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Unusually among ancient scholars, I can read perfectly without spectacles, but I fear I am getting a little hard of hearing in my dotage. The other day a table-companion made reference to what I later understood to be an "Irish news reader"; but I heard it as an "Irish mule breeder"; which resulted in a somewhat surreal conversation, as we spoke entirely at cross purposes. Then, yesterday, listening to a colleague preach a sermon about St Patrick, I made a somewhat similar mistake. He actually said that on Croag Patrick the saint had only a cave in which to shelter "from the elements", but I thought he said "from the elephants", and the rest of the sermon was lost to me as I wondered how in the world the elephants had got up Croag Patrick, and if he had got rid of them along with the snakes. Have the infirmities of other list-members led them to any ludicrous misunderstandings? The Supple Doctor. ____________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.co.uk address at http://mail.yahoo.co.uk or your free @yahoo.ie address at http://mail.yahoo.ie %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%