Sideswipe: February 11: Non-sensical 80s lyrics

Duran Duran. Photo / Getty Images

The Reflex by Duran Duran: Singer Simon Le Bon specialised in gibberish but usually there was a mood, an idea, a hot girl in the video. The lyrics to this exist purely because songs need words, but still everyone over 40 knows "the reflex is a lonely child who's waiting by the park". Why? Is he locked out waiting for his mum to get back from work?
Dance Hall Days by Wang Chung: A man takes his partner and does outlandish things to her. Is the stuffing of jewels in her mouth and eyes a metaphor? Pulling her ears and playing on her greatest fears? Doesn't sound great. And taking someone by the heel is a judo move. Via The Daily Mash)

Gender stereotypes

According to a survey, men are more likely than women to know the definition of "aileron", and women are more likely than men to know what "taffeta", "peplum" and "chignon" mean – hint, they're fashion related. Much more women unsurprisingly knew the words pessary (medical device), doula (helps with birthing), bandeau (a crop top with no straps), kohl (eye pencil) and espadrilles (shoes). Many more men knew words like aileron (something on a plane wing), boson (a particle), katana (sword) and a howitzer (a cannon) ... (In the dataset selected, each word was judged on average by 388 participants (282 from the US and 106 from the UK). The percentages of people indicating they knew the word ranged from 2 per cent (for stotinka, adyta, kahikatea, gomuti, arseniuret, alsike, ...) to 100 per cent (... you, young, yourself, zone, zoned).

Toddler brain teaser

"Mum, I want a chicken back ..."

"A what?"

"A chicken back, please"

"huh?"

(Think about it – answer at the bottom)

You probably need more friends

Jennifer Senior writes about the importance of friendship as you grow older. "When you're in middle age, which I am (mid-middle age, to be precise — I'm now 52), you start to realise how very much you need your friends. They're the flora and fauna in a life that hasn't had much diversity because you've been so busy — so relentlessly, stupidly busy — with middle-age things: kids, house, spouse, or some modern-day version of Zorba's full catastrophe. Then one day you look up and discover that the ambition monkey has fallen off your back; the children into whom you've pumped thousands of kilowatt-hours are no longer partial to your company; your partner may or may not still be by your side. And what, then, remains?" Read more here.

(Answer – toddler wanted a piggyback)