The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns

Sorry Moonbat, I can't help you there.

I'm sat wondering "Do dodos do doo doos?"

Seeing as how I have a touch of insomnia myself tonight I get to be the one of the first to take a whack at this. Somewhere in my sleep deprived brain I remember hearing someone say something about a chuck under the chin, so I went to Google and typed that in and I found this definition as a noun for "chuck".

n.
1. An affectionate pat or squeeze under the chin.
2. A throw, toss, or pitch.

As the woodchucks are chucking, or would be if they could, I had to wonder why they would be affectionately patting a piece of wood and then I realized wood doesn't have a chin, unless of course a face was carved out of wood then I guess it could have one, but I digress. Would they want to throw, toss or pitch wood? I mean if they were beavers I could understand this.

That got me thinking, what is a woodchuck actually? The same source I found chuck I found this-

A common burrowing rodent (Marmota monax) of northern and eastern North America, having a short-legged, heavy-set body and grizzled brownish fur. Also called groundhog; also called regionally whistle pig.

So I think that may at least answer one of your questions- probably pretty hard to chuck with short legs. I do have a theory on the wood part, but no absolute answer...and that's if they're burrowing rodents they might find wood in their way when they try to dig and if that's the case, I can see where the ability to chuck might come in handy.

Diane, that's the best explanation I've heard yet. Plus, I just learned something - A woodchuck and a groundhog are the same thing. I didn't know that. Around here in Ohio, we call'em groundhogs.

I like short-legged-chucking-diffuculty theory as well.

I also agree that no animal would ever want to affectionately pat wood, and wood certainly has no chin, so we can say with confidence that an affectionate pat is definitely not "chucking," at least in this question.

Here's my thought on it...

Woodchuck is another (less-cooler) name for WoodPecker... When the "Woodchuck" starts "chucking wood" it is actually tossing it's cookies...

Perhaps, because during the "chucking" process, an unnatural amount of wood was consumed, or just the sheer of exhaustion of "chucking" has made the bird wanna puke! You know, like when you run a marathon (or down to the store for smokes) and you feel like puking because you're so exhausted.

Another possible reason for this "chucking" is that "Woodchucks" are bulemic.

Lingo,

I was tought it was a WoodPecker as well. Must be a Candian thing or something. Originally I come from the east coast Quebec, so at least I know that belief was in Quebec.

image search on yahoo for woodchuck....

http://www.emergencyclinicforanimals.com/images/woodchuck.JPG

woodchuck/groundhog

Yeah I agree, I always thought woodchucks ate wood, but the one living in a hole in our yard never seemed to eat any wood, sow it must be throwing wood.

Maybe woodchucks have secret nightime parties like Celtic fests where they throw cabers? Oh wait but woodchucks can't throw wood, I agree it must be their stubby legs. I had a Bichone Frise with stubby legs, every time he sneezed he wacked his nose into the ground.

We had a woodchuck living in our yard growing up, the damn thing was 3 feet long. Eventually our neighbor trapped it and released it somewhere. Which was good since we had a little beagle at the time. He already had a run in with the family of skunks. That was quite enough.

Though the skunks were kinda cute. I saw them once, it was two big-ass adult skunks (must have been at least 30 lbs ea.) and a line of little baby skunks behind them.

Anyway what was the question?

Spoiler Warning: This is the actual answer!

The term "woodchuck" has nothing to do with either wood or chucking (in this case, throwing) something. The name "woodchuck" actually comes from an Algonquin Indian word, "wuchak" -- their name for the little buggers. Knowing how practical the Indian naming system was, it probably means something like "tasty-little-pest-who-escapes-by-diving-into-holes-in-the-ground."

And the answer to the Great Question: "A woodchuck would chuck all the wood he could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood."

Spoiler Defamer: This is the actual answer, but not really because it was found in the uncyclopedia.

"The woodchuck (Tossicus Birchum) is a Nepalese beast which is distantly related to the Yeti. Woodchucks are so named due to their habit of throwing large branches and pieces of lumber at anything passing near their lair."

I must add that I think I'm going to CHUCK up something because you people are talking a little too seriously about this, lol. Funny.

You can take on what came first, the chicken or the egg next MM ;)

here's another one I've been thinking about - could a woodchuck up-chuck wood it chucked if a woodchuck up-chucked wood?

just a thought....

anyways back to "the question." perhaps the woodchuck is an animal with a painful, downtrodden history, and "wood" is just a metaphor for all the things that the woodchuck really wants to do with it's life, but can't. He can only speak of "chucking wood" because for one reason or another, the woodchuck is unable to. Kind of like a guitarist losing his hands in some kind of accident.....

So sad.

WOW that brought back a memory lol. I used to date a guitarist way back when and he cut one of the tendons in his hand so bad peeling an orange he never was able to play professionally again.

Over here in Australia, to 'chuck' means to throw something.

In cricket, if a bowler is deemed to be throwing the ball, as opposed to bowling it by the prescribed technique, he is said to be guilty of 'chucking'. So, perhaps it means that the Woodchuck is throwing wood?