On Wed, 19 Feb 2003, Philip Hart wrote: >> Another thought: Maybe the gods can't actually do anything about the >> crisis, but Sethra wanted to warn them about Fyres' soul, just in >> case he tried to sell them shares in a mustard mine. > >Reference spoiler... just kidding. > >I thought for a minute that this last is a reference to _Bridge of >Birds_ by Barry Hughart. One of the most delightful, distinct books >I've ever read. Or maybe to one of the well-written but not >especially memorable sequels. >But it's probably just to _Alice in Wonderland_. The phrase "mustard mine", alone, is Hughart's nod to "Alice in Wonderland". But "to sell shares in a mustard mine" is my own nod to Hughart (which I mentioned more explicitly just 10 days ago on this list, which is why I have it in mind as a colourful way of saying "to scam").