Curious...

[firstfrost]

[Poll #1270760]

Comments

[kirisutogomen.livejournal.com]

One assumes that if the answers were the obvious ones, you wouldn't be asking, but one attempts to answer the question "who would be most likely" rather than "who do you think".

[firstfrost.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm not sure they all have obvious answers. :) But yeah, like the Ender Teaches People The Meaning Of Christmas, something clearly motivated me to post.

(I could have a followup. Who is the most likely to own the yarn, who is most likely to own the twenty boxes of comic books, and who is most likely to own the circular saw...?)

[kirisutogomen.livejournal.com]

I think I might have sprinkled those in with the first set.

But yeah, it's not at all obvious who would a priori be the most likely to own an American flag (let alone the American flag).

[firstfrost.livejournal.com]

"the" is a perfectly reasonable word to use for "the only one in the circumstance described." There was only one beer tap in the car; there is only one WNPCF shampoo in the bathroom; there is only one American flag in the house. I do not suggest that there is only one flag in existence, any more than I suggest that there is only one car in existence. :)

[kirisutogomen.livejournal.com]

I don't disagree, but you do know that the phrase "the American flag" is also used to refer to a unique abstract entity in a manner that "the beer tap" or "the shampoo" does not.

[firstfrost.livejournal.com]

Well, I suppose if your answer would be different if I was asking about who is more likely to own the abstract concept of the flag, you can pick one for each. :)

[tirinian.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I know! :-)

[kirisutogomen.livejournal.com]

OK, I'll ask you. Why does the one person out of the three who doesn't drink own the beer tap, or at least own up to the beer tap?

[firstfrost.livejournal.com]

(Note that none of the three of us drinks *beer*. Bleah.)

[tirinian.livejournal.com]

It was left over from helping Germany return kegs after Steer Roast.

[kelkyag]

I think I know the flag. The other two, not a clue. :)

Yarn, comics, and circ saw I could do!

[desireearmfeldt]

I thought you decided no one owned the beer tap...

[firstfrost.livejournal.com]

Nobody likes my grammar. :(

[desireearmfeldt]

It wasn't a criticism of the question, it was speculating aloud about the beer tap. :)

[firstfrost.livejournal.com]

Well, it was clearly tirinian's beer tap. :)
"owns" is arguable, but he did own up to it!

[twe.livejournal.com]

Well, I know who was responsible for the beer tap and I'm pretty sure he also owns an american flag, so I awarded him the full sweep.

[firstfrost.livejournal.com]

Yup. mjperson gets the prize for getting it first, but you and desireearmfeldt are also correct.

[bakedweasels.livejournal.com]

I was anti-correct, which is a bit embarrassing as I'm his blood relative and lived with him even longer than any of you!

For a few more years, anyway...

[mijven.livejournal.com]

What do I know....