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Remember Blinky, the three-eyed fish on The Simpsons? It’s hard to believe that he first appeared on the show almost 20 years ago. And while Blinky is no longer with us (boy, was he tasty), multi-eyed fish still appear on the show occasionally to showcase the effects of the Springfield Nuclear Plant.
However… speaking of “three eyes”…
What’s the shortest common
English word that contains three I’s?
Click here for our answer.
also contains two whats…? oh, seriously? .:sigh:.
posted by Liz on 6-19-2008 at 8:09 am
“insipid” has to be a better solution. It’s English, for one thing, and it’s a word, not a name. But I wonder if there’s a better solution, with two consecutive “i”s.
posted by Mike Jackson on 6-19-2008 at 8:16 am
Mike Jackson, how could Insipid be better? Bikini is shorter…. and, um, names ARE words… There are lots of words with 7 letters that have 3 I’s. But 6 letters, that’s harder.
posted by Bill on 6-19-2008 at 8:26 am
I wondered about the “English” factor too, Mike, and double-checked. Every dictionary I found (and I looked at several) listed “bikini” as a regular word, not just a proper noun.
posted by Sandy on 6-19-2008 at 8:37 am
And sorry, Liz, my mind was elsewhere this morning. :>
posted by Sandy on 6-19-2008 at 8:37 am
Dirigible
posted by Ira on 6-19-2008 at 8:50 am
Bikini is a word. Check the definition at the merriam-webster website.
posted by Mortal Light on 6-19-2008 at 9:55 am
Interestingly, my immediate thought was “miniskirt”
posted by Nathan on 6-19-2008 at 10:59 am
I first thought ilicit…
posted by Laura on 6-19-2008 at 11:32 am
More Blinky Trivia: Blinky can also be seen briefly on the first episode of Futurama. (Actually, since you see him in the year 2999, and Blinky was eaten, it’s probably a descendant.)
posted by gmsc on 6-19-2008 at 11:33 am
I first thought virii, but apparently that’s not the correct plural of virus. Oh well.
posted by Brandon on 6-19-2008 at 12:02 pm
There’s another L in illicit, Laura. Nice word, though, if you’re into that kind of thing. ;)
posted by Sandy on 6-19-2008 at 12:05 pm
No Big 10 fans out there? Illini.
posted by loomis on 6-19-2008 at 12:52 pm
Random comment.
I’m freaked out by the italics going on in here. Just wanted to share that. :)
posted by adrienne on 6-19-2008 at 2:10 pm
Ahhhh, the fighting Illini…it took me a few tries to pronounce that correctly after I started dating a fan from Illinois…
posted by Brandy on 6-19-2008 at 3:09 pm
my guess was idiotic.
posted by libby on 6-20-2008 at 10:46 am
A very “intriguing” brain game. (That was my guess.)
posted by Reba on 7-9-2008 at 8:35 pm