The Bruce effect
"If a pregnant rodent is exposed to the scent of an unfamiliar male, she will often spontaneously abort. Named after researcher Hilda Bruce, who discovered the phenomenon while working at London's National Institute for Medical Research in the 1950s. It's thought that the female rodent does this in order to make herself ready for mating with the new male - because the new male would probably kill the children of the other father once they were born." (Via Weird Universe)
In vino veritas
Drunk driving destroyed the Soviet spy network in Britain. After being arrested in London in 1971 for weaving down Tottenham Court Rd, KGB agent and sock salesman Oleg Lyalin panicked and offered up the names of every Russian spy. In return he wanted to stay and live in Britain with his mistress. The Government agreed and expelled the 105 people he named and the USSR's network in Britain "never recovered". (Via Adam Curtis on BBC.co.uk)
More fun with words
1. A friend's very young daughter always said: "I want to go to the pineapple"... couldn't figure it out until one day out driving sheexcitedly yelled out "pineapple, pineapple" as they passed the Parnell Pool.
2. I had a boss who used to mix his metaphors in hilarious ways at his motivational staff meetings. The most memorable was when he told us to "grab the world by its oysters!"
