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#12272 12/08/00 03:16 PM
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Ratatouille ? Rataplan ?

Rat-a-tat-tat.


#12273 12/08/00 06:36 PM
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rataplan

I vaguely remember a chant that went something like: "rataplan, rataplan, rataplan -plan -plan" What the hell is rataplan, tsuwm?



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#12274 12/08/00 06:43 PM
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What the hell is rataplan, tsuwm?

Even rodents suffer from architects.


#12275 12/08/00 07:00 PM
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> What the hell is rataplan, tsuwm?

choose one:
a) the iterative sound of beating: rat-a-tat-tat
b) informing on a heist
c) rodent architects



#12276 12/08/00 07:16 PM
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It is also French for Rat-tat-tat.


#12277 12/08/00 09:08 PM
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On the subject of rats, one gone missing in NY–(forget, "How could you possible know?")

The W Grace building on Lexington Avenue and 42nd St. –near to Grand Central Terminal and Grand Central Station*– had a marque– a metal awning type marque, that was supported by 4 iron (steel? what ever) rods made to look like hawsers, with those conical devises (perhaps Cap't Kiki knows the name of them?) meant to keep ship board rats on the ship and land lubber rats on land.

On one of the rods, was a lovely rat. I don't know if she had an official name, (I always called her gracie) but she's gone!

We all seem to have rat similes, but do any of you have ornamental rats? Or missing rats? Or do any of you know of gracie?

*obviously not the same place


#12278 12/08/00 10:52 PM
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Helen, she of the purse that bought a thousand slips, suggested: hawsers, with those conical devises (perhaps Cap't Kiki knows the name of them?) meant to keep ship board rats on the ship and land lubber rats on land

Note that I've never, ever sung with Elton John. Or anything elsed with EJ.

The second thing is that yes, I do know what they're called but for the life of me I can't remember at the moment. It'll come to me when I'm trying to work out something trivial like the number of megawatt-hours a particular meter at a point of connection on the national grid can actually record in one half-hour period.



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#12279 12/08/00 11:07 PM
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here's some anecdotal evidence that they're just called "rat guards", but surely they must have another name.

http://www.astm.org/DATABASE.CART/PAGES/F1099M.htm


#12280 12/08/00 11:46 PM
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tsuwm suggested here's some anecdotal evidence that they're just called "rat guards", but surely they must have another name.

Yes, there is some totally unobvious term for them. I'm trying to get hold of my father who's much saltier than me. He'll know, but like most OAPs, he's selfishly off enjoying himself somewhere without a single thought as to whether his children may need his help and succour at a moment's notice ...



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#12281 12/09/00 01:35 AM
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Nervous as a mouse in a room full of cats.

Nervous as a cat in a room full of rockers.



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