Toast

He's been Winston Churchill a couple of times, but it's Royal Jelly that sticks in my mind.

He's not dead - is he?

The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds. I don't understand why this album is so revered and considered to be a masterpiece. Yes, the harmonies are great, but apart from the three songs we all know, the rest are bland fillers.

Indeed, the end-of-year school disco has in many places morphed into the type of elaborate do that you describe, along with the extra huge expenses that it brings with it. I still have no idea what "homecoming" means, despite hearing the Monkees singing about a homecoming queen (whatever that is) many decades ago. While we're on stupid American customs, I have noticed one that has recently been creeping over here at weddings. That is for the bridesmaids to precede the bride into the church. How fucking ridiculous. They are supposed to be there to assist the bride, to carry her train. They are no use walking in front of her! Last Christmas I watched a bride going into church on a wet and windy day. She had to lift her dress right up and all but tuck it into her knickers to keep it out of the mud and puddles. If they had kept to tradition with the bridesmaids following her, they would have achieved this in a far more elegant way.

That's just given me a horrific mental image.

"Legend" seems to have become a journalistic cliche that is automatically attached to any vaguely newsworthy person who dies.

That means holiday at home, yes? A meaningless coinage because when you go away for a holiday you stay somewhere, don't you, be it at a hotel or a campsite or wherever. Somebody didn't think that one through.

Prom instead of school disco. Vacation instead of holiday.

My thinking was that it's better to add points than to take them away when the date emerges, which it probably will.

Saw a little bunch of them at Croke Park once.

I think I would award points based on 1st September, then add points if/when a date is confirmed before the end of the year. We know she died, and that she died in September, so it would seem unfair not to award anything.

At least he didn't offer her a fishing rod and a chicken dinner.

Perhaps they think you mean Steps.

Me for one, also a wildcard.

Here, Quimmy, I chose this one for you.

I've updated mine - it can be found on page 1. We have an Edit function with no time limit, so there's no need to keep reposting lists.

Vera Lynn

8th for me I think, and a wildcard pick.

You know, when I was a little kid I hated golliwogs because they looked repulsive. And the Black & White Minstrels repelled me too. But real, actual black* people - no, I was fine with them. They didn't look anything like those other horrible things. There was no connection in my mind. *Of course I would never have dared to describe them as black. That would have been very offensive. We were brought up to be polite and say "coloured". Although I always found that confusing because we're all coloured, aren't we?

Exactly. People need to let go of all this stuff. None of us are responsible for what our ancestors did. All this sort of thing perpetuates racism in my opinion, because it pisses people off.

I'm with you. I cannot see any reason why dressing up as a character when you are not the same race as said character should offend anyone. If a black person wanted to dress up as, for example, Marilyn Monroe or Donald Trump, and used make-up to alter their skin tone, that wouldn't offend me, why should it?

The time has come today