I'm not sure where Paul Stone's gone off to, but I could have been clearer. I meant that it would have been almost too much of a coincidence if 'flam' and (as I mistakenly thought) 'tar[r]adiddle' could both denote (different) drum beat patterns _and_, outside drummery, have very similar meanings, e.g. "`There are very few who take money; indeed they profess to take none at all. But that is all flam', said my informant." and "Everybody told us it would be very cold, and, as usual, everybody told taradiddles." If someone had asked what that word that sounds a bit like bumbabiddle means in drumming, I would have said, instantly, 'Paradiddle.' But against the gestalt of the word before me, I saw only _tarradiddle_. 'I know that word,' I said to myself. This phenomenon may be of interest to psychologists. Robert Paul Signing in (and out) ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html