Sideswipe: November 13: Spotted in the Coromandel

Free car! Fully air conditioned. Photo / Supplied

Nice line in cast-offs

"Recently, my wife and I went shopping in Whangarei," writes Tony Lawson of One Tree Point in Northland. "Wilhelmina, my wife, informed me that she needed a bra or two so we visited a popular superstore. After a while trying on various garments my wife finally made a selection.

"The employee accepted my wife's credit card and examined the bra and then told my wife that the item 'is not one of ours'! It appears that someone has done a swap whilst in the changing room. My wife was a bit put out as she told me the bra was a good fit - probably had been run-in like a newly-bought car."

Turn your nose up at this product

What's new in ridiculous beauty products? Nose lifters, which are being marketed to women in East Asia to make their nose look more pointier and arguably more European. The nose lifter set consists of two silicone curves 2-3cm long, which are inserted into their nostrils and then adjusted to a 45-degree angle with a supplied hook. An instant nose job.

However, despite the popularity of the device, health professionals are beginning to warn against its use, as repeated use can cause irreversible damage by putting pressure on the cartilage framework of the nose.

So even if you tolerate the discomfort of wearing it, repeated use could result in an ulcer.

A 25-year-old woman in Taipei almost lost her nose when one of the pegs broke through her nasal membrane. Photo / Supplied

A 25-year-old woman in Taipei almost lost her nose when one of the pegs broke through her Nasal membrane and caused a bacterial infection. Online reviews shared talk of accidentally inhaling the Nasal device.

Time travelling urban legend of Rudolph Fentz

In 1950, a man with mutton chop sideburns and Victorian-era duds popped up in Times Square. Witnesses said he looked startled, and then a minute later, he was hit by a car and killed. On his person, the police found 19th-century money, a letter dated 1876 and business cards with his name - Rudolph Fentz. None of these items showed signs of ageing. A Mrs. Rudolph Fentz was tracked down.

She was the widow of Rudolph Fentz jnr, and the story went that junior's dad disappeared mysteriously in 1876. Weird, right?

Eventually it was discovered that this urban legend originated from a 1950 short story written by Jack Finney. Finney would go on to write the classics Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Time and Again. (Source: Mental Floss)

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