It is an important and popular fact that things are not always what they seem. For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much - the wheel, New York, wars and so on - whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man - for precisely the same reasons.(also: intelligence)

Curiously enough, the dolphins had long known of the impending destruction of the planet Earth and had made many attempts to alert mankind of the danger; but most of their communications were misinterpreted as amusing attempts to punch footballs or whistle for tidbits, so they eventually gave up and left the Earth by their own means shortly before the Vogons arrived.

The last ever dolphin message was misinterpreted as a surprisingly sophisticated attempt to do a double-backwards somersault through a hoop whilst whistling the "Star Spangled Banner", but in fact the message was this: So long and thanks for all the fish.

(also: mice)
(also: humans)

a partnership between russia and a number of other eastern european states that existed between 1922 and 1991. this union formed one of the major blocs in world politics at that time, along with the nato bloc consisting of the united states and its buddies, and the third bloc that didn't give a damn.

the soviet union and the nato bloc were in a state of cold war for decades following world war ii, which was such a bonding experience that everyone felt a little let down when it finally ended. as a memory of those happier times, america and russia continue to occasionally dick with each other.

The state or condition in which the wicked cease from struggling and the dreary are at rest. Fame's eternal dumping ground. Cold storage for high hopes. A place where ambitious authors meet their works without pride and their betters without envy. A dormitory without an alarm clock.

(n.) a cat or something close enough to a cat

also: lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, cheetah, puma, lynx... clearly someone went overboard on the varieties of cat

(adj.) describing something that is like a cat or like a thing that is close enough to a cat

A bird whose thievish disposition suggested to some one that it might be taught to talk.

Expression of opinion by means of a ballot. The right of suffrage (which is held to be both a privilege and a duty) means, as commonly interpreted, the right to vote for the man of another man's choice, and is highly prized. Refusal to do so has the bad name of "incivism." The incivilian, however, cannot be properly arraigned for his crime, for there is no legitimate accuser. If the accuser is himself guilty he has no standing in the court of opinion; if not, he profits by the crime, for A's abstention from voting gives greater weight to the vote of B. By female suffrage is meant the right of a woman to vote as some man tells her to. It is based on female responsibility, which is somewhat limited. The woman most eager to jump out of her petticoat to assert her rights is first to jump back into it when threatened with a switching for misusing them.

(also: The Devil's Dictionary)

(noun) A colossal economic tumbleweed that rolled through the 1930s, leaving barren wallets and shattered dreams in its wake. A time when Wall Street took a nosedive, fortunes evaporated, and the job market turned into a cruel game of musical chairs. Soup lines became the catwalks of survival fashion, and "brother, can you spare a dime?" was the national anthem. A period when laughter was in short supply, but resilience and resourcefulness prevailed, reminding us that even in the darkest times, human spirit can find a flicker of hope.

Teaching Tip: Make the Great Depression relatable to students by connecting it to their own lives. Help them understand the impact of economic hardships by engaging in activities that simulate budgeting, rationing, and the experience of poverty. This hands-on approach fosters empathy and deepens their understanding of the era's challenges and resilience.

(1901–1976) German theoretical physicist – one of the pioneers of Quantum mechanics
(also: 100 most influential people in the world)
(also: werner heisenberg quotes)

a very unpopular charlie chaplin-lookalike

noun: living beings, whether animals or creatures, that provide solace and grievance depending on one's mood.
Example: my dog is an important member of my family.

(n.) medium sized insectivore with protruding nasal implement.

(n.) the mental state in which all people live at all times while doing their best not to let it show

One of an experimental and apparently unsatisfactory race that antedated Creation and lived under conditions not easily conceived. Melsius believed them to have inhabited "the Void" and to have been something intermediate between fishes and birds. Little is known of them beyond the fact that they supplied Cain with a wife and theologians with a controversy.
(also: The Devil's Dictionary)

a person who likes some foods and dislikes others, as a profession

(n.) a way of life and appreciating nature.
Original perception of tea in ancient China influenced and was influenced by major philosophies, in particular Taoism as many taoists found life's reflection in simplicity and depths of tea.

a rite in which a newborn baby pledges lifelong belief in Jesus Christ

(n.) a large cloud of ionized, gaseous stardust that might someday contract and coalesce into a star, if it's very well-behaved and says its prayers.

nebulae in real life are very sparse and dispersed, and thus they are not a very good place to hide from the wrath of khan.

(n.) a professional who studies the health and condition of teeth, regarded as kin to schoolteachers and other torturers

(n.) a group of people that joins together in the purpose of festivity and the making of merriment. what fun!

or:

a group of people forming a political faction within the government with the intention of pushing for certain policies and platforms. not terribly fun.

The kind of civility that urban observers ascribe to dwellers in all cities but New York. Its commonest expression is heard in the words, "I beg your pardon," and it is not inconsistent with disregard of the rights of others.

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The owner of a powder mill
Was musing on a distant hill —
Something his mind foreboded —
When from the cloudless sky there fell
A deviled human kidney! Well,
The man's mill had exploded.
His hat he lifted from his head;
"I beg your pardon, sir," he said;
"I didn't know 'twas loaded."
—Swatkin

(also: The Devil's Dictionary)