I'm aware of prolog in a different context. Namely, as the name of a programming language.

Have fun learning all about this strange approach to computer programming here.

Quote from: a non-amos on May 30, 2016, 12:44:48 AM

If you need spider info these days, you can usually find it on the "web". 

Very good, A. I can't find the information I'm interested in on the internet. I sometimes get cellar spiders (sometimes known as vibrating spiders for their habit of vibrating in their webs when alarmed, or daddy-long-legs for self-explanatory reasons) in the house. I leave them alone because they're completely harmless and they don't bother me. The female usually hangs about (literally) in her web up in a corner and a male will come along and do his business. She then spends a few weeks holding an egg sac in her mouth before the spiderlings hatch. I know all this because I've seen it before. I have such a 'mother' spider, with eggs, up in the corner at the moment and she's being harassed by a male. It's quite fascinating (for a saddo like me) to watch her kicking him away and all I wanted to ask a spider expert was what were the male's chances of getting one of more of his many legs over while she was holding eggs. Or indeed if he's risking being eaten.

Any male spider trying to court a female already guarding eggs, stands a very good chance of ending up as lunch if he persists.

However, male spiders sometimes exhibit some sneaky ways of avoiding becoming their mate's next meal. I once watched a specimen of Tetragnatha extensa approach a female in her web, from underneath, mate with her, then, as he uncoupled, he fell away out of her reach, swinging on the end of a safety line he'd spun in advance.

Incidentally, if you read the scientific literature, there's several instances of sexual arms races documented in spiders. Nephila species, for instance, exhibit an interesting arms race in which the females have what are known as diverticulae in their genital passages - in effect, blind alleys to conduct the male sperm down and hold onto it, while she decides which of the males she's mated with is fit enough to fertilise her eggs. The males, in turn, have started developing countermeasures to avoid the diverticulae, and aim straight for the direct route to the ovaries. In some other spiders, the male leaves behind part of his sexual organ, stuck in the female's genital opening, as a genital plug to prevent other males from mating with her, as a paternity assurance mechanism. He then regrows the missing part during the next moult.

Then, there's a species recently discovered by scientists, rejoicing in the name of Harpactea sadistica. In this species, the male sexual organs are modified into hypodermic penetrators, and the male simply pierces the female, aiming straight for the ovaries, without bothering with the usual intricacies of mating. Doesn't take a great deal of imagining to work out why it was given its scientific name. 

Mind you, the organs used for insemination in male spiders, are enlarged bulbs at the terminal ends of the labial palps. The labial palps are usually used for food manipulation during feeding, but in male spiders have modifications for mating. In short, spiders are organisms that have sex using their cutlery. 

My understanding is that a word is deemed 'common' for the purposes of the puzzle, if it occurs frequently in usage in all branches of spoken English. Unless Alan can correct me on this. If so, I suspect 'goss' is unlikely to be common according to this definition.

On a tangential diversion, I have this little offering to present, which I wheel out whenever I'm introducing people to the wonders of invertebrate zoology.

Spiders have an interesting variation on the usual theme of internal fertilisation during reproduction. At the head end, alongside the chelicerae that are modified into a venom sac and fangs in spiders, are two short, leg-like appendages known as labial palps. Which are usually used for manipulating food during feeding. However, in male spiders, they perform a second function as well.

Basically, when male spiders are ready to mate, they spin a pad of silk beneath them on the current walking surface, then squat and deposit a sperm package onto the silk pad. Then, they reverse, insert the palps into the sperm, and syringe a portion of sperm into specialised receptacles in each palp. Then, they go and search for a female to mate with. Upon successfully locating a female, and persuading her to mate, they they insert the labial palps, one after the other, into the female epigyne in order to fertilise her eggs.

So spiders, in short, are organisms that have sex using their cutlery.  

Probability of this is 1/[(9!)²] = 1/131,681,894,400.

Update: I think I've managed to increase the limits. I'll test it out in this post.

The new limit is about 5MB per attachment and 10MB per post.

If that's the case, I might be able to show off some of my PhotoShop artworks here ... though only just!

Though I'd probably be better off doing it via links to my DeviantArt account, as those don't require attachments

I thought something along those lines myself - I tried it just to see if it was an actual word, as I couldn't find anything else that fitted, and was surprised to find that it was the answer!

Maybe the plural should be haggi?

Doesn't fit the pattern for second declension Latin nouns. However, it would fit the template for third declension, as haggis, -is, similar to civis,- is, in which case the plural would be hagges.

In an ideal world this point should be entirely academic.  The existence of one haggis is bad enough.  The plural?

I've never encountered one, though I've seen plenty of comedy sketches about haggis, including brands of whimsy in which they were depicted as live organisms.

Have you ever eaten haggis?  Were you that hungry?

Though I can think of plenty of fare far more compatible with my taste buds, I can also imagine quite a few things that would be far less compatible, and probably far less compatible with your own taste buds too. For example, certain South American indigenous peoples make a meal out of bird eating spiders. I think you'd reach for the haggis in preference to that.

I tried a tidbit, then ate more of it doused with whisky.  I was under a certain amount of duress.

Perhaps that's how the entire Scotch Whisky industry was launched? 

The next year I hid some hot sauce in my sporran, to help mask the flavor of haggis.  That plus the whisky was better, but that does not say much.

I've noticed that offal based dishes tend to be very polarising in this manner.

If you are really that hungry, eat the plate on which it is served.  That might evoke a sense of compassion in the people serving you, and they might give you some food.

Alternatively, they might decide to serve up the bird eating spider instead.

If you are trying haggis at home I must tell you that no, it doesn't get any better, and yes, this is a self inflicted wound.

- A

Well I suspect I'm unlikely to be invited to try haggis, and if your description matches the reality as closely as you claim, I suspect I won't consider such lack of invitation a loss.