I saw this adorable stuffed cephalopod, which I think is meant to be an octopus, at the gift shop in the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati. I almost bought it out of sheer enthusiasm, but note that like many stuffed octopi, this cutie has only six legs. I've noticed that stuffed cephalopods frequently have six or even seven legs - what part of "octo-pus" is so hard to understand? Harumph.
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Easy! The hectocotylus is of course not suitable for children, and to retain symmetry another arm has to come off. I don't like it either, but that's the sad world we're living in today..
Actually, you've missed the boat entirely. An octopus has arms, not "legs", and therefore, they have neither 6, nor 7, nor 8 legs.
Jan-Maarten, knowing the actual definition of "hectocotylus" was my proudest moment in playing Balderdash. But I do suppose you and John are right - those are arms, not legs. Although WHY they're called arms instead of legs, I have no idea. Is it just because they are used for grabbing things? It's sort of a strange distinction.
Well, if the structure the 'arms' is derived from is called 'foot', maybe 'toes' would be a better name.. Or 'fingers', for those who like their names functional!
Had to look up the spelling of hectocotylus to be honest, hasty reading made me remember it as hectolytus, which Google informed me 'matches no documents' ;-)
I did spent time at an aquarium once interacting with a cuttlefish, using my fingers as 'arms' in imitating cuttle postures I saw them engaging in. They do react to that, with amazing display of color and pattern.. incredible creatures!
But I'm procrastinating again, 200 students must be edutained tomorrow, so back to powerpoint it is.
If knowing "hectocotylus" was your proudest moment, then you apparently had five more proudest moments the last time we played Balderdash. You knew half the words!
One time, many moons ago, I knew what "glabrous" meant during a game of Balderdash. It is now with some reluctance that I begin to wonder why.
Not a comment about this post but I kow how much you like cephalopods, and maybe you can work a tie into your wardrobe? So just in case you haven't seen this site before
http://cyberoptix.com/sucker.php