An astronomer, a physicist and a mathematician were holidaying in Scotland. Glancing from a train window, they observed a black sheep in the middle of a field. "How interesting," observed the astronomer, "all scottish sheep are black!" To which the physicist responded, "No, no! Some Scottish sheep are black!" The mathematician gazed heavenward in supplication, and then intoned, "In Scotland there exists at least one field, containing at least one sheep, at least one side of which is black." - Ian Stewart, Concepts of Modern Mathematics

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Ahhh, yes, if it were in verse it could be "An Ode To Semanticists."

at least one side of which is black

Love it! This is my kind of thinker!

... and them a Semanticist walked up, on his way to the bar, and said...

"Pardon me Gentleman, coming through. What is "blackness"?, What exactly do you mean by "side"?, and when is a sheep not a sheep, and when is a sheep something else?
Ta, Ta, for now, must scoot."

"In Scotland there exists at least one field, containing at least one sheep, at least one side of which is black." -- - Ian Stewart, Concepts of Modern Mathematics

Mr. Stewart presumably created that joke from following story told of Cordell Hull, who was United States Secretary of State, prominent part-taker in originating the United Nations, and winner of the 1945 Nobel Peace Prize.

Cordell Hull was riding in a train one day, with a companion, through the New England states. His companion, observing a flock of sheep feeding on a hillside his companion idly remarked, "Those sheep have recently been sheared." Cordell Hull stared at them a moment and said, "Well, sheared on this side anyway!"

For data on Hull, see http://www.nobel.se/peace/laureates/1945
The above incident in noted on the net, but I'm unable to get a solid sense of whether it is true or apocryphal.

>"In Scotland there exists at least one field, containing at least one sheep, at least one side of which is black."

But I am in Scotland and I can't see a field with a sheep with a black side - how do I know it exists when I can't see it?

- jmh, disciple of Bishop Berkley.

And what are these fluxions? The velocities of evancescent increments. And what are these same evanescent increments? They are neither finite quantities, nor quantities infinitely small, nor yet nothing. May we not call them the ghosts of departed quantities...?

Sheeesh! If this is all you have to do ... grab a broom and sweep the path to the Glade and take this soft cloth to dust off the picture of Anu; and you can trim the candle wicks and get the cobwebs off the canopy; and stack up all those dead posts; empty those vases, wash them and fill with fresh water and Spring flowers. There's plenty to do! What? You think it's all Hosannas and Champagne being High Priestess?
Ha!

Seem to recall someone (maybe David Frost) deconstructing "Who was that lady I saw you with last night?"

Carpe whatever

Solrep, you're back! Hooray! Nice to see you again!

One kind of proof perhaps unfamiliar to some is the rating of distilled liquors as to their alcohol content. It being ab irresistible temptation to replace ullage (remember that one?) with water, an easy means of detecting such oerfidy was badly needed. It was discovered that gunpowder when wet with alcohol diluted with approximately 50% water would just barely burn. This was called 100% proof.