Sideswipe: January 22: Hide the sausage

A cookbook from the 70s. Yahoo answers suggests the title alludes to a prank whereby "you take a mouldy and very smelly sausage ... and hide it at a friend's place, then you wait to see how long it takes them to find it." I'm not so sure. (Source: Us vs Them)

Brief resolution for shopping centre bomb scare
In Mildura, Victoria, a member of the public contacted police to report that a black suitcase had been left outside a shopping centre carpark. The shopping centre and surrounding area was evacuated and the bomb squad called in from Melbourne, 500km away. Inspector Simon Clemence said the almost 10-hour security scare came to an end when the suitcase was found to contain underpants. "We didn't even need to detonate the underwear so that's excellent," Inspector Clemence said. (9News.com.au)

Nathan writes: "I found this staring back at me from the frying pan one morning ... my mate said it was actually me looking in the mirror!"

Accidents you'd rather were kept secret:
"One day, many years ago, while idly waiting for a ride when hitch-hiking I found a plastic cable tie on the side of the road and I put it around my thumb and pulled it tight. I then discovered it was a one-way thing and I couldn't loosen it - my thumb soon started turning another colour. Luckily I was outside my old country primary school during school-time, so I went into one of the classrooms and asked the teacher if she could cut it off. I'm sure all the little kids in the class learned a valuable lesson that day. I know I did."

New cars with retro fittings
Peter writes: "Why do makers of new cars go to such great lengths to inform us that their latest model comes complete with a push button start? I once owned a 1954 Ford Zephyr that had, yes you guessed it, push button start, so it is hardly anything new. What will they come up with next, crank handle start?"

A reader writes: "I'm not sure of the moral high-ground The Warehouse is on by not stocking R18 products, yet endorsing alcohol advertising."

Soap one way to plug Kiwis
"I noticed the item this morning about the Bic Runga song on British soap Emmerdale," writes Kerry. "Not sure if other readers noticed it, but last week on Coronation Street, New Zealand wine got a plug. Nick Tilsley was standing at the bar in his bistro and asked: 'Can you pass me a bottle of New Zealand sauvignon please?' So good for our wonderful wines to get a free promotion! (from rewinding, pausing and looking closely, I think it was a bottle of Oyster Bay so they were accurate)."

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Got a Sideswipe? Send your pictures, links and anecdotes to Ana at ana.samways@nzherald.co.nz