Sideswipe: June 29: Meet Pete Lightyear

Lookalikes: Heroes Burling and Buzz. Photos / Supplied

Should-be words

Afterliff - a dictionary of things that there aren't any words for yet - includes these should-be-words ...

Clovelly adj.

Quite nice, but not quite nice enough.

Bricy adj.

Worryingly inexpensive.

Badlesmeare n.

One who dishonestly ticks the 'I have read and agree to the Terms and Conditions' box.

Loughborough n.

The false gusto with which children eat vegetables in adverts.

Bunratty adj.

Annoyed with oneself for having eaten too many doughnuts.

Banada n.

A Canadian banana.

Haigh n.

A greeting among horses.

(Note: Afterliff is the sequel to Douglas Adams and John Lloyd's The Meaning of Liff (1983) by Lloyd and Jon Canter)

Spokily similar patter

Yesterday a reader emailed to share her conversation with a guy who had mistakenly called the wrong number (he claimed his mate had 'scrambled' his phone contacts) and then chatted, asked the caller where she was based and then, if she was female ... (Read it here)

She ended the conversation by telling him she was old enough to be his grandmother and he politely bowed out. After seeing the message exchange in Sideswipe another reader wrote in with a near identical phone call (see below), same day from the same number. Anyone else had a similar exchange?

A conversation with a guy who had mistakenly called the wrong number. Photo / Supplied

Silver-plated centenarians

New data suggests Japan has broken its own record for most centenarians by population for the 46th straight year. There are now more than 65,000 people in Japan who've lived 100 years or more.

Every year there is a public holiday - Respect for the Aged Day - when new members of the 100-plus club receive a fancy silver sake dish. But having so many people live that long is actually becoming a burden on the nation's economy - since 2014 the dish alone has cost the country over $2 million. No surprises that in 2016 the government decided to change its traditional pure-silver dish for a cheaper, silver-plated one.(Via Business Insider)

Where's the remote?

A reader writes: "My ex in-laws had the strangest method of ensuring they knew the whereabouts of the TV remote control. They kept it on top of the TV. So, when they changed a channel, they'd have to get up out of their chair, go to the TV, change the channel, replace the remote on top of the TV and go sit down. Thick as a whale omelette." (Via b3ta.com)

Tweet goodness

Accent challenge

One hundred Americans try to do a British accent - it's not only how they say it, it's what they say that's funny...(clue: swearing, tea and Harry Potter references)

Got a Sideswipe? Send your pictures, links and anecdotes to Ana at ana.samways@nzherald.co.nz