Bet someone they can't drop a raw egg onto the floor without it breaking. Most people release the egg very close to the ground, but it's a remarkable fact that if it is dropped from a height of more than six feet it will align itself so that its strong long axis is exactly vertical, which means that if it lands on a surface which is smooth but not too hard it won't even crack. Ideal surfaces are grass, smooth carpets (such as the carpet tiles in most halls of residence) and that loose-weave rush matting you sometimes see in trendy homes. Don't try it on lino, concrete, parquet Another puzzle: this one is for contortionists and has no easy solution. Place a matchbox on end on the floor. N o w , without using any walls or furniture to steady yourself, and without letting any part of your body except your feet touch the floor, pick up the matchbox in your teeth.
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Make a tower with seven dominoes as shown, then challenge someone to remove the lowest horizontal domino without touching any of them and without letting the tower fall. It isn't easy, but with practice you can flick an eighth domino upright and it will flick the required domino clear of the tower while inertia keeps the rest of them in position.
Another similar problem is to climb underneath a table without touching the floor.
Next time you wear a suit or dinner jacket, put a reel of white thread in the inside pocket and, with a needle, thread the end of it through the fabric of the jacket leaving a few inches lying on one lapel. When a helpful friend tries to remove what looks like a scrap of cotton from your clothing he'll be embarrassed to discover he's pulled out a length of thread several feet long.
'Kneesy, Earsy, Nosey', a children's game which Stan Laurel repeatedly confused Oliver Hardy with in the film The Devil's Brother. Hold your nose with your right hand and your right ear with your left hand. Now slap your knees with your hands and grasp your nose with your left hand while your right hand goes to your left ear. Slap knees again, then back to the starting position. Repeat, over and over again, rhythmically and as quickly as possible.
Drawings by Richard
Archer
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