railroad crossings and “EXEMPT” signs
Railroads, width of standard gauges of
Rain
butterflies and
fish biting in
measurement container for
smell of impending
Raincoats, dry-cleaning of
“Raining cats and dogs”
“Raise hackles”
Raisins
cereal boxes and
seeded grapes and
Ranchers’ boots on fence posts
Razor blades, hotel slots for
Razors, men’s versus women’s
“Read the riot act”
“Real McCoys”
Rear admiral, origins of term
Rear-view mirrors, day/night switch on automobile
Receipts, cash register, color of
Records, vinyl, speeds of
Recreational vehicles and wheel covers
Recyclable plastics, numbers on
Recycling of newspaper ink
Red
color of beef
eyes in photographs
paint on coins
“Red cent”
“Red herring”
Red lights, versus green lights, on boats and airplanes
“Red tape”
Red Wings, Detroit, octopus throwing and
“Red-letter day”
Redshirting in college football
Refrigeration of opened food jars
Refrigerators
location of freezers in
smell of new
thermometers in
Relative humidity, during rain
Remote controls, men versus women and
Repair shops, backlogs and
Restaurants
coffee, versus home-brewed
vertical rules near entrances of
Restrooms, group visits by females to
Revolving doors, appearance of, in big cities
Reynolds Wrap, texture of two sides of
Rhode Island, origins of name
Ribbons, blue
Rice cakes, structural integrity of
Rice Krispies
noises of
profession of Snap!
“Right wing”
“Rigmarole”
Rings, nose, bulls and
Rinks, ice, temperature of resurfacing water in
“Riot Act [1716]”
Roaches
automobiles and
position of dead
reactions to light
Roads
blacktop, coloring of
fastening of lane reflectors on
versus bridges, in freezing characteristics
Robes, black, and judges
Rocking in zoo animals
Rodents and water sippers
Roller skating rinks, music in
Rolls
coldness of airline
versus buns
Roman chariots, flimsiness of
Roman numerals
calculations with
copyright notices in movie credits and
on clocks
Roofs, gravel on
Roosevelt, Teddy, and San Juan Hill horses
Roosters, crowing and
Root beer
carbonation in
foam of
Rubble, Betty
nonappearance in Flintstones vitamins
vocation of
Ruins, layers of
Rulers, vertical, in restaurant entrances
Run amok
Runny noses
cold weather and
kids versus adults
Rust, dental fillings and
RVs and wheel covers
“Rx”
S.O.S Pads, origins of
“Sacked [fired]”
Sacks, paper
jagged edges on
names on
Safety caps, aspirin, 100-count bottles of
Safety pins, gold versus silver
Saffron, expense of
Sailors, bell bottom trousers and
“Salad days”
Salads, restaurant, celery in
Saloon doors in Old West
Salt
and pepper, as table condiments
in oceans
packaged, sugar as ingredient in
round containers and
storage bins on highway and
versus sand, to treat icy roads
Salutes, military, origins of
San Francisco, sourdough bread in
Sand
in pockets of new jeans
storage bins on highway and
versus salt, to treat icy roads
Sandbags, disposal of
Sardines, fresh, nonexistence in supermarkets
“Sawbuck [ten-dollar bill]”
Sawdust on floor of bars
Scabs, itchiness of
Scars, hair growth and
“Schneider”
School clocks, backward clicking of minute hands in
Schools, CPR training in
Scissors, sewing, and paper cutting
“Scot-free”
“Scotland Yard”
Scotsmen and kilts
Screen doors, location of handles on
Screwdrivers, reasons for Philips
Scuba masks, spitting into
Sea gulls in parking lots
Sea level, measurement of
Seas versus oceans, differences between
Seat belts
and shoulder straps in airplanes
in buses
in taxicabs
Secretary as U.S. government department head designation
“Seed [tournament ranking]”
“Seeing stars,” head injuries and
Self-service versus full-service, pricing of, at gas stations
“Semi,” origins of term
“Semimonthly”
“Semiweekly”
Serrated knives, lack of, in place settings
Settling in houses
Seven-layer cakes and missing layers
Seventy-two degrees, human comfort at
Sewing scissors and paper cutting
Shampoo bottles, notches on bottom of
Shampoo labels, “FD&C” on label of
Shampoos
colored, white suds and
lathering of
number of applications
Shaving of armpits, women and
Sheets
irregular, proliferation of
queen-size, size of
Sheriffs’ badges, shape of
Shirts
buttons on men’s versus women’s
men’s, pins in
single-needle stitching in
starch on
Shoe laces
length in athletic shoes
united, in shoe stores
Shoe sizes, differences between
Shoes
lace length in shoe stores
layers on
of deceased, at funerals
penny loafers
single, on side of road
tied to autos, at weddings
uncomfortable, and women
untied laces in stores
wing-tip, holes in
“Shoofly pie”
Shopping, female proclivity toward
Shopping malls, doors at entrance of
“Short shrift�
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Shoulder straps and seat belts in airplanes
Shredded Wheat packages, Niagara Falls on
“Shrift”
Shrimp, baby, peeling and cleaning of
“Shrive”
“Siamese twins”
“Sic,” as dog command
Side vents in automobile windows
“Sideburns”
Sidewalks
cracks on
glitter on
Silica gel packs in electronics boxes
Silos, round shape of
Silver fillings, rusting of
Silverstone, versus Teflon
Singers, American accents of foreign
Single-needle stitching in shirts
Sinks, overflow mechanisms on
Siskel, Gene, versus Roger Ebert, billing of
Skating music, roller rinks and
Skating, figure, and dizziness
Ski poles, downhill
“Skidoo”
Skunks, smell of
Skyscrapers, bricks in
Skytyping, versus skywriting
Skywriting
techniques of
versus skytyping
Sleep
babies and
drowsiness after meals
eye position
heat and effect on
twitching during
“Slippery When Wet” signs, location of
“Small fry”
Smell of impending rain
Smiling in old photographs
Smoke from soda bottles
Snack foods and prepricing
Snake emblems on ambulances
Snakes
sneezing
tongues
Snap! [of Rice Krispies], profession of
“Snap! Crackle! And Pop!” of Rice Krispies
Sneezing
eye closure during
looking up while
pepper and
snakes and
Snickers, wavy marks on bottom of
Sniffing, boxers and
Snoring, age differences and
Snow and cold weather
“Snow” on television
Soap, Ivory, purity of
Soaping of retail windows
Soaps, colored, white suds and
Social Security cards, lamination of
Social Security numbers
fifth digit of
reassignment of
sequence of
Socks
angle of
disappearance of
men’s, coloring of toes on
“Soda jerk”
Soft drinks
bottles, holes on bottom of
brominated vegetable oil in
calorie constituents
effect of container sizes and taste
filling of bottles of
finger as fizziness reduction agent
fizziness in plastic cups
fizziness of soda with ice cream
fizziness over ice
freezing of, in machines
Kool-Aid and metal containers
machines, “Use Correct Change” light on
phenylalanine as ingredient in
pinholes on bottle caps of
root beer, foam of
smoke of
“sodium-free” labels
Soles, sunburn and
“Son of a gun”
Sonic booms, frequency of
Sororities, Greek names of
Souffles and reaction to loud noises
Soup, alphabet, foreign countries and
Soups and shelving in supermarkets
Sour cream, expiration date on
Sourdough bread, San Francisco, taste of
South Florida, University of, location of
South Pole
directions at
telling time at
Sparkling Wine, name of, versus champagne
Speech, elderly versus younger and
Speed limit, 55 mph, reasons for
Speeding and radar
Speedometers, markings of, in automobiles
Spelling, “i” before “e” in
Sperm whales, head oil of
“Spic and span”
Spiders and web tangling
Spitting, men versus women
Spoons, measuring, inaccuracy of
Sprinkles, jimmies versus
Squeaking, causes of
“St. Martin’s Day”
Stage hypnotists, techniques of
Staining, paperback books and
Stains, elimination of, on clothing
Staling of bread
Stamp pads, moisture retention of
Stamps
perforation remnants
postage, taste of
validity of ripped
Staplers
fitting of staples into
outward setting of
Staples
clumping of
fitting into staplers of
“Starboard”
Starch on shirts
Stars in space, photos of
Starving children and bloated stomachs
States, versus commonwealths
Static electricity, variability in amounts of
Steak houses and baked potatoes
Steak, “New York,” origins of
Steam and streets of New York City
Steelers, Pittsburgh, helmet emblems of
Steins, beer, lids and
Stickers, colored, on envelopes
Stickiness of peanut butter
Stock prices as quoted in eighths of a dollar
Stocking runs
direction of
effect of freezing upon
“Stolen thunder”
Stomach, growling, causes of
Stomachs, bloated, in starving children
“STOP” in telegrams
Strait, George, and hats
Straws, rising and sinking of, in glasses
Street addresses, half-numbers in
Street names, choice of, at corner intersections
Street-name signs, location of, at intersections
Streets, glitter and
String cheese, characteristics of
String players
left handed, in orchestras
left-handed, in orchestras
Styrofoam coolers, blue specks on
Submarines, anchors and
Sugar
clumping together of
spoilage of
Sugar cube wrappers, slits in
Sugar Frosted Flakes, calorie count of
Sugar in packaged salt
Summer, first day of
Sunburn
delayed reaction in
palms and soles
“Sundae”
Sundials, mottoes on
Sunglasses and professional golfers
Sunrises, timing of
Sunsets, timing of
“Super” glue and Teflon
“Super” glues versus ordinary glues
Supermarkets
check approval policies
public bathrooms in
shelving of soup
Surgeons’ uniforms, color of
“Swan song”
Swarming of gnats
Sweating, swimmers and
“Sweating” and drinking glasses
Swimming
cats and
sweating and
Swiping of credit cards
Swiss cheese
holes in
slice sizes of
Switches, light
Syringes, hole in needle of
Tails, curly, pigs and
“Talking a blue streak”
Tall old people, rareness of
Tamers, animal, and kitchen chairs
Tape counters, audio and VCR
Tar Heels and University of North Carolina
Taste, sense of, in children versus adults
Tattoos, color of
“Taw”
Tax forms
disposal of
numbering scheme of
Taxes, April 15 due date of
Taxicabs
rear windows of
seat belts in
Teachers, apples for
Teddy bears, frowns of
Teeth, silver fillings and
Teeth direction of keys
“Teetotaler”
Teflon, stickiness of
Telegrams
exclamation marks and
periods and
Telephone cords, twisting of
Telephone rings, mechanics of
Telephones
911 as emergency number
area code numbers
dialing 9 to get outside line
fast versus slow busy signals
holes in mouthpiece
pay, clicking noise in
“Q” and “Z,” absence from buttons
rings, mechanics of
third-party conversations
three-tone signals
Telephones (cont.)
touch tone keypad for
When Do Fish Sleep? Page 28