Sideswipe: Aug 29: A coat hook with attitude

A coat hook with attitude.

Coughing up a small fortune

A schoolboy has stumbled across a rare piece of whale vomit that could be worth £40,000 ($78,150). Known as ambergris, the substance is highly sought after and is used to prolong the scent of perfume. Eight-year-old Charlie Naysmith made the discovery at Hengistbury Head near Bournemouth in Dorset, much to the amazement of his parents. His find doesn't look very exciting and most people would probably walk straight past it, mistaking it for a stone. But Charlie was curious enough to pick it up and, after a bit of research, he and his family discovered it is worth between £10,000 and £40,000. (Source: Bournemouth Echo)

Call the cliche police

The top 10 most common business jargon phrases in Britain are:

1. It's a no-brainer.

2. Thinking outside the box.

3. At the end of the day.

4. It's a win-win situation.

5. Touch base.

6. Going forward.

7. 110 per cent.

8. Close of play.

9. It's on my radar.

10. Flagging up.

(Source: Sky News.com)

Beast label well past use-by date

A reader writes: " TV3's John Campbell had the sense not to use the media-created and perpetuated 'Beast of Blenheim' to describe the soon-to-be-released sex offender Stuart Murray Wilson. Calling him that just glorifies him and trivialises what he's done and makes him sound like a villain out of a bloody Batman movie. Enough.

High-tech rugs swept under carpet

James Caygill writes: "The Cabinet rugs were made by Feltex to show off to the government of the day their new technology which allowed them to make rugs with 'photo realism'. All dated now and very kitsch. Dad's (former Labour Finance Minister David Caygill ) one used to hang in his electorate office and then spent some time rolled up in the attic. Us kids used to get it out from time to time and laugh at it. I'll have to try to track its whereabouts down now!"