Sideswipe: February 29: Say it loud

You have to say this name aloud. Photo / Supplied

"Perhaps unlike the boat name in yesterday morning's Sideswipe, I think this boat's name was intended to be said out loud," writes Al. (Spotted at Edithburgh, York Peninsula, South Australia.)

Pilot drops a bomb

A pilot who used his plane's intercom to send birthday greetings to a colleague's mother triggered panic on board after passengers thought he said "bomb" rather than "mom". The Southwest Airlines pilot was asked by an air traffic controller to wish his mother a happy birthday as she flew from Baltimore to New York last week. The pilot told passengers that they had a "mom on board", but many thought he said a "bomb on board".

Views - and great TV reception

The estate agent's sales pitch for a three-bedroom bungalow on the island of Anglesey, north Wales, says the home "commands superb country and coastal views across a swathe of the Irish Sea" but fails to mention the 106m high BBC TV mast and sub-station standing only a few metres from the property's back garden. Williams and Goodwin says it mentions the mast in the directions to the property. One villager spoken to by the Telegraph said: "One good thing about being so near the mast is that at least the homeowner will get the best TV signal of anyone in Wales - and probably the rest of the UK."

What we believed as kids

1. "My son when in hospital was told by a friend not to eat any sausages while there because they were made in the hospital kitchen using all the meat from the arms and legs that had be amputated in the operating theatre."

2. "I was taught at Sunday School that because God used Adam's rib to make Eve, men have one less rib than women. At 38, I have only just worked out that men and women have the same number of ribs. A quick survey revealed my father-in-law, at 56, also believed this. It seems even God knows to never let the truth get in the way of a good story ..."

3. "My dad told me at an early age that baked beans were just little potatoes in tomato sauce. I have enjoyed them ever since and only discovered the truth many years later."

'Third World' conditions laughable

Does your cliched phrase still work? "The outraged ratepayers of Whangarei talking about their 'Third World road' conditions are hilarious," says Kip sarcastically. "Anyone who thinks that any of New Zealand's roads are in Third World condition has obviously never visited the Third World!"