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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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"You see me and Idaho never had any education beyond reading and doing "if John had three apples and James five" on a slate. We never felt any special need for a university degree, though we had acquired a species of intrinsic intelligence in knocking around the world that we could use in emergencies. But, snowbound in that cabin in the Bitter Roots, we felt for the first time that if we had studied Homer or Greek and fractions and the higher branches of information, we'd have had some resources in the line of meditation and private thought. I've seen them Eastern college fellows working in camps all through the West, and I never noticed but what education was less of a drawback to 'em than you would think. Why, once over on Snake River, when Andrew McWilliams' saddle horse got the botts, he sent a buckboard ten miles for one of these strangers that claimed to be a botanist. But that horse died."
Bots \Bots\, n. pl. [Cf. Gael. botus belly worm, boiteag
maggot.] (Zo["o]l.)
The larv[ae] of several species of botfly, especially those
larv[ae] which infest the stomach, throat, or intestines of
the horse, and are supposed to be the cause of various
ailments. [Written also botts.]
Note: See Illust. of Botfly.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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puts a whole new spin on Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans...
formerly known as etaoin...
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Dear etaoin: in searching for discussion of the horse problem, I saw reference to many persons named Botts.
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Joined: Jun 2002
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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well, I have read that JK Rowling, in her Harry Potter series, really enjoyed playing with the names for characters, so I'm guessing that this was no exception!
formerly known as etaoin...
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Posts: 13,858 |
Dear etaoin: The botts mentioned in the horse were the larvae of the botfly. Incidentally there is one type of botfly that I marvel at. It approaches anal orifice of deer, does a somersault, presenting its ovipositer to the oriice, and fires an egg into it. How in hell could that behaviour evolve?
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