Monday, August 18, 2008

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Talking to the Police by Professor James Duane

1 comment:
Professor James Duane gives a 47-minute lecture on why talking to the police without a grant of immunity is always a bad idea, even if (especially if) you are innocent. The first half of the lecture is the professor's lecture, the second half being commentary by a police officer who confirms everything and then describes many (all perfectly legal) techniques for getting people to confess.

Monday, August 04, 2008

Male dogs and other unusual words

No comments:
This week, I started wondering if there is a term for a male dog. We all know the term for a female dog, but the males are usually just called "dogs".

Well, thanks to the internet, I now know that answer.

There are three terms used for a male dog:

  • Stud - usually only used for breeding purposes
  • Sire - but only if it has fathered pups
  • Cur - although this usually implies one that is angry or ill or abused

And while on the subject, I was able to find out what male and female cats are called. Until now, I only knew the first of the following:

  • tom - a male cat
  • gib - a male cat that's been neutered
  • queen - a female cat (usually only if she hasn't been spayed)
  • clowder - a group of cats

And now you know too.