Lateral with Tom Scott - 175: Food tattoos

Episode Date: February 13, 2026

Lizzy Skrzypiec, Sophie Ward and Katie Steckles face questions about meal mix-ups, private performances and familiar faces. LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about weird questions with wonderful answers, hosted by Tom Scott. For business enquiries, contestant appearances or question submissions, visit https://lateralcast.com. HOST: Tom Scott. QUESTION PRODUCER: David Bodycombe. EDITED BY: Julie Hassett at The Podcast Studios, Dublin. MUSIC: Karl-Ola Kjellholm ('Private Detective'/'Agrumes', courtesy of epidemicsound.com). ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS: Zso, Chris Bainbridge, Ghostbear, Katie Waning, Steve Crawford. FORMAT: Pad 26 Limited/Labyrinth Games Ltd. EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: David Bodycombe and Tom Scott. © Pad 26 Limited (https://www.pad26.com) / Labyrinth Games Ltd. 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Which mountain is situated such that all four of its faces point to the southeast? The answer to that, at the end of the show. My name's Tom Scott, and this is Lateral. Today's show is the 180th one we've recorded. Not going to lie, I didn't know numbers went up that high. Up until now, I thought they topped out around a dozenish, and anything bigger was just showing off. But apparently, once you hit 180, things start getting complicated. You need spreadsheets, folders, subfolders, a special draw labelled episodes we definitely make. to fix but didn't, and a second Microsoft Word document to start storing more questions in. That last part's actually true.

Our guests for episode 100, oh dear, this is a lot, is first from Murder She Didn't Write, which is on tour again soon. Lizzie Skippy Egg, welcome back to the show. Hello, hi Tom, how you doing? No one ever asks, I'm doing good, thank you very much. How did the tour go? Because as we record this, you just got back, as I understand. Yes, the tour was very fun. I saw lots of bits of the country that I hadn't seen before.

And we're going back to most of them. But not that one. Looking at you, Shroesbury. I picked Shrewsbury. I don't know why I picked Shrewsbury. Yeah, probably not chipping Norton again, but we're doing the rest. So yes, it went very well and it was very fun.

And I'm maybe a bit, maybe a bit short of vitamins now, so I'm sort of nourishing my way through. Now, are you always the detective, or does that swap around between the cast? It does swap around, because it's nice to kill us well, you know. It's good to have to take a turn. Well, good luck, both on the show and with the improvised murder mysteries. Our second player today, the author of Why Don't Rabbits Rule the World, a popular maths book that may or may not be out in bookstores now,

depending on exactly when this episode goes out, Katie Steckles. Hello. Welcome back to the show. You know what? We're going full plug today. Tell us about the book. Yeah, it's now my, I think, eighth book that I've done about kind of math stuff. And it's basically a tour of a lot of the ways that maths is in the real world.

So the bit about rabbits is to do with population modelling and the fact that everyone talks about how rabbits reproduce a lot. But why aren't we just overrun by rabbits? And it turns out there's nice maths behind it. And just kind of other stuff about the real world and how maths is used in everyday life stuff. So it's a bit of fun. I've written it with Ben Sparks. He's another maths person does number five videos and various things. And yeah, it's a bit of fun.

How are you feeling about being back on lateral? I'm very excited because I absolutely love being on lateral and it is so much fun. And I hope it is fun again. So do I. It's going to suck if it isn't. Best of luck with the show being fun today. our last guest doesn't have anything to promote. Please welcome back to the show.

Sophie Ward. Hi, hi Tom. I don't care how you are, so I'm not going to ask you. I'm joking, I would have asked if Lizzie got there first. No, I'm actually kind of happy with that. That's nice. That's fine. You don't need to ask.

Yeah, we've talked about various projects you've been on, but in this case, you just like, welcome back to Lateral. Nice to have you. Yeah, it's great, yeah. I feel like the thing I should plug is like other episodes of Lateral. Like, that's mainly what I'm on these days. Although, yeah, I was saying, you know, I haven't written a book myself,

but there are books that I like to share about. So I'll tell you what, I'll plug my favorite book that I read recently. Oh, yeah, absolutely. Am I allowed to do that? Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah. Everyone might have heard of it. It's called Still Life by Sarah Winman.

It's a really beautiful novel and it gave me a sense of Joad of Eve, and I recommend it to everyone. So that's what I would like to plug. She's a better author than I, so may as well. I once went on a podcast, a few years, which was just entirely plug the things you like.

What are you listening to, what you do, and it was just a wonderful experience, because you've just got to gush about other people's work. However, for the next 40 minutes or so, that is not what's going to be going on. We have made it this far without losing count, so we might as well continue. Let's begin again with question one. Thank you to Ghost Bear for this question. In the Netherlands, when arbarium, lithium and zinc used after mercury has finished. I'll say that again.

In the Netherlands, when Arbarium, Lithium and Zinc used after Mercury has finished. Right. A little bit chemistry. A little bit of chemistry. Okay, my first thought is that the Mercury is like a curveball.

It's not the element Mercury. It's the planet Mercury. And it's been put with the elements to try and throw us off. But actually, those chemicals are used when something to do with mercury the planet happens I was thinking that but I was thinking Freddie Mercury

because I am classless but yeah some kind of decoy thing I don't think barium is anything other than the chemical element like it's used in radiography I think to like check where stuff is inside a person by getting them to eat some and then scanning for the radiation lithium

Yeah, it's like thick and white, isn't it? Yeah, yeah. It shows up really strongly. Yeah. Am I the only one that thought it was thermometers? And we're not, is this not a thermometer's question? It could be, yeah. Yeah, Mercury is thermometers as well, yeah.

But they don't use it anymore. Oh, because we've got iPhones. Well, that is the current modern equivalent, isn't it? Yeah. But yeah, they stop using mercury in thermometers because it's quite toxic if you break a thermometer, right? You should not be broken. There's lots of things that you shouldn't break open. You shouldn't break anything. Let's be clear. Everything is nice and should stay how it is.

But if you were to break a thermometer, the mercury is quite poisonous, right? So... You are right that Mercury was a decoy and Katie, you are correct that it was Freddie Mercury. Right? No way. It's over. Mm-hmm. Oh.

So in the Netherlands, when Arbarium, lithium and zinc used after Freddie Mercury has finished? Oh my God. I'm not sure that helps, but you've added a word to the question. I've got some terrible news for you, Tom, but he's dead. What? Yeah, I'm sorry. I don't know when this goes out, but he's been dead on what higher. Are they like songs or musicians that might be played after a queen song?

Perium, lithium, lithium. And what was the other one? Was it zinc? Zinc. Yes. They're all, like, the chemical symbols are B, A, L, I and Z-N. Z-N. I've just written that down, yeah.

Like, I was going to show off with my chemical symbols knowledge, but they're all just boring ones where it's just like the first letters of the thing, so everyone knows them. I know the first 20 elements of the periodic table. Nice. Any Bebkenoff and Namgau Sips Clark? There you go, that's all of it. Very good.

Yeah, got me a GCSE. I was going to say, I can't mock that. I learned a mnemonic for the first 30-something digits of pie when I was a kid. Like, everyone gets stuff in their head. Yes, Tom. Can you remember yours, Tom? The 30 digits of pie? I'm not reciting a whole poem, but you can Google it. It's one of the poems. I mainly know the first bunch of digits of pie because it was our Wi-Fi password in our first uni house. We just had like a massive string of pie.

But anyway, on the topic of this question, which I feel like we've gotten away from somewhat. Well, you actually got a thing in there, Katie, just very quietly. You said when a Queen's song finishes, you are right with that as well. Okay. Is it poisonous vinyl? Is it at the end of some vinyl? So like, it's like, Bohemian Rhapsody is the big long one

that everyone knows all the words to. It's the right song, yep. That's the right song? That's the right song. Oh, my God, it's not Beelzebop. Hang on a minute. Oh, Beelzebob, yeah. No, that's not.

Oh, it's a good connection, though. I can see why you went. Barium lithium zinc. It feels like the letters are nearly there. Does that count? If it's nearly like Vyelsible, yeah. It counts, yeah. I'm trying desperately to remember how the end goes,

but I'm kind of playing it. It goes like that. Who wants to do? Yeah. Bealoo do, do, do. Any way for it. This is an annual tradition in the Netherlands. Oh, is it fireworks?

Oh, gosh. Are they in fireworks? They're not transition. Oh, my gosh. Oh, my God. Is it fireworks? I bet. Yeah.

Keep, I wanted to keep talking for a bit. Like, why do you think that? Well, I don't, they're not transition metals, but, or some of them are, but what if they were? And they're often in fireworks and they turn lots of pretty colours. Yes, they do. So there's, so in the Netherlands, there's a, there's a firework thing every year where they end on Bohemian Rhapsody. Or they play Bohemian Rhapsody and then at the end of Bohemian Rhapsody, all the fireworks go. Oh, you've got to be like, Israel, no.

No, phew! I can see that. You're right, the display is after Bohemian Rhapsody finishes. There's one little element, and if you've ever been to the Netherlands, at the right time, you will not be able to avoid this. Is it New Year's Eve? Yes, it is. The Dutch set off so many fireworks at midnight on New Year,

and there is a tradition that the year will end with a Bohemian Rhapsody. It will end at midnight, and when those last notes go, everyone, well, not everyone, but it feels like everyone, sets off fireworks around the Netherlands. Nice. Wow, that's brilliant. Wasted to loads of people play Behemian Rhapsody across the Netherlands. That's the, like, you start it at a certain time and then...

Maybe on the radio, I'm not sure, but the tradition is that it ends with Bohemian Rhapsody. What a countdown. That sounds like five minutes. Right. That's such a long time. So we'll take your question whenever you're ready, please. This question has been sent in by Chris Bainbridge. In 1881, Emily Fazzakali wanted to listen to an opera being performed in Denby,

half a mile from her Welsh mansion. However, she insisted on enjoying it at home with invited dignitaries. What was her solution? I'll say it again. In 1881, Emily Fazakali wanted to listen to an opera being performed in Denby, half a mile from her Welsh mansion. However, she insisted on enjoying it at home with invited dignitaries. What was her solution?

I think I got this. Surely. Oh. Is this Denby? Denby in North Wales. Yeah, that's full of valleys. That is full of valleys. What if it's not?

Is it like where you put your iPhone in a glass to make it sound louder? Like, if you put an opera in a valley... Then you'd just hear it at your house. Just in case that's right, I'm going to come in with a stupid suggestion first. Go on. 1881 is, I think, too early for phonograph recordings to be a thing. It would have been sheet music. For a moment, there's a story of...

I cannot remember how apocryphal this is, of Stalin writing... to the Soviet broadcaster requesting a recording of the thing that he'd listened to, and it had not been recorded, so they brought back all the musicians and an audience to perform it again for Stalin's record. Not sure how true that is, but 1881, surely too early for that. That is not what happened. Okay. If that's just the answer to your thing, yeah. I'm going to rule another thing out, because I feel like it's also too early for like a transmission

via radio somehow. Like that feels like it was later than that. But, I mean, who knows, right? A lot of these things are just completely, completely not when you thought they were, like, you know, people were faxing each other way before, I don't know, but not the 1880s. So I don't think it was by fax or radio.

So that brings us to Lizzie and the valleys. I'll be well impressed if that's right. So, Lizzie, can you just describe what you're picturing here that the opera was happening in a valley? Picture this. I've been to Judrell Bank for a good day out as a kid. And you can hear, you can hear things because of the dish shapes. Oh yeah, the listening dishes. Yeah. So if you, and that's what the mountains are doing in my mind or the valleys. To be clear, you're not doing that on like the actual level telescope and the radio telescope. They've just got like two

sound dishes in the kids play area. Yeah, yeah. It's like one side of the kids play. And it's a, it's a paraboloid, right? It's a quadratic curve. spun round into a circle and it sort of focuses things. Yeah, so you can whisper into a dish and be heard 50 metres away. Oh no, I was just picturing Lizzie just singing into the Jodrell. The Jodrell Telescopes just pops him back. Just beaming it out into space. Did anyone here not go to Jodrell Bank as a kid on a like a school trip or a visit or something?

Yeah, are we three northerners? Yeah, I live upsettingly near Joddrell Bank and I think I didn't go as a kid, but I have been multiple times as an adult. to work. Like, they've literally just hired me to come and do talks. They do still have the dishes outside in the kids' play area. Oh, no. I'm from Essex, but, you know, we have trips.

I think you just put on a good comedian Northern accent. I've been to general banking. Well, my parents are northern, so. Okay, there we go, there we go. Okay, listen, we're acting very relaxed as if you've got it, but actually, Lizzie, you're not right at all. So it's not about valleys, even though, or mountains. And she didn't set up a giant listening ear,

telescope to pick up the sound from the opera house. She did not set up a giant, no, not a giant listening to a telescope. No, that was not set up. Is it just a big, what's it called? It's like a periscope where you have a mirror at the bottom and it's like looking at the thing happening in the concert theatre half a mile away. I don't think that works with sound, does it? No.

I think you just see it. Yeah. No. And half a mile away. There was a half a mile distance. I'm going to rule the obvious thing out, which is that, She just had a lot of money and a mansion, and she invited all the performers and the audience up and paid them

and just had it performed at her house. I'm going to take the QI Claxons on that one and just rule it out. Yes, you're correct to rule it out. Okay. The opera was going on at the space where the opera was always going on, and Emily was in her mansion. Half a mile away. Is the space where the opera was going on,

some kind of outdoor amphitheatre or an indie? indoor venue. As far as I know, it's on outdoor amphitheatre. It's not about the venue itself. Oh, because I was going to say, very long pipe. Well, I was just going to say, can we rule out the telephone on a string? You know, the cam and then a string and then a cam. Yeah, I think you should go further with that idea, is it? Holy moly. Picture this, Denby, the home of crockery, right? Isn't that where you get a Denby dish from? I don't know. That's a different Denby that's spelled with a white. right, Denby in Wales is I-G-H, right? Picture this.

A place similar to a place that makes crockery. A giant saucepan. And then a big long string. A saucepan. I don't know. It's just assumed a saucepan. And then a saucepan but like fancier in the house. I mean, it's only half a mile.

That's, you can find a bit of string, surely. Yeah, but can on a string doesn't work on that distance. because you've got to keep the string really taut. Like the minute it's starting to sag under its own weight or blow in the wind, the whole thing falls apart. I'm really enjoying how you're debunking that scientifically as though there's any even remote chance. This is lateral.

Someone set up the 1881 equivalent of a zip wire and used it to listen. I'm not ruling that out, you know? But no, a half-mile string like that, you'd have it sagging under its own weight. It'd be a catternory, not a straight line. Yeah, saggy string wouldn't work. Okay, there was a lot of talking in the beginning about what was and wasn't invented at the time.

There was a reason why what Lizzie said, I was like, ooh, there's something in that. So what do we think? Oh, my God, what a telephone call, was it? It wasn't literally an iPhone in a glass in that she was like, ring-wing, it's for you. But the telephone wasn't common in 1881. Okay, it wasn't, it wasn't, it wasn't, it wasn't, it wasn't, Tom, Tom, no. Yeah, but she's loaded.

Is that the first telephone call in Wales? Well, there's a key thing that you're just like, you need to kind of like reach. So, okay, the telephone was around, but it had only been patented by Alexander Graham Bell five years before, right? So that, obviously, they're aren't just, you can't just have a telephones around wheelie-nilly. So there's something key that this person that Emily Fazakily did. And she'd run a cable from her house to the opera? just to run this one. She ran lots of cake.

She installed a phone just to call the opera house. Exactly right. Wow. Emily Fazakili installed a phone line from the opera house to her house. And then remember she invited her dignitaries. So at the end, she had lots of different ear tubes that all of her friends separately were listening to the opera live happening at the opera house. Wow.

I'm imagining that. And in my head, it's like, it's like a silent disco. I was just thinking that it's Jogel Bank's silent disco everyone listening to their little tubes Yeah yeah And then they switched to the other one And then everyone else was out of seeing one of them

listening to pay it over and the other ones are on there Chayikovsky or whatever So yeah Basically this was 1881 right It was ages before public broadcasts were a thing And I loved this question by the way It felt like it was made for me Because Emily Physically was born in Anglesea

Which is where I've always been on holidays But then she moved to Chorley Which is where I'm actually from Anyway, what an icon but because she didn't want to have to travel that's one for the trolley listeners out there but because she didn't want to travel yeah she used her money to commission

her own dedicated telephone line directly from the hall to her mansion and it was the first phone to be installed in North Wales just five years after Alexander Graham Bell had patited the telephone and it was interesting because there was a big legal dispute going on at the time between the post office and the bell telephone company about whether

because the post office had monopoly on telegraph But then Alexander come along and come up with this phone thing. So there was a big argument about if they were different or not. And Emily was just like, I'm going to ignore that and just get my own one installed. So yeah, Emily is actually a war legend. Thank you to Katie Waining for this question. A tattooist was asked for eight food items to be inked on their client's body. Two of the items were the same.

What were they and why? I'll say that again. A tattooist was asked for eight food items. to be inked on their client's body. Two of the items were the same. What were they and why? Is it rude, Tom? Is it phallic?

No! If it's two oranges and a banana, we can't continue. No, it's not. Okay, I just have to check. I will rule that out. What sort of sleazy podcast do you think we operate here, Lizzie? I'm just saying, that would be quite the tattoo. Wouldn't surprise me.

Won't surprise me. Yeah, have we got any tattooed? Has anyone tattooed on this course? and are any of them food, just to get some interpose. That's a very specific ask. But as it happened, no, no. Yeah, as it happens, I've got two oranges a banana I'll play as I can't show you.

My first thought is, of what are there eight on your body, eight fingers if you exclude the thumbs. So maybe it's like something on their finger tats. Like a love and hate thing, but it's like fruit. I don't know. But it's fruit. Yeah, like finger food, right? Like, there's a joke there, I guess.

I'm wondering if it's like a reference, like lyrics of something or some kind of like a very hungry caterpillar tattoo, which of course is baller. Or like, you know, something that is an existing thing or a pun somehow. So you're right about the location. It's on the eight fingers. And Katie, you're right that it's.

It's a pun. Okay. Oh, here we go. Right, Lizzie, bring it out. You've got through most of my notes in the first couple minutes that. Okay. Okay. Finger pun.

There isn't finger food. So, and not to do with, like, chocolate. Not chocolate fingers. That's, yeah. I'm just staring at my eight fingers now to see if I can imagine some foods on them that would make a fun little. Oh. Well, knuckle sandwich. Like something about a knuckle sandwich.

sandwich, that, you know, a fruity, a knuckle fruit salad? Well, is it fruit? Where did we say food or fruit? Yeah, yeah, we've zeroed in on fruits, but it was just generically food, yeah. Oh, so it's just food. I think maybe we should all be eating more fruit. Can we change the question? So, you've got the pun.

No. It's knuckle sandwich. So the question is, two of the items were the same, what were they and why? There's a bloody bread in it! Yes! Oh, bread on either side and then... Yes. And then like lettuce, bacon, tomato, yeah.

Yep, lettuce, pickles, cheese. The outer knuckles both had the slices of bread and the inner knuckles had the components of the knuckle sandwich. Absolutely right. Nice. Wow, nice one. So forgot it.

It's actually because I'm considering getting that exact same tattoo. That's why I asked. Does anyone got any knuckle sandwich tattoos? I'm really wondering how it feels. Katie, your question, please. Okay, so the question is, Claire sent a text to her husband asking him to cook dinner. Why was she disappointed to see he cooked only two sausages?

I'll read that again. Claire sent a text to her husband asking him to cook dinner. Why was she disappointed to see he only cooked two sausages? weaponised incompetence Yeah I'm glad you said that Tom It's just a really bad husband Two sausages

Cook dinner Dinner's not like the family pet is it Oh my God God sorry I just open away No it's not that pun Yeah Follow up question

Why is the family pet two sausages Oh yes I didn't I mean it is now No I'm just getting in the frame of mine Yeah Hey

Claire sent a text Did you say Set the text. Okay. She's sending a text. Oh, you're thinking about a misspelling. So just from the sort of highbrow 1880s opera question when I'm sending a text message about sausages.

My notes, whenever I do lateral, it's so silly. It's just like send text to sausages cooked dinner, Claire. That's all you need. That's all the information. Who's right? I'm not here for homework. Yeah, mate. Right, those notes.

Okay, Claire, who, do we know? any well-known Clare's. All I can think of is Clare Dalloon. Oh, I was thinking of Claire balding, but she's not going to message her husband. Is she less to be real? No, no, she's not. Fair. Okay, why is she disappointed to only get two sausages? I mean, that's just an answer in itself. Two sausages as a meal is a disappointing result when you've asked for dinner. Is that just, is that just the answer? I think potentially the reason that she's disappointed is because that was not what she intended for him to do. I'm looking at the word dinner and trying to see if there's some auto-correct or misspelling or typo.

I was just thinking of the word bangers and maybe she got... She sent a saucy text. And then I was like, oh, can't wait for them. Oh, I'm sorry. What kind of sleazy podcast do you think we're running here, Lizzie? Two oranges and a banana is... I really lodged in my mind, so... I'm sure it has. Right, I'm sure it has. God, sounds like an injury.

I think again, I'm picturing the text saying cook dinner But of course that will have been said in a different way, right? So yeah, I think you're on something busy like Oh, put the bangers in the pan, eyebrow raise. You know? Obesene emoji. Obegin emoji. Or like, yeah, what are other things that could be misconstrued for putting sausages?

I mean, she could have just texted it with emojis And he took it literally. She just sent a couple sausage emojis as a, yeah, I don't even know if there is a sausage emoji. I feel like if there is, the obegee emoji wouldn't be used nearly as much as it currently is. There's a hot dog emoji. There is a hot dog emoji.

And there is, isn't there a sausage on a fork, or am I just making that app? Oh, maybe. Are we all old? Can we have a look? I don't know. I need to have a look, because I think. Can we get a fact check on the emojis, please?

If it helps to know, I'm going to say either this is something that kind of slightly predated emojis, like it was a pure, like, classic text message, or that this person didn't use, like, modern emojis in this text message, but you are very much on the right lines. Okay. Okay. That there was something added at the end of the message because it was a coupley, husbandy text message.

Kiss, kiss, kiss. Other words for... Like, links. Oh, no. No, is this... Katie, could this be described as a... maths question. Just slightly.

Technically, yeah. Yeah. Oh, so is it about what, the number of times you have to type to get the different letters? No, it's about putting a heart at the end of your message before you had emojis. Oh, less than three sausages.

Yep. Oh, the heart emojis are less than and a three. Wait, did she sign off heart sausages? No, she said, cook some sausages. Less than three, meaning a heart. Oh, very good time. Yeah, this is exactly it.

So it was posted on social media as a sort of funny anecdote that they were reminiscing about the time when she sent him a text message on the way home. And the exact wording of the message was, can you start cooking those sausages followed by a little heart using a less than a three? And he cooked two sausages. Oh, very. Well, not clever by him. It has been separately confirmed that a husband has been separately confirmed that a husband, but it is a programmer. So it's just literally interpreting instructions.

And in fact, it's not necessarily the weaponised incompetence thing because he did exactly with one interpretation of the message what was asked of him. Weaponised competence. Yes. Thank you to Steve Crawford for this next question. Before every show, Jodie does a final run-through of an arresty dance, even though the audience will never see it.

Why is this important? And one more time, before every show, Jodie does a final run-through of an Arresti dance, even though the audience will never see it. Why is this important? An Arresty dance? Like you're being arrested. Is it like a Greek thing? Is it O-R-E-S-T-I? It's A-R-E-S-T-I.

Because there's like an ancient Greek myth, the Arresti, or somehow something I can't remember. There's a lot of words going on in my head. but if that's a slightly different thing but it's like some kind of traditional dance from a place Oh What's like what's to bring your luck in the Yeah luck was my thought as well I mean maybe it's a very specific dance

That like is just a thing that you like It looks like you're cleaning the windows or something that That you do before I'm not sure what that is From a very quick bit of research But it is it's not a resty It's not this Yeah I think I'm thinking somewhere to you Lizzie like look or like a warm up like oh it's like it helps you warm up physically before going on

the stage we got to work out what wait what who is it it's not claire again is it it's jody it's jody balding it's claire's sister jody bolding um no my my thought was jody coma but just because she was in this big stage production of this one woman show and it looked like it was exhausting so it was like maybe she did something to prepare for it but again i feel like it's just like maybe an unnamed, like a not known Jody, just like a... This is a specific Jody,

but you almost certainly will not have heard of this Jody. Okay. Jodie Foster then. Not going to be. Little Bugsie Malone pre-dance. So just before going on the stage. Before every show. Right.

Oh, okay, before every show. Okay, so show options, TV show, podcast. Oh, unless Jody like trains animals, You do, I don't know, like a snake charmed me dance And it brings, I don't know, this is Maybe no, like that's the kind of thing that lateral would do She charm a snake? She does a little dance to bring the snake out

And that's a no, I think that sounds That's probably an idea There's no snakes Okay, fine It's totally even dignified with an ass Yeah Is the arrestee dance like an established known dance That is done by you?

people in somewhere. So it's... Yes, probably not in the way you're thinking. Okay. She does a final run-through of Anne Oresti dance. A final run-through. So is the dance something that is later in the show? Oh, she's just practicing to make sure.

I've had a thought. Oh, my God. She's not a magician's assistant, is she? And it's like the dance to get out of a big box or something, like a... To avoid all the swords coming in. You do the dance and it like gets you out of the... of the chains and then you do the dance

and then you appear, so the audience didn't see the dance, but you did the dance and it's like just practicing my appear out of a box dance. You did get something in there and that is that the audience won't see her clearly during the real thing. Because she's in a box. She's not in a box, but...

She's in something, but it's... not a box. Is it a cake? Is it a cake? Is it a cake? Those are the only two things you put a woman in, right? Box a giant cake. I feel like there are plenty of other places that women can be,

but it's not my place to say, you know. Is she in a position of responsibility? Oh, I hope. Yeah. She's definitely in a position of responsibility here. Oh, my God, is she in the tech? Wait, because she's not necessarily on the stage. She could be like in the tech booth or like in charge of something,

like, or in, I don't know, in charge of something related to the safety of the, people on stage. Oh no. What, like a stop, drop and roll dance? I'm picturing her being in water. I'm picturing like a water show. Like with a whale.

So if you could be more wrong, but not by much. That's great. That's really done. Wonders for my confidence. Some kind of desert related dance. Or a fire dance. But the audience never see it. So maybe she is underneath.

the stage or silhouetted. She's not close to the audience at all. Is she off stage? Is she not part of the show? There isn't actually a stage. I don't know where you got stage from. I said before every show. So fire, like fire dancing.

The audience won't be able to see her clearly. She's too far away. She up on a podium in the background or... She's bringing planes into land, is she? Is that... Like, that's your rest they dance. No way to arms, back and forth, like up and down, and semaphore.

Like one of those like RIF shows or something. Yeah, like you're arrested. Now you're very close. That's not the bringing the planes into land with the batons thing, but you're very close. When I said you couldn't really be more wrong on the water thing,

yeah, we're talking air here. Air, okay, is it like when, okay, so we've got air kind of shows like when the planes have the light, have the coloured smoke coming out of the back. There's also when people are like sitting on plane wings. But you'd see her.

But this is, she's too far away. If they're on it, but she's helping them with the show. We've established she's in the thing. And the thing is a plane. You're right. She's in a plane. She's doing a dance.

So she's doing spins and stuff on a plane? She is, yes. She is an aerobatic pilot. This is Jodie Rutger, aerobatics pilot. This is something that a lot of aerobatics pilots do. What might the arresty dance before the show be? You exits are here. if you're doing aerobatics with passengers on board

that's not usually the pilot either that's a different member of staff on the plane the arresty dance well it could be because obviously when you do like aerobatics it messes with your like like the G-force messes with your body so it could be something to like is it like spinning the other way

so that when she does all the loops in the plane it doesn't mess ahead of the dance is more for her mind than her body. Just like, you're not going to die, you're not going to die. Well, I mean, no she's not, but it helps that sort of thing.

Oh, it sounds a bit Matthew McConaughey and Wolfe of Wall Street, like they're doing the, uh, where you're like, get yourself ready to like take off. Yeah. It provides more specific help than that. Is it to remember the order

of all the turns and everything in the, in the... Oh, my God. Performance. Yes. Yes. Yes, it is. How might that work? What are you seeing in your head there? I mean, in my head it's like a person with their arms out like this,

but I imagine it's probably more sophisticated than that. It's actually not that much more sophisticated. They're hands on out like wings, they're on the controls in their head. But an arresty dance, before you get into the plane, one of the last things that aerobatic pilots might do is walk around the field next to it, and in their head, plan out with the muscle memory, the turns they're going to take where their hands have to go

to pull off the aerobatic manoeuvres that are going to be in the show. That is called an Arresti dance. Oh, that's badass. Nice one, Jody. And it's named after Jose Arresti, who was a Spanish aerobatics instructor, and he developed the catalogue of symbols and arrows notation that describe aerobatics manoeuvres

so that aerobatics folks can talk to each other. And this Jody is a real person? This is a real person. This is Jody Rutger, who was picked because that's a name that works in the question. Yeah. I love, so like one of the talks that I do is about different types of notation. And it's like primarily about maths and science.

But like there's also notation for things like juggling and for, you know, for dance moves. There's like various different systems that people have developed over the years. And it's really sad because some of the dance notation has now just been completely superseded by the fact that if you want to tell someone what a dance is, you just show them a video if you're doing it. Like previously you'd have to write down like what all the moves were. But there's some really nice notation that says, like, where you've got to do each move and for how long and that kind of thing. And it's just all not really used anymore because people just send video clips instead. At Medcan, we know that life's greatest moments are built on a foundation of good health. From the big milestones to the quiet winds.

That's why our annual health assessment offers a physician-led, full-body checkup that provides a clear picture of your health today. And may uncover early signs of conditions like heart disease and cancer. A healthier you means more moments to cherish. Take control of your well-being and book an assessment today. Medcan, live well for life. Visit medcan.com slash moments to get started. Lizzie, whenever you're ready. Okay, so this question has been sent in by Zoe.

Why were people seeing carrying bags around Vancouver that said, into the weird adult video emporium? Dr Toe's Wart Ointment Wholesale and the Colon Care Co-op Why were people seen carrying bags around Vancouver that said into the weird adult video emporium Dr Toes Wart Ointment Wholesale and the Colon Care Co-op? What sort of sleazy podcast? Yeah.

Exactly. I was going to say if you got all that. written down, Sophie. You've made the notes. Yeah. You've made the notes. Yeah. Exactly. Sof's notes are there. I have an idea, but I might see if anyone else has anything before I come out with it. I stopped writing those down and instead just started writing the first letter and I've got it wave, dutwau, and t'gagga. So I don't think it's acronyms. Yeah. I saw weird adult video I'm pouring. I'm like, wave. It's acronyms. It's not

accurate. Yeah, my first thought is something about, it's just about embarrassing people in it. It's like some, yeah, I don't know, something why some reason people are getting bags that have embarrassing things on. And like, it's like part of the bit of like the place you get the bag. I don't know. Kate, what were your thoughts? So the thing I was thinking was because my mind was like Vancouver, that's Canada. Yeah, West Coast Canada. And like people speak French in Canada. So there might be some kind of language thing. And then I was like, what if it's that thing where you buy something with Chinese text on it? And the Chinese text is actually just some nonsense that no one knows what it says, but it looks cool because it's got some Chinese text on it. And it's that.

And that somebody started selling these even though no one knew what they actually said. Actually, now, you say that, Vancouver does have a pretty big, I think Chinese and just East Asian in general immigrant population. So could it be? that some wholesaler had brought over a load of bags and was giving them out. And it was in a different language. And it was just, this is, yeah, here's a cheap bag. So far, Sof, you are the closest.

They are made to be embarrassing. Okay. Oh, okay. Okay, so... In my head, these are tote bags, but I've just realized there could be backpacks or handbags or just ready to be. your old shopping bags.

Yes, they are one of those. Correct. I wonder if there's like somewhere's just decided that this is the bags they're going to like sell their products in and that people are carrying them around, but they don't mind it being embarrassing because the thing that they bought is really cool. Well, I can tell you the shop if you'd like to know the shop. Do you think we'll get there? You're not going to know the shop.

If you don't know Jody, you're not going to know this shop. Okay, okay. Is it Jody's shop? It's, yeah, East West Mart is the shop. East West Mart. Well, that puts me back on, like, languages. I'm trying to think about, like, the culture of a place that, yeah, it's like if you buy, I don't know, because some people, I don't know, like, buy into that, like, no pun intended.

It's like, oh, you get, this place is, like, really, it's, well, it's like, if you're in the know, if you've got one of those cringe bags, you're in the know that you've got something from East West Mart. if it's that kind of being on the in-joke if you've got the bag kind of thing. Or maybe you get the bag to prove, it's proving something like if you're willing to be embarrassed about, yeah, I don't know, something like that. What if it's the opposite of like just giving out the bags to the English speakers?

Like you said French, Katie. Like Vancouver, like technically that part of Canada is bilingual, but in practice you won't see much French outside of the government buildings. Like that's fully English. So could it be that it's designed to embarrass the people who don't speak French? Like, you get this bag that is actually in French or some other language, and it's like, oh yeah, I don't know what that means, I'll carry that around. And all the French speakers, the few French speakers in Vancouver are laughing at you.

So, you are like 50% there in that they're made to be embarrassing. I've got an idea. you know instead of charging people for plastic bags to stop people from using plastic bags is it to stop is it having something really embarrassing on it so that people will bring their own bags bingo oh well done oh sorry that was such genuine joy that came out then so there is shame it's to shame people for not bringing reusable plastic bags So you still had to purchase them for a small fee

and it was part of a campaign. But in the way... You still have to buy them. You still have to buy them and they say some really embarrassing stuff on about your colom. And even the thing that happened, though, so if you were right,

is it actually became kind of cool. So people are like, oh, I want me one of those Dr. Toes-Wortoatement ones and people try and collect them. Collect them all, yeah. And now they're even in the V&A some of these bags.

Wow. They made them all totes eventually, but they were originally OG carrier bags. So one last order of business, which is the question from the start of the show, which mountain is situated such that all four of its faces point to the south-east? Anyone want to take a quick punt at that? Something at the North Pole? First note, it's not one of the Earth's poles. Yeah, because if they all face south, that would be right,

but South East doesn't work for that. Yep. It's not stairs shaped, is it? This isn't that. Why do you say that? If you take some stairs, turn them on the side. And then you've got loads of sides pointing in the same direction.

You know what I'm thinking about? Yeah, you have the faces of various stairs. Not for this one, I'm afraid. Doesn't look like stairs? Well, I'm out. What else? Oh, yeah. My thought is it isn't a mountain mountain, as we know it?

It's like a fake, I don't know, something else that's called a mountain, but it's not actually a mountain. Oh, like a cardboard cut out of a mountain. Of a mountain, exactly. That faces southeast, exactly. I think we've got it. Yeah, it's that. It's south-east.

You can see all four faces at once. Oh my gosh, always points. You can see all of its sides because of a mirror. Is it near a mirror? A big mirror. You are going to kick yourself and you're going to hate whoever wrote this question as well

No, wait, wait, wait, okay, wait. It's world famous, you do all know this mountain. Was South East the name of a dog? Oh, yeah, yeah. All this point, South, there's a mountain. There's a mountain with four faces. Oh, Rushmore. There we go.

There we go. For golf. You're doing it. Trickster. It's Mount Rushmore, which has the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. And they're all dead to me now. Thank you very much to all our players. Where can people find you? What's going on your lives? We will start with Sof. If you want to find things that I've done in the past, it's on Sof's notes, and I might post more things there sometime. Sof's notes, that's me. Katie.

If you search for my name, Katie Steckles, you'll find all my stuff, including the podcast that we've just done another series of called Mathematical Objects, where we chat about fun maths things and all kinds of other stuff that I do. And Lizzie. Murder She Didn't Ride us on tour. We are committing terrible crimes around the UK. Come and see us and we're on social medias at Murder She Didn't.

And if you want to know more about this show, you can do that at Lateralcast.com. We can also send in your own ideas for questions. We are at Lateralcast basically everywhere and there are free full video episodes every week on Spotify. And I'm saying that faster every single time. Thank you very much to Lizzie.

Isie Skippy Skippiac? Hello, thank you very much for having me. Katie Steckles. Thank you very much. Sophie Ward. Woo, 180. Done, yeah. I've been Tom Scott, and that's been lateral.