Ruhmember so-called "Rule 16"? Well, it was INTENDED to be the rule that ‘Possums aren’t cute"?
Well, the first image below proved otherwise. Possums can actually be cute. Little did we know that image would be the inspiration for a hilarious lil’ wood carving by Todd Bouck, wood carver extraordinaire!
The original’s not a photo is it? It looks like a drawing to me. The sculpture’s cool tho.
me loves it! it would make a cool brooch.
Not bad, actually. Whimsical.
OMG, look at all the anerable pugs on the carving site!!! AAAAAAHHHHHHHH! That’s a pretty cool carving too.
Beautiful carving!! I wish I had talent like that. Really gorgeous.
Does it drive everyone else crazy that Possums and Opossums are two completely different animals, yet people are always mixing them up and using gross slang like ‘possum?
/end rant
That is ridiculously cute
<3
that was worth checking out not only for the carving (very nice!), but the forum itself! possums AND pugs – that’s a real treat!
I never knew that Jen but i looked it up and the two look totally different. Thanks for the info. I still think opossums can be cute though. animalcameras.com has a backyard wildlife webcam and the raccoons and opossums are pretty cute.
Ahem… not to upset anyone, but “possum” is short for “opossum.”
http://opossum.craton.net/
EC, what about taters? And skeeters? Don’t tell me those aren’t words either!
And how about “mater”? Does anyone say that? I looooove mater n cheese sammiches!
Ohhh! Never mind! You were responding to the earlier dialogue… I had thought you were telling people to say “opossum” instead of “possum.”
Sorry. Carry on.
Not to upset anyone else (and not that I really care), but it is indeed true that the Opossum and Possum are two different animals, with two different Latin names. Check it out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opossum
AND
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalangeriformes
In the US and Canda, “possum” and “opossum” are interchangeable names for the same animal.
Cool?
“And how about “mater”?”
See P.G. Wodehouse for old, upper-crust Brit slang useage of “mater.”
And yep, arvay, I say “mater” for “tomato” sometimes…. [Hee.]
I use “‘possum” and “Opossum” for the same am-ee-nals. That’s why I didn’t really care — I’m just a compulsive researcher.
Oh and I say ‘mater too! And ‘tater and ‘gator… hehe
I think the whole ‘possum/opposum thing is like hayseed vs. hillbilly. Same general type of varmint but with some slight differences owing to regional separations/evolution.
Not that it’s any big deal, but the antipodian “possum” is named after the western hemisphere “‘possum”, to which it bears a strong resemblence; they are, in fact, related…I don’t see how they get to bogart the name; it properly applies to both species.
“And how about “mater”?”
I’ll have to ask the pater.
And I don’t know, EC – I also think it’s about time we see some more Bunters.
Peter Wimsey, anyone?
“Does it drive everyone else crazy that Possums and Opossums are two completely different animals, yet people are always mixing them up and using gross slang like ‘possum?”
Um, Jen. I’m not driven crazy, precicely, just mildly confused…
Aubrey, surely you mean Peter Death W., now?
I’ve never thought of “possum” as “gross slang.” I mean, ???
LORD Peter Death BREDON Wimsey!!!
That’s actually not an opossum at all, it’s a honey possum, an australian marsupial that is the only species in it’s genus – it survives exclusively on nectar & pollen, hence the name…it’s truly not in the opposum (or even possum family at all!)
Aubrey — teh Schmoop & I are big fans, especially of the Harriet Vane stories. We still wish there were more BBC/PBS/Mystery treatments for our (small) DVD library.
The OED says “possum” is the aphetic, or shortened, version of the word “opossum.”
Possums eat ‘maters,
Not sure ’bout ‘taters.
Opossums like ‘taters
And don’t like tomaters.
I think that’s the real difference.
T: When money allows, I’m visiting eBay to purchase the Wimsey/Vane mysteries that were published in the ’30′s and ’40′s.
‘Gaudy Night’ was the first I ever read and is still my favorite. I possumtively love it.
Only buy the Ian Carmichael treatments!
Opossum…the..umm…popcorn this way please.
*groan*
jaypo is out-Aubreying Aubrey, even.
Yes! LPW is the *best*…have only read a couple but she is such a brilliant writer.
Wow, possums are totally cute. And opossums apparently can only make a scary-looking hissy face according to wiki. That wood carving is freakin’ awesome. The end. But not for this ravioli.
Do you want to mar-super-ial size that, ma’am?
On Mars-u-pial bananas the same way you do here, I presume.
They eat them in groups. You peel them then possum around.
I couldn’t eat them now or possumtumous. They just don’t have any appeel.
A cute furry animal by any name would still be snorgleable!
Possum, Opossum, ’tis cute, who cares what we call it? Afterall, anyone who really likes the Opossum isn’t going to look at it and say “aww, what a cute little opossum/possum you are” They’ll just squee and watch them from a safe distance as to not scare the anerable little things away.
I think that in a community that uses the word “snorgle” to include nubbling, zrbrt, and face mashing behaviors, the interchangeable use of possum and opossum are allowed. I deem it so.
By the way, I think I might have just made up the word “nubbling.” To me it means poking soft furry exposed bellies with a nose, fingers, toes, elbows, ears or any other protruding body part… except *that* one. You know the one. NOT that one. THAT one is just wrong. But the rest are allowed in a proper nubbling.
The wood carving is absolutely beautiful. That is one talented carver. And its on an adorable pug site. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Wicked cool carving! And PUGS! Awesome!
I don’t know which is cuter, the carving or the pugs.
Sarcasta — one day, when you’re old enough, you’ll understand.
Sarcasta–rats have the bestest bellies EVER, for kissing and planting your nose in. Poor things.
I think you’ve Cute-overloaded the target site. (Cute-overloading is of course the CO equivalent of a slashdotting.)
Would it be possible to mirror the image(s) in question here?
Theo, er… are you implying that when I’m older I will understand that nubbling with *that* body part is acceptable???? *blush* What you do on your own time is… well… YOUR business. I guess.
Arvay, I had a rat once, for about 30 hours until my mom came home and saw me cooking dinner with a rat sitting on my shoulder. She made me return it to the pet shop and washed everything I was wearing… twice. But now I have floofy kitties that have been trained to tolerate my nubbling and snorgling on their bellahs.
lol farked
>;)
The possum has always been cute. It’s the opossum that’s butt ugly.
Albeit related, they ARE two different animals; one is mainly American, one is Oceanian.
The Oceanian possum is actually named after the American opossum because of their similarities.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Possum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opossum
Oh, and, btw, that link to pugvillage isn’t working.
Apparently they didn’t appreciate the interest over at pugvillage, so they took down the thread.
http://www.pugvillage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39617
here is the photo of the carving
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220002519037&indexURL=0&photoDisplayType=2#ebayphotohosting
aww very cute
re: opossum/possum
Whoever did the naming was very very silly.
Such a beautiful wood carving!
Wow, I wish I had a talent like that.