I think one of the skills that I acquire at Quantock (as I'm sure a lot of others did too) was the ability to tell a bold-face lie without a glimmer of insincerity showing on your face, and go on to convince that person of your invention.
There where 3 lying criteria:
1) The outrageousness of the lie - more marks for more implausible tales swallowed.
2) Who you were lying to - little credit was accrued for fooling a lie discerning simpleton.
3) How long the lie was believed for, and how many people they went on to convince of your tale.
In fact these lying skills were always being refined. People (in my year at least) prided themselves in being able to spin a complete fabrication (the more outlandish the better) and have people swallow them. Equally people also prided themselves at being able to discern the truth from fiction when they heard it. A truely Darwinen sitituation.
Of course like all things, there were the Premier League of liars and the lie-spinning simpletons. Clearly more 'coo doss' was accrued by doping a well known lie conercer.
I remember spending weeks gradually laying the ground work for a ruse to be sprung on Nick Russell a truly splendid liar.
Phase 1 of the plan was to find close confidants of Nick Russell (all of a more gullible nature) and feed them some interesting tit-bits related to the lie intended for Nick.
The idea was that these people would then go on to recant these tit-bits to Nick with 100% credibility, given that they actually believed what they were parroting. Helping with the credibility of the story was that these people were well known poor liars, hardly likely to try and fool Nick.
Phase 2 of the plan was to start talking to others about related topics just within Nick's ever curious ear shot.
In this way the hook was baited ...
However the whole crux of the tactic was to get him to bite and ask the question "What's all this I hear about ...." at this point the defenses were down and the information could be inserted with the censor committee on vacation.
Saying all this ... it was still possible for the censor committee to suddenly at the last moment reconvene for an emergency session (given the nature of the well known liar standing before him talking) and the plan could still be scuppered ...
I can remember the nature of the lies I spent weeks laying the foundation for, for Nick at the last moment recover and spot the fabrication for what it was ... arrrggg!!!!
If you remember any great fabrications please add them here ....
I think we once convinced AJ Tooms that he was required to brush the top corridor with a hair brush ... he was only later stopped (on hands and knees) by Duncan Peaster who inquired why he didn't use a broom stored in the cupboard near by.
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