Rumor messages

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Rumors are clever hints about many aspects of NetHack. This table provides explanations for the rumors you can find in fortune cookies, random floor engravings, talking artifacts, etc. This table only lists the true ones, so if you see a rumor that isn't in this list, either it is a false rumor, or it comes from a version of NetHack other than 3.4.

Many rumors have multiple meanings. Feel free to fix or add to the explanations.

Some public servers (in particular NAO) add more rumors to their database.

Rumor	Meaning
A blindfold can be very useful if you're telepathic.	You can see the monsters on your level that have brains if you are blind and telepathic. Intrinsic telepathy can be gained by eating a floating eye, a master mind flayer, or praying at an altar. One way to become blind is to apply a blindfold or towel, and another is to apply an expensive camera at yourself with ..
A candelabrum affixed with seven candles shows the way with a magical light.	A necessary step in performing the invocation on the vibrating square. Apply the uncursed candelabrum with seven candles affixed on the vibrating square. Off the vibrating square, it has a larger light radius than a lamp.
A cream pie has two uses: food... and entertainment.	It can be thrown at monsters to blind them.
A crystal plate mail will not rust.	A crystal plate mail is made of glass, so it will not rust, corrode, burn, or rot.
A katana might slice a worm in two.	Attacking a long worm in the middle with a sharp weapon has a chance of cutting it in two, leaving you with two to fight.
A magic vomit pump could be useful for gourmands.	While there is no such item, if you are satiated and need to eat something to gain an intrinsic or other effect, wearing an amulet of magical breathing will allow you to finish without threat of choking. If you can find another way to vomit, that will also increase your hunger. The following information pertains to an upcoming version (3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that the information below is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate it. A ring of hunger can serve a similar purpose, though leaving you with much less nutrition.
A nymph knows how to unlock chains.	Polymorphing into a nymph will allow you to remove heavy iron balls chained to you. Hostile nymphs might also steal the ball, so one way to get rid of a heavy iron ball is to drop all inventory items, pick up the ball, and hit a nymph.
A potion of blindness lets you see invisible things.	You can see the monsters on your level that have brains if you are blind and telepathic. Telepathy can be gained by eating a floating eye.
A priest can get the gods to listen easily.	Donating gold to a priest can have several useful effects, depending on the amount donated and your experience level.
A priestess and a virgin you might be, but that unicorn won't care.	There is an old myth that a virgin can tame a unicorn, which will rest its head in her lap. Not so in NetHack.
A ring of conflict is a bad thing if there is a nurse in the room.	Wearing a ring of conflict causes even peaceful monsters to hit you and each other. If a nurse hits you while you are not wearing armor, wielding a weapon, or wearing a ring of conflict, it can increase your current hit points and your maximum hit points.
A short sword is not as good as a long sword.	A long sword generally causes more damage.
A succubus will go farther than a nymph.	A nymph can seduce you and steal items. A succubus (or an incubus if you are female) can seduce you and remove armor (even cursed armor) and increase or decrease an attribute, then possibly steal money (if not tame).
A wand can exorcize a past explorer's ghost.	Using the wand of undead turning on the corpse from a bones files will revive the corpse and bring the ghost back into the original body if it was adjacent.
Acid blobs should be attacked bare-handed.	Hitting an acid blob or other acidic monster can damage you and cause your weapon to corrode. Hitting with bare hands will spare your weapon, but you can still take damage from the splash.
Affairs with nymphs are often very expensive.	Nymphs seduce you and steal objects.
Afraid of nymphs? Wear a ring of adornment.	If you are wearing a ring of adornment, a nymph will steal it instead of stealing other stuff.
Afraid of your valuables being stolen? Carry more junk!	When a random item is stolen, if you carry lots of worthless items, the probability that a valuable item will be taken is lower.
Always be aware of the phase of the moon!	If you play NetHack when the moon is full, your luck is increased by one. If you play during a new moon, a message says, "Be careful! New moon tonight," but your luck is not affected. Playing on a Friday the 13th will decrease your luck by one.
Always sweep the floor before engraving important messages.	When you engrave in a location that already has an engraving, you can either add to or replace the current message. One way to erase a message is to engrave an underscore using _.
Amulets of Yendor are hard to make. Even for a wand of wishing.	If you wish for the Amulet of Yendor, you will get a cheap plastic imitation.
An elven cloak is useful against magic.	An elven cloak gives level 1 magic cancellation, the same as most other cloaks. In NetHack 3.4.3, this gave level 3 magic cancellation, so the cloak (and this rumor) was more useful.
An umber hulk can be a confusing sight.	An umber hulk has a gaze attack which can confuse you if you are not blind.
As Crom is my witness, I'll never go hungry again!	One of the troubles that can be fixed by prayer is hunger.
Asking about monsters may be very useful.	The whatis command (from the / key) can give you more info on a monster type that may help you defeat it.
Attack long worms from the rear -- that is so much safer!	You can damage and sometimes kill a long worm without taking damage yourself if you attack its tail. But you may cut it into two long worms, unless you attack the very end of its tail.
Attacking an eel where there is none is usually a fatal mistake!	Eels are hidden in the water. If you try to attack where there isn't one, instead of attacking you may fall in the water. Press F to make sure you really attempt to fight.
Bandaging wounds helps keep up appearances.	Wearing a mummy wrapping while invisible makes you visible again.
Bashing monsters with a bow is not such a good idea.	Hitting with a bow or other launcher can only do one or two points of base damage.
Be careful! The Wizard may plan an ambush!	Even after you kill the Wizard of Yendor, he may cast a summon nasties spell to surround you with monsters.
Be nice to a nurse: Put away your weapon and take off your clothes.	If a nurse hits you while you are not wearing armor, wielding a weapon, or wearing a ring of conflict, it can increase your hit points and your maximum hit points.
Being digested is a painfully slow process.	Monsters like trappers and purple worms will digest you to death over several turns. Wearing a ring of slow digestion will make the monster spit you out.
Blank scrolls make more interesting reading.	They are interesting because you can write any known scroll type on them with a magic marker.
Blind? Catch a floating eye!	Floating eyes can't immobilize you if you are blind. Eating a floating eye corpse also gives intrinsic telepathy, which is only useful if you are blind.
Booksellers never read scrolls; they might get carried away.	You may find a scroll of teleportation in a book shop; reading it may cause you to steal any unpaid items you may be carrying, plus the scroll itself. Reading any other non-blank scroll will (at best) leave you in debt to the shopkeeper for the cost of the scroll.
Chemistry 101: Never pour water into acid.	Dipping a potion of acid into water causes an explosion that does 1 to 10 points of damage.
Concise conquest: Control, confuse, conjure, condemn.	A cryptic description of the following strategy: Control the floor for safety, confuse yourself, read a scroll of create monster to conjure a large number of acid blobs, then kill and sacrifice (condemn) them.
Conserve energy, turn off the lights.	If you leave a dark level and forget to turn your lamp off, it may run out of fuel before you realize that it is on.
Digging up a grave could be a bad idea...	You may find items by digging up a grave, but it can cause several bad effects, such as abusing wisdom, hurting your alignment if lawful, or summoning the grave's occupant.
Dilithium crystals are rare indeed.	Dilithium crystals are the rarest and most valuable gems. In Star Trek, dilithium crystals were used in the warp engines.
Dogs are attracted by the smell of tripe.	Tripe rations are dog food. Throwing a tripe ration at a dog or cat will tame it, and carrying a tripe ration will make you pet dog or cat follow you more closely.
Dogs are superstitious; they never step on cursed items.	Your pet won't usually step on a cursed item. If it does, it will do so 'reluctantly'.
Dogs of ghosts aren't angry, just hungry.	Throwing food at a dog can make it tame.
Don't forget! Large dogs are MUCH harder to kill than little dogs.	Large dogs have more hit points and do more damage.
Don't lash out at people while blinded.	Blindness doesn't reduce your combat skills, but you need to be wary of attacking the wrong monster.
Don't mess with shopkeepers, or you'll get the Guild after you.	Stealing from a shop may summon Keystone Kops, and if applicable, anger the Minetown watch.
Dragons never whip their children; they wouldn't feel it!	A bullwhip does no damage to dragons and other thick-skinned monsters.
Eat your carrots. They're good for your eyes.	Eating a carrot cures blindness.
Eating a freezing sphere is like eating a yeti.	Both can give you cold resistance (freezing spheres don't leave corpses in recent versions, though they can still be eaten if you polymorph into a purple worm or other engulfing digester).
Eating a killer bee is like eating a scorpion.	Both can be poisonous, and both have a high chance of giving poison resistance relative to their level.
Eating a tengu is like eating a nymph.	Both can give the teleportitis intrinsic.
Eating a wraith is a rewarding experience!	Eating a fresh wraith corpse may cause you to gain a level.
Eating unpaid leprechauns may be advantageous.	Eating a leprechaun corpse may give you the teleportitis intrinsic, allowing you to escape from a shop.
Elbereth has quite a reputation around these parts.	If you stand still on a spot with Elbereth engraved, most monsters will flee.
Elf corpses are incompatible with the sandman, and at times the gods as well.	Eating an elf corpse can give you sleep resistance. If you are an elf, eating an elf is cannibalism and will hurt your alignment.
Elven cloaks cannot rust.	Items made of cloth can't rust.
Elves can help you feel less tired.	Eating an elf corpse can give you sleep resistance.
Even evil players have a guardian angel.	When you enter the astral plane (the last level of the game) a tame angel appears, unless you wear a ring of conflict or have a bad alignment record, which causes four hostile angels to appear.
Ever fought with an enchanted tooth?	Reading a non-cursed scroll of enchant weapon while wielding a worm tooth turns it into a crysknife.
Ever tried reading while confused?	Reading scrolls while confused changes the effect of the scroll. For example, reading a scroll of teleportation will teleport level, and scroll of enchant armor will provide rustproofing or fireproofing.
Ever tried to put a troll into a large box?	Trolls have a chance of coming back to life after being killed. If you lock one in a large box or chest, it won't. There are other ways to do it, like throwing the corpse in water or tinning it.
Ever wondered why one would want to dip something in a potion?	Dipping items in potions can have several effects. For example, dipping an uncursed item into holy water blesses it, or dipping it into unholy water curses it. Dipping a potion into another potion is known as alchemy.
Expensive cameras have penetrating flash lights.	Apply an expensive camera at an adjacent monster to blind it. Then you can run away, or zap at it or throw things at it more safely from a distance. Cameras don't work as light sources to light up dark areas.
Extra staircases lead to extra levels.	Some levels have three staircases, rather than the normal two. The long stairs lead to other dungeon branches, such as the Gnomish Mines, Sokoban, or Vlad's Tower.
Fiery letters might deter monsters.	You can permanently engrave 'Elbereth' with a wand of fire in one turn.
For a good time engrave 'Elbereth'.	If you engrave 'Elbereth', then stand on the engraving, most monsters won't attack you.
Gems are too precious to be thrown away carelessly.	Throw valuable gems at co-aligned unicorns to increase your luck. Throwing them at other monsters is usually a bad idea.
Getting hungry? Stop wearing rings!	Wearing rings slightly increases the rate at which you need food, except for a ring of slow digestion, which greatly decreases it.
Getting too warm? Take off that Amulet of Yendor and stay away from the exit!	If you wear the Amulet of Yendor in the Elemental Planes, it becomes warmer as you get closer to the portal that exits the level.
Gods expect the best from their priesthood.	Keeping your alignment record high will give better results when you pray. Don't dig up graves, kick altars, etc. if your role gets penalized for that.
Gods look down their noses at demigods.	When you kill the Wizard of Yendor or perform the Invocation, the "demigod" flag is set for your character, which greatly increases your prayer timeout, and makes your god harder to please.
Gods love cats and dogs.	Sacrificing animal corpses at an altar can lead to your god helping you. Trying to sacrifice the corpse of your pet only angers the altar's god.
Got a question? Try rec.games.roguelike.nethack.	This is the official Usenet news group for questions and answers about NetHack. One way to get there is from http://groups.google.com.
Grave robbers sometimes get rich.	Up to five cursed items can be found by digging in a grave.
Guy Montag keeps his scrolls in a bag.	Guy Montag is the protagonist in Fahrenheit 451. Keeping scrolls in a bag can protect them from fire, and an oilskin sack can protect them from water.
Handle your flasks carefully -- there might be a ghost inside!	Quaffing a milky potion (even after you have identified it) can make a ghost appear.
Holy water has many uses.	Some of them: cursed items dipped into holy water become uncursed; uncursed items become blessed; sickness can be cured and wisdom and constitution can be improved by quaffing.
Horses trust their riders, even when not so deserved.	You can ride a horse or other mount onto a trap, and it will continue to "trust" you (it won't lose tameness) unlike if you displace a pet into a trap.
Hunger is a confusing experience for a dog!	When a tame dog or other pet is too hungry it becomes confused and may hit you.
I once knew a hacker who ate too fast and choked to death.	Eating when satiated can cause you to choke and die. If you are "having a hard time" getting it down, stop eating unless you are wearing an amulet of magical breathing.
I smell a maze of twisty little passages.	There are several levels that are mazes, rather than the standard levels with rooms and passages. This phrase is from the games Adventure and Zork.
I wish I never wished a wand of wishing. (Wishful thinking.)	Zapping a wand of wishing allows you to wish for an item, but if you wish for a wand of wishing, you have a 90% chance of receiving a cancelled wand which is completely useless, and a 10% chance of getting a depleted one from which only a single wish can be wrested (usually with great effort).
I wouldn't advise playing catch with a giant.	Giants may throw boulders at you.
I'm watching you. -- The Wizard of Yendor	After you kill the Wizard of Yendor, he keeps re-appearing.
Ice boxes keep your food fresh.	Place a corpse in an ice box to keep it from rotting.
If you are being punished, it's done with a deadly weapon.	If you are chained to a heavy iron ball, you may want to wield it because even though it hits less often, it will do heavy damage when it does hit.
If you kill the Wizard, you get promoted to demi-god.	Killing the Wizard of Yendor sets the demigod flag in the game's code.
If you need a wand of digging, kindly ask the minotaur.	The maze levels of Gehennom often have a minotaurs which may carry a wand of digging.
If you want to hit, use a dagger.	Daggers hit more often than many other weapons, but other weapons often do more damage.
If you want to rob a shop, train your dog.	You can train your dog or cat by throwing food at it when it drops items at your feet. You can safely steal from a shop by entering with your pet, waiting for it to pick up an item, then leaving. Sometimes the pet will drop the item outside the shop.
If you're lost, try buying a map next time you're in a shop.	A scroll of magic mapping can map the level.
Inside a shop you better take a look at the price tags before buying anything.	If you don't have enough gold to pay for the items you pick up in a shop, you can just drop them again. But if you use or damage shop items, the shopkeeper will demand payment before you can leave. If you don't have enough money, you may have to sell some of your own items.
It is bad manners to use a wand in a shop.	Zapping a wand in a shop may damage the shop items, hit the shopkeeper, or make a hole in the floor or wall. Also, zapping unpaid wands incurs a usage fee.
It is dangerous to visit a graveyard at midnight.	Undead creatures do extra damage between midnight and 1:00 am according to the computer's clock.
It is not always a good idea to whistle for your dog.	Blowing a whistle can wake sleeping monsters.
It is rumored that the Wizard has hired some help.	The wizard can cast summon nasties.
It is the letter 'c' and not 'e' that changes status to statue.	Cockatrices and chickatrices can turn you and others to stone. Floating eyes can temporarily freeze you. In the ASCII version of nethack, cockatrices and chickatrices are represented by 'c', and floating eyes by 'e'.
It might be a good idea to offer the unicorn a ruby.	Throw valuable gems at co-aligned unicorns to increase your luck.
It would be peculiarly sad were your dog turned to stone.	You get a peculiarly sad feeling when a pet is turned to stone.
It's a `d' eats `d' world.	'It's a dog eat dog world' is a saying refers to fierce competition. If you eat a dog or cat, you will aggravate monsters. In the ASCII version, 'd' represents a dog.
Just because it says READ ME doesn't mean you should.	It's a random scroll name. Reading unidentified scrolls can be a bad idea.
Keep your armors away from rust.	Metal armor can rust in water or rust traps.
Keep your weaponry away from acids.	Metal weapons can corrode if you hit an acid blob or other acidic monster.
Kill a unicorn of your color and you kill your luck.	Killing a unicorn of your own alignment damages your luck. If you are lawful, don't kill white unicorns, if neutral, gray, and if chaotic, black.
Leather is waterproof. Ever see a cow with an umbrella?	Leather weapons or armor won't rust.
Leprechauns are the most skilled cutpurses in this dungeon.	If a leprechaun hits you while you have gold in your main inventory, or while you are standing on gold, he may steal some and then teleport. Drop your gold and move or put it in a bag before attacking, or, if it's too late, throw your gold away from the leprechaun.
Lizard corpses protect against cockatrices.	If a cockatrice hits you and makes you start slowing down, eat a lizard corpse (or an acidic corpse) quickly, or you will turn to stone. Lizard corpses never rot, so you can always carry one with you. Don't keep it in a bag, though, because you may not have time to get it out. Also, a carried lizard corpse reduces the cockatrice's hissing attack success rates at new moon.
Money lost, little lost; honor lost, much lost; pluck lost, all lost.	There may be more gold in the game than you could ever spend or carry. Keep your alignment record good. Don't lose your courage (but never be afraid to run away).
Most monsters can't swim.	Staying in or over water can protect you from many monsters, but expose you to others. Also, if you somehow get a monster over water (zapping a wand of fire at ice, for example), it might drown. If you throw a troll corpse into water, it won't bother you again.
Music hath charms to affect the stubborn drawbridge.	To lower the drawbridge on the castle level, play the five-note passtune on a musical instrument. You can learn the passtune by sacrificing or praying on an alter, or through trial and error as in the MasterMind game. Notes can be in the range A - G. Choose five notes. Any note in the right sequence causes a gear to turn. A correct note in the wrong sequence causes a tumbler to click.
Music hath charms to soothe the savage beast.	Playing a wooden flute may calm snakes. A magic flute may put monsters to sleep. A harp may calm nymphs. A magic harp may tame monsters.
Never attack a guard.	If you stay in a vault for too long, the vault's guard will appear and tell you to drop your gold. Attacking him may be murder. He's pretty strong. If you tell him you are Croesus, he will leave you alone.
Never ride a long worm.	This works in Herbert's Dune, but not in NetHack, especially since this rumor predates riding. "You can't saddle such a creature."
Never use your best weapon to engrave a curse.	Engraving with a bladed weapon can dull the weapon, unless it's a non-cursed athame.
No easy fighting with a heavy load!	Fighting while burdened decreases your effectiveness.
Not all boots were made for walking.	Levitation boots cause you to float in the air instead. Jumping boots are for walking and jumping.
Nurses are trained to touch naked persons: they don't harm them.	If a nurse hits you while you are not wearing armor, wielding a weapon, or wearing a ring of conflict, it can increase your current and your maximum hit points.
Nymphs can unlink more than your chain mail.	Polymorphing into a nymph will allow you to remove heavy iron balls chained to you. Hostile nymphs might also steal the ball if you carry it.
Once your little dog will be a big dog, and you will be proud of it.	Monsters, including pets, gain experience as they kill other monsters or quaff potions of gain level. For example: Little dogs turn into dogs, then large dogs; kittens turn into housecats, then large cats; ponies turn into horses, then warhorses; and various orcs can turn into orc-captains.
Opening a tin is difficult, especially when you attempt it bare handed!	Opening cursed or uncursed tins takes time. Wielding some weapons, like daggers or athames, makes it take less time. Applying a tin opener will open tins quickly.
Orcs and killer bees share their lifestyle.	They are both spawned in groups.
Orcs do not procreate in dark rooms.	In NetHack the orcs, like many other monsters, do not produce offspring at all. The only monsters that are capable of "procreation" are the oviparous ones, perhaps with the addition of "binary fission" monsters (black and brown pudding, blue jelly, etc.) and the parastic green slime that can take control of the host. A heroine polymorphing into an oviparous monster can lay eggs that can hatch, producing tame monsters.
Plain nymphs are harmless.	If you cancel a nymph, she will look plain and won't be able to seduce you and steal stuff.
Playing D&D may be helpful.	NetHack is roughly based on Dungeons and Dragons.
Playing Gauntlet might be enlightening in some situations.	Gauntlet is a fantasy role playing arcade game for up to four players. Some phrases in NetHack originated in Gauntlet, such as "Wizard needs food badly." Also, the message "wizard/elf, all your powers will be lost" leaks some information on your intrinsics.
Playing billiards pays when you are in a shop.	Shopkeepers avoid being in the direct line of fire of a wand or spell, but you may be able to bounce one off a wall.
Polymorphing a shopkeeper might make you safer.	Polymorphing a peaceful monster or shopkeeper angers it. You may polymorph it into something wimpy and easy to kill, or nasty and dangerous.
Polymorphing your dog probably makes you safer.	If you zap a wand of polymorph at your pet, or make it step on a polymorph trap, you may change it into a more powerful pet.
Potions don't usually mix, but sometimes...	You can dip potions into other potions to transform them, or cause other effects. This is called alchemy.
Psst! It's done with mirrors!	Applying a mirror to a monster may frighten it. Applying it to a nymph may make the nymph take the mirror, rather than stealing some other item. Breaking a mirror (like by kicking, throwing, or with a wand of striking) hurts your luck. You can kill Medusa if you have reflection.
Put on a ring of teleportation: it will take you away from onslaught.	Teleporting can be a good way of getting out of trouble.
Rays aren't boomerangs, of course, but still...	A boomerang may return to you when thrown. Ray wands, such as wands of fire and death, bounce off walls. Zapping straight at a wall can rebound straight back at you.
Read the manual before entering the cave -- you might get killed otherwise.	There is no one NetHack manual, but the Help system is, um, helpful, and there are many spoilers. And you will get killed a lot. Dying isn't something to be ashamed of, but dying the same way twice may be.
Reading Herbert might be enlightening in one case.	Some items in NetHack are based on Frank Herbert's Dune series, such as long worms and crysknives.
Reading Tolkien might help you.	Many items in NetHack are based on J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series, such as red-eye shields and white-hand shields.
Reading scrolls after drinking booze can give confusing results.	Drinking a potion of booze is one way to cause confusion. Several scrolls have different effects if read while confused. Teleportation becomes level teleportation. Enchant armor or weapon provides protection from fire, rust, etc.
Riding a dragon can be an uplifting experience.	Several types of tame monsters can be ridden. You'll have to put a saddle on it first. Dragons can fly over water and traps. Don't try to ride a cockatrice!
Rust monsters love water. There are potions they hate, however.	Throwing harmful potions can be a good last resort weapon to fight off monsters.
Sacks protect contents from temperatures up to 452 degrees fahrenheit.	451 degrees Fahrenheit is the temperature at which paper is supposed to burn. Place scrolls, potions, and spellbooks in sacks to protect them from fire.
Scrolls fading? It's not the heat, it's the humidity.	Getting a scroll or spellbook wet can cause the ink to fade, making it blank. You can use a magic marker to write on a blank scroll or spellbook, turning it into any known type.
Shopkeepers accept credit cards, as long as you pay cash.	Credit cards are for picking locks, not for paying shopkeepers.
Shopkeepers can spot a tourist a mile away with those Hawaiian shirts.	If you are wearing a visible Hawaiian shirt (or are a low-level tourist), a shopkeeper will charge you more. Wearing it under other armor is fine.
Shopkeepers can't tell identical twins apart.	If you get killed on a level with an angry shopkeeper, then play a new game as the same character and encounter that bones level, the shopkeeper will still be angry.
Shopkeepers don't read, so what use is engraving in a shop?	Shopkeepers aren't scared by an engraved Elbereth.
Shopkeepers have incredible patience.	A shopkeeper will wait forever for you to pay. He just won't let you leave the shop until you do.
Shopkeepers might raise their prices for tourists.	If you are wearing a visible Hawaiian shirt, a shopkeeper will charge you more. Wearing it under other armor is fine.
Shopkeepers value money more than revenge.	After robbing a shop, you can return and pay to pacify the shopkeeper. You can pay by throwing money to the shopkeeper.
Some monsters can be tamed. I once saw a hacker with a tame dragon!	Many monsters can be tamed with a scroll of taming or a spell of charm monster. Also, your pet may be polymorphed into almost any monster type.
Someone once said that what goes up < might come down >.	< is historicaly the symbol for up stairs, and > is the down stairs. Most levels have at least one of both. Also, you can throw items up, they will fall on your head and hit you. If you do that with a cockatrice corpse, you will become a statue "killed by elementary physics".
Someone's been spiking the pits!	Some pit traps have spikes in the bottom that cause additional damage. Some spikes are poisoned and may cause instant death if you aren't poison resistant.
Sometimes monsters are more likely to fight each other than attack you.	If you wear a ring of conflict, monsters may attack each other. But peaceful or tame monsters may also attack you.
Spinach, carrot, and jelly -- a meal fit for a nurse!	Eating tins of spinach or lumps of royal jelly increases your strength. Carrots can cure blindness.
Tainted meat is even more sickening than poison!	Poison decreases strength. Eating old, tainted meat can kill you if you don't cure yourself in a few moves (pray, extra healing, unicorn horn, etc.).
Telepathy is just a trick: once you know how to do it, it's easy.	Eating a floating eye gives you telepathy. You can also get it from your god at an altar. When blind, you can see monsters with brains on your level.
The Leprechaun Gold Tru$t is no division of the Magic Memory Vault.	Many levels have gold vaults also known as Magic Memory Vaults, small 2x2 rooms with no doors. This rumor has nothing to do with leprechaun halls, which it predates.
The Wizard finds death to be quite an experience.	The wizard comes back to life to attack you again after you kill him. Each time, he comes back one experience level stronger.
The best equipment for your work is, of course, the most expensive.	The more expensive an item is in a shop, the more likely it is to be valuable. For example, if an unidentified lamp costs 15 zorkmids in a shop, it is a normal lamp, but if it costs 45 zorkmids, it is a magic lamp. Also, an unidentified scroll that costs 20 zorkmids is an identify scroll, but if it costs 300 zorkmids it is charging, genocide, punishment, or stinking cloud.
The gods don't appreciate pesky priesthood.	Don't pray too often or you will anger your god. You can find out if you can safely pray with a potion of enlightenment or by sacrificing at an altar (you won't feel 'hopeful' if praying is OK.)
The gods will get angry if you kill your dog.	Killing your pet does serious damage to your alignment record and luck (but does not increase anger unless you kill it with a trap). It takes a while for your alignment and Luck to recover, though sacrificing a non-co-aligned unicorn at a co-aligned altar can help.
The magic marker is mightier than the sword.	A magic marker is one of the most valuable items you can have, since with it you can turn a blank scroll into any scroll, or a blank spellbook into any known spellbook. There is a chance of writing unknown spellbooks.
The moon is not the only heavenly body to influence this game.	The phase of the moon affects your luck. Some monsters act differently at night, for example, gremlins can steal intrinsics at night. There are several other aspects affected by time. See the time, date, and moon phase spoiler. Also, nymphs and succubi/incubi can affect you because of your attraction to their heavenly bodies.
The orc swings his orcish broadsword named Elfrist at you. You die...	Although there is no named weapon named Elfrist in vanilla NetHack, the named artifact Orcrist is an Elven broadsword that does special damage to orcs.
The secret of wands of Nothing Happens: try again!	When a wand has 0 charges, there is still a chance that another zap will wrest one additional charge, after which the wand turns to dust. Hint: to repeatedly zap a wand with no charges, adjust it to inventory slot 'z', then hold down the z key. Engraving works for non-directional wands, too.
There has always been something mystical about mirrors.	Breaking one hurts your luck. Showing one to a nymph may save you from losing something valuable. Floating eyes can freeze themselves. Medusa turns herself to stone. Monsters might be frightened. Several other things can happen.
There is a Mastermind deep in the dungeon.	You may have to play MasterMind to open the drawbridge on the castle level. Or just bring a wand of striking and a way to levitate. This rumor has nothing to do with master mind flayers, which it predates.
There is a big treasure hidden in the zoo!	Zoo rooms have lots of gold. This rumor has nothing to do with Sokoban, which it predates.
There is more magic in this cave than meets the eye.	Magic traps can be hidden. Being blind shows you monsters if you have telepathy. Many items have non-obvious uses, at least not obvious to unspoiled players.
There is no harm in praising a large dog.	You can tame a dog or cat by throwing it food. Or you can chat with it, but that is neither harmful nor helpful, but purely diagnostic.
There is nothing like eating a mimic.	You will change into a gold piece for a while.
There once was a Knight named Lancelot who liked to ride with his lance a lot.	Knights are good at riding horses and using lances. Mounted melee with a lance has a chance of jousting the target.
They say a gelatinous cube can paralyze you...	When one touches you, you can freeze for a short while, unless you have free action.
They say that calculating your donations lets you choose your blessings.	Donating different amounts of money to a priest gives different benefits.
They say that Juiblex is afraid of a wand of digging.	A wand of digging is useful for escaping most monsters that engulf you. It won't keep Jubilex from making you sick, although if you zap it from inside him, he'll only have 1hp left.
They say that Medusa would like to put you on a pedestal.	If Medusa looks at you, you will be turned to stone, if you aren't prepared.
They say that Vlad lives!!!... in the mazes.	Vlad is a vampire that lives in a tower and has the Candelabrum.
They say that 'Elbereth' is often written about.	Engrave it on the floor for protection from most monsters.
They say that a bag of holding can't hold everything.	Putting a wand of cancellation in one causes you to lose the bag and its contents, so never put an unidentified wand in one. Don't put a bag of holding or a charged bag of tricks in a bag of holding. Also, unique items can't be placed into a bag.
They say that a blessed tin of quasit meat is a quick meal.	Eating a quasit can give you poison resistance, but it doesn't increase your speed. Any blessed tin opens quickly.
They say that a cat avoids traps.	Pets avoid traps, and whine near them if leashed.
They say that a cave spider will occasionally eat cave spider eggs.	It would probably have to be tame and starving.
They say that a clever wizard can have stats: 18/** 24 18 24 24 24.	The Strength statistic can be raised up to 18/** naturally, such as by eating giant corpses. For humans, other stats have a normal maximum of 18, so to get the listed stats, you could wear +6 gauntlets of dexterity, a +6 helm of brilliance, a +6 ring of adornment, and you could increase the remaining 18 stat to 24 as well with a +6 ring of gain constitution.
They say that a clove of garlic makes a good talisman if handled right.	Hitting an undead monster while wielding a clove of garlic scares the monster.
They say that a cursed scroll of teleportation could land you in trouble.	A cursed scroll of teleportation can cause a level teleport, which may take you deeper in the dungeon than you are prepared for. Most of the time, however, it will take you up.
They say that a diamond is another kind of luck stone.	Throwing valuable gems at a co-aligned unicorn can boost your luck.
They say that a dog can be trained to fetch objects.	Tame pets can pick up items and then drop them. Throwing food at it when it drops something at your feet trains it to do that more often (apport). This is a safe way to steal from shops.
They say that a gelatinous cube makes a healthy breakfast.	Eating a gelatinous cube has a 10% chance of granting fire, cold, sleep, or shock resistance, but since it is acidic it will do some damage.
They say that a giant gets strong by eating right, try it!	Eating a giant corpse can boost your strength. Note that you may want to eat even giant zombie and giant mummy corpses; if the corpse isn't tainted, you can get the strength increase. If it is tainted, you can immediately apply an uncursed unicorn horn multiple times to cure the food poisoning. Note that there is a small chance that you will die before successfully curing the poisoning.
They say that a grid bug won't hit you when you cross it.	Grid bugs can't move or attack on a diagonal.
They say that a lembas wafer is a very light snack.	A lembas wafer weighs a quarter of a food ration's weight, but gives just as much nutrition and you can eat it much faster.
They say that a loadstone has a strange attraction and is not bad luck.	Loadstones are heavy, can't be dropped when they are cursed, and are usually generated cursed. They are so heavy that they can't be kicked far, so you may want to kick gray stones before picking them up. But it is not bad luck; a cursed gray stone could also be a luckstone, which reduces your Luck when carried (or a flint or touchstone).
They say that a lock pick by any other name is still a lock pick.	Possibly a hint that you can get in trouble for unlocking doors in Minetown even if you use a skeleton key. Also, a credit card can be used as a lock pick. Also may refer to the fact that Samurai know lock picks as "osaku".
They say that a lucky amulet will block poisoned arrows.	An amulet versus poison grants poison resistance.
They say that a mirror will freeze a floating eye but you can still see it.	Apply a mirror at a floating eye will cause its own gaze to freeze itself, but since you can still see it, hitting it will still freeze you.
They say that a neutral character might get Giantslayer.	Most artifact weapons come with a specific alignment. Your god may give you an artifact of the correct alignment at an altar. Giantslayer is an example of a neutral artifact.
They say that a polymorph trap is magic and magic protection prevents it.	If you trigger a polymorph trap while magic resistant, you will "feel momentarily different, but will be unaffected."
They say that a potion of healing can cancel a potion of sickness.	Dipping missiles into a potion of sickness poisons them. Dipping them into a potion of healing removes poison.
They say that a potion of monster detection sometimes works both ways.	Quaffing a cursed potion of monster detection aggravates monsters, probably waking sleeping monsters near you.
They say that a sink looks different from high above the floor.	If you are levitating and move over a sink, you fall to the floor, even if you are wearing a cursed ring of levitation or cursed boots of levitation.
They say that a summoned demon could improve your game.	Quaffing from fountains, or dipping items in them, can summon a water demon, which may grant a wish. However, dangerous outcomes are far more likely.
They say that a tin of wraith meat is a rare dining experience.	Wraith corpses can't be tinned in the current version, but could in earlier versions. Eating one may cause you to gain an experience level.
They say that a unicorn might bring you luck.	Throwing valuable gems at co-aligned unicorns increases your luck.
They say that a wand of cancellation is like a wand of polymorph.	Both wands of cancellation and polymorph have a base cost of 200 in a shop. Polymorph can change items into other items of the same class. Cancellation can turn potions into water and make scrolls and spellbooks blank.
They say that a wand of locking can close more than just doors.	You can lock chests and large boxes or make a door appear in an empty doorway.
They say that a wand of polymorph can change your game.	Piling up items and zapping them with polymorph can change them into other items of the same class. This is called polypiling, and is one way to get items you need.
They say that a wizard is even more powerful the second time around.	The Wizard of Yendor can summon a duplicate of himself, leaving you with two powerful wizards to fight. Also, after killing him, he comes back from the dead to fight again, one experience level higher than before.
They say that a xorn knows of no obstacles when pursuing you.	Xorns can move through rock, walls, doors, boulders, etc., but they can't cross water.
They say that abusing a credit card could shock you sooner or later.	Credit cards can pick locks, but the locks on a chest, door, or large box may be trapped with one of several different traps, one of which can be an electric charge. This rumor has nothing to do with the Platinum Yendorian Express Card, which it predates.
They say that amulets, like most things, can be deadly or life saving.	A cursed amulet of strangulation is one way to die. An amulet of life saving keeps you from dying.
They say that an altar can identify blessings.	Drop an item on an altar while nonblind to discover its blessed/uncursed/cursed status.
They say that an ooze will bite your boots and a rock mole will eat them.	A gray ooze can rust metal objects, a black pudding corrodes iron and copper, and a rock mole can eat them. Some boots are made of metal.
They say that an unlucky hacker was once killed by an exploding tin.	Cursed tins can explode when opened.
They say that antique dealers are always interested in precious stones.	You can sell gems at general shops and jewelers. Shopkeepers will always charge you for a gem as if it is valuable, but only buy them as if they are worthless glass (unless the gem is identified).
They say that bandaging one's wounds helps to keep up one's appearance.	Wearing a mummy wrapping while invisible makes you visible.
They say that booze can be diluted but not cancelled.	You can dilute a potion of booze by dipping it in water, but zapping it with cancellation only makes it uncursed. Most other potions when canceled become water.
They say that by listening carefully, you can hear a secret door!	Applying a stethoscope to a hidden door discovers the door.
They say that carrots and carrot juice may improve your vision.	Eating a carrot cures blindness. Carrot juice doesn't exist in Nethack.
They say that cave spiders are not considered expensive health food.	Eating a cave spider may grant poison resistance. Cave spiders aren't poisonous.
They say that demigods must leave behind their prized earthly possessions.	When you win the game and ascend and achieve demigod status, you leave the game and can have your possessions identified.
They say that disturbing a djinni can be a costly mistake.	"You disturbed me, fool!" is the message you get when rubbing a magic lamp or quaffing a smoky potion produces a hostile djinni.
They say that dragon scales can be quite enchanting.	If you wear dragon scales and then enchant them with a scroll of enchant armor, they turn into dragon scale mail, which is good armor.
They say that dropping coins into a fountain will not grant you a wish.	No, but drinking from a fountain may attract a water demon that may grant a wish, or may attack. Also, dipping items in a fountain may cause you to lose some gold.
They say that dwarves lawfully mind their own business.	Dwarves will often be peaceful if the player character is lawful.
They say that eating a bat corpse will make you batty, for a while.	Eating a bat corpse can stun you for several turns.
They say that eating a cram ration is a smart move.	Cram rations provide the same weight-to-nutrition ratio as a food ration, but you can eat them quicker.
They say that eating blue jelly is cool if you don't fight the feeling.	Eating a blue jelly may grant cold or poison resistance.
They say that escaping a dungeon is only the beginning of the end.	If you take the up stairs from level 1 with the Amulet of Yendor in your possession, you arrive at the Plane of Earth. From there you go the Plane of Air, then Plane of Fire, Plane of Water, and finally the Astral Plane, where you can sacrifice the Amulet to win the game.
They say that feeling an unexpected draft of air is sort of a breakthrough.	If a monster breaks through a door on your level, you may "feel an unexpected draft."
They say that finding a cursed gray stone is always bad luck.	An unidentified gray stone is either a loadstone, a luckstone, a touchstone, or a flint stone. A cursed loadstone is very heavy and can't be dropped. A cursed luckstone decreases your luck. A cursed flint stone may misfire when fired or slip when thrown. A cursed touchstone can destroy gems. Except in bones piles, a cursed gray stone is always a loadstone.
They say that gaining a level is an experience that can raise your sights.	If a potion of gain level is cursed, it lifts you through the ceiling. Otherwise you gain an experience level.
They say that garter snake meat rarely tastes good but it's still healthy.	Garter snakes aren't poisonous, so they can be eaten. It will grant no intrinsics.
They say that gauntlets of dexterity have a hidden enchanted touch.	Gauntlets of dexterity increase (or decrease, if the enchantment is negative) your dexterity by their enchantment.
They say that going to heaven is just another way of escaping the dungeon.	Going up from level 1 lets you escape the dungeon, unless you have the Amulet of Yendor, which lets you eventually get to the Astral Plane where you can win. Also, if you levelport to level -10 or above, you prematurely go to heaven.
They say that golden nagas are law-abiding denizens as long as you are too.	Golden nagas are lawful, so they will most likely be peaceful if you are lawful.
They say that gremlins can make you feel cooler than you are now.	Gremlins can steal intrinsics at night, so they can steal your intrinsic cold resistance. If you manage to get a gremlin to steal an undesired intrinsic like aggravate monster, that may also make you (the player, at least) feel "cool".
They say that grid bugs only exist in a strictly Cartesian sense.	Grid bugs can't move or attack on diagonals, so they can only move vertically (y-axis) and horizontally (x-axis).
They say that hackers often feel jumpy about eating nymphs.	Eating a nymph may make you feel "jumpy" and gives you the teleportitis intrinsic.
They say that having polymorph control won't shock you.	You become immune to system-shock damage if you have polymorph control.
They say that if it's hard getting your food down another bite could kill.	If you have a hard time getting your food down and you continue eating, you could choke over your food and die.
They say that if you don't wear glasses why bother with carrots?	Eating a carrot cures blindness. This rumor has nothing to do with lenses, which it predates.
They say that if you notice a loose board beneath you, don't step on it.	Levitating or jumping over a squeaky board won't trigger it.
They say that if you start at the bottom the only place to go is up.	Some levels have no down stairs, such as the bottom-most levels of the quest, mines, and Gehennom. A level teleport trap will always take you up on these levels.
They say that if you teleport to heaven you're presumed to be dead already.	Level teleporting to levels above 1 ends the game. Level -10 is heaven.
They say that in a shop you can be charged for old charges.	If you die on a level with an angry shopkeeper, leave a bones file, then find that bones file on a subsequent game, the shopkeeper will still be angry.
They say that in lighter moments you could think of ways to pass a stone.	Loadstones are very heavy and usually cursed: once you pick it up you can't drop it. You can tell if a gray stone is a loadstone before picking it up by seeing how far you can kick it. There are several ways to get rid of one if you pick one up, such as getting a nymph to steal it, reading a scroll of remove curse, praying, etc. Also, you if you drop most of your items, you can squeeze past a boulder.
They say that in the dungeon breaking a mirror can be seven years bad luck.	Breaking a mirror by throwing it, kicking it, zapping it with a wand of striking, etc., decreases your luck. Bad Luck times out eventually unless you are carrying a nonblessed luckitem.
They say that in the dungeon you don't usually have any luck at all.	Except on a full moon or Friday the 13th, your luck starts at 0. Good and bad luck will time out eventually, unless you are carrying a nonblessed luckitem.
They say that in time a blessed luckstone can make your god happy.	Carrying a noncursed luckstone raises your Luck and keeps good Luck from timing out. Praying with bad Luck has harmful effects.
They say that it is easier to kill the Wizard than to make him stand still.	You'll likely have to kill him several times. After you wake him, he'll teleport in to attack you wherever you are.
They say that it only takes 1 zorkmid to meet the Kops.	Stealing even a cheap item or a single gold piece from a shop can bring the Keystone Kops.
They say that it's a blast when you mix the right potions together.	Dipping one potion in another may cause an explosion. This rumor has nothing to do with potions of acid, which it predates.
They say that it's not blind luck if you catch a glimpse of Medusa.	If you see Medusa you turn to stone. Try being blind or having reflection.
They say that killing a shopkeeper brings bad luck.	Killing a shopkeeper is murder (unless chaotic) and murder decreases your Luck.
They say that monsters never step on a scare monster scroll.	Many monsters won't step on a scroll of scare monster, so you can fight more safely when standing on one, but ranged weapons and spells can still hit you.
They say that most monsters find flute recitals extremely boring.	A magic flute can put monsters to sleep. A wooden flute can make snakes peaceful.
They say that mummy corpses are not well preserved.	Corpses dropped by mummies and other undead start out 100 turns old, and will often be tainted.
They say that naturally a wand of wishing would be heavily guarded.	There is a wand of wishing in the castle, along with lots of soldiers.
They say that no one notices the junk underneath a boulder.	When a level is created, items may be randomly generated under boulders, but it isn't any more likely there than at any other spot. You may want to move boulders to check underneath, especially in Sokoban. Also, you can stow items under a boulder to keep them safe from all monsters except giants.
They say that nobody expects a unicorn horn to rust.	Unicorn horns are made of bone, not metal, so they are rustproof. You may want to wield one to fight a rust monster.
They say that nobody knows if an explorer can live forever. Do you?	A good NetHack player may be able to live forever, but that would be very boring.
They say that nothing can change the fact that some potions contain a djinni.	Quaffing a smoky potion may release a djinni, even if identified.
They say that nothing can change the fact that some potions contain a ghost.	Quaffing a milky potion may release a ghost, even if identified.
They say that nymphs always fall for rock'n'roll, try it!	A wooden harp will pacify a nymph, if played with enough dexterity.
They say that once an Olog-Hai is canned it never shows its face again.	Olog-hai and other trolls can come back to life after being killed. One way to stop this is to tin their corpses with a tinning kit.
They say that once upon a time xans would never scratch your boots.	The xan has been able to prick your legs since the earliest days of Andries Brouwer's Hack. However, there was no footwear in Hack and pre-3.0.0 NetHack, therefore a xan's attack did not give the message referring to your boots. To prevent a xan's pricking attack, you can ride a steed, levitate, or fly. This will produce a message about the xan "try[ing] to reach" your leg, and you won't get pricked.
They say that only an experienced wizard can do the tengu shuffle.	At level 8, wizards gain teleport at will if they have teleportitis. At level 17 they gain teleport control.
They say that only chaotics can kill shopkeepers and get away with it.	Chaotic players aren't penalized for murdering peaceful humans.
They say that only female monsters can lay eggs.	You can polymorph into a female oviparous monster and lay your own eggs. The hatchlings will be tame.
They say that playing a horn really bad is really good.	If you improvise when applying a tooled horn, you produce a frightful sound that may scare nearby monsters, but will abuse your wisdom.
They say that problem breathing is best treated by a proper diet.	If you eat too much, you'll choke to death unless you have magical breathing.
They say that rubbing a glowing potion does not make it a magic lamp.	Indeed, it does not.
They say that reading a scare monster scroll is the same as saying Elbereth	Reading a scare monster scroll can, predictably enough, scare nearby monsters. A scare monster scroll on the ground behaves almost the same as an "active" engraving of Elbereth.
They say that scalpels become dull because they're not athames.	Noncursed athames don't get dull from engraving, and they can engrave up to 19 letters per turn. Other edged weapons do become dull from engraving.
They say that shopkeepers don't like pick-axes.	They won't let you in their shop if you have one visible. Consider putting it in a bag, dropping it at the door, or, if auto-pickup is turned on, throw it against the floor or wall while standing in the doorway, so you will automatically pick it up when you leave the shop.
They say that shopkeepers don't mind you bringing your pets in the shop.	Bringing a pet into a shop is one way to steal. When the pet picks up an item, it may carry it out or to the entrance.
They say that shopkeepers don't usually mind if you sneak into a shop.	You can teleport in without angering a shopkeeper, but the shopkeeper won't let you in if you are invisible.
They say that shopkeepers often have a large amount of money in their purses.	True, and there are several ways to separate them from it.
They say that shopkeepers often remember things that you might forget.	If you get killed on a level with an angry shopkeeper, then play a new game as the same character and encounter that bones level, the shopkeeper will still be angry. Try taming. Or, if the shopkeeper won't let you leave the shop, it may be because you owe him money.
They say that sinks and armor don't mix, take your cloak off now!	Quaffing from a sink might polymorph you. If you change into a large monster, your cloak, armor, and shirt might get destroyed.
They say that sinks run hot and cold and many flavors in between.	Drinking at a sink can have the effect of quaffing a random potion.
They say that snake charmers aren't charismatic, just musical.	Playing a wooden flute will pacify snakes.
They say that soldiers are always prepared and usually protected.	Soldiers often carry unique gear that is not random generated, such as K-rations and C-rations. They also get an assortment of non-magical armor and offensive/defensive items.
They say that some eggs could hatch in your pack, lucky or not.	Half of all eggs that hatch in a male player's pack will result in a pet. Otherwise, they can be peaceful or hostile.
They say that some fire ants will make you a hot meal.	Eating a fire ant corpse may grant fire resistance.
They say that some horns play hot music and others are too cool for words.	An unidentified fire or frost horn looks like a tooled horn.
They say that some humanoids are nonetheless quite human.	Eating some humanoid corpses will count as cannibalism. Humanoids generally count as intelligent monsters and can use magic items.
They say that some shopkeepers consider gems to be family heirlooms.	Gems, even unidentified glass, are ridiculously expensive in shops.
They say that some shopkeepers recognize gems but they won't tell you.	Shopkeepers will always charge you for a gem as if it is valuable, but only buy them as if they are worthless glass (unless the gem is identified).
They say that some stones are much much heavier than others.	Be sure not to pick up a loadstone unless you have a way to uncurse it.
They say that some yetis are full of hot air.	Eating a yeti corpse may grant cold resistance.
They say that something very special would be in a well-protected place.	Most of the more difficult special levels have some kind of prize, such as the wand of wishing in the castle.
They say that speed boots aren't fast enough to let you walk on water.	There are water walking boots, however.
They say that teleport traps are the devil's work.	In closets, they can lead to a vault. They can help identify a ring of teleport control and provide an escape route.
They say that tengu don't wear rings, why should you?	Intrinsic teleport control makes the ring of teleport control unnecessary.
They say that tengu never steal gold although they would be good at it.	Teleportitis and teleport control help when robbing vaults.
They say that that which was stolen once can be stolen again, ask any nymph.	You can steal your items back if you polymorph into a nymph. Usually, this is only an issue with an amulet of life saving, as you can kill the nymph instead.
They say that the Delphic Oracle knows that lizard corpses aren't confusing.	Lizard corpses are always safe to eat, so they can never be rotten and cause confusion or unconsciousness, or food poisoning. Eating a lizard corpse while confused (or stunned) will cause that effect to wear off after 2 more turns. Their best use is to prevent stoning, however.
They say that the Hand of Elbereth can hold up your prayers.	Lawfuls get the title Hand of Elbereth when crowned. Crowning greatly increases your prayer timeout.
They say that the Leprechaun King is rich as Croesus.	A reference to Croesus, proprietor of the vaults. You get rid of a vault guard by giving your name as "Croesus". This rumor has nothing to do with leprechaun halls or Fort Ludios, both of which it predates.
They say that the Wizard of Yendor is schizophrenic and suicidal.	The Wizard may cast double trouble, which looks as if he split himself. If one of the clones obtains the Amulet of Yendor, the other will attempt to retrieve it by force. This sadly does not lead to the Wizard "killing himself" since the wizard cannot harm monsters. All covetous monsters will retreat far later if wounded, and the Wizard has especially few hit points.
They say that the experienced character knows how to convert an altar.	Converting an altar is more likely to be successful when your character is a higher experience level. You can convert an altar by sacrificing on it while your alignment record is good.
They say that the gods are happy when they drop objects at your feet.	Sometimes when you sacrifice or prayer at an altar, your god will give you a gift, usually an artifact weapon or a spellbook.
They say that the idea of invisible Nazguls has a certain ring to it.	Nazgul always carry a cursed ring of invisibility.
They say that the lady of the lake now lives in a fountain somewhere.	Lawful characters at level 5 or higher can dip an ordinary long sword in a fountain to get Excalibur.
They say that the local shopkeeper frowns upon the rude tourist.	Shopkeepers raise prices for low-level tourists or anyone wearing a visible Hawaiian shirt.
They say that the only door to the vampire's tower is on its lowest level.	You access Vlad's Tower by an extra staircase up.
They say that the only good djinni is a grateful djinni.	Djinnis who are grateful to be released (from a Magic lamp or Potion) will grant you a wish. Other than that, there is no way to get a wish from a djinni.
They say that the thing about genocide is that it works both ways.	A cursed scroll of genocide will summon 4-6 monsters of the specified type, known as reverse genocide. This can be quite useful, see the genocide article. Also, if you genocide @, you will die.
They say that the unicorn horn rule is if it ain't broke then don't fix it.	Applying an uncursed unicorn horn will only raise your attributes to your previously-held maximum. Otherwise, "Nothing happens".
They say that the view from a fog cloud is really very moving.	Fog Clouds, along with vortices and some other monsters, have an engulfing attack. They may move around while you are in them. See also: Juiblex express.
They say that the walls in shops are made of extra hard material.	Shop walls take longer than average to dig through. Any holes made in shop walls will automatically close up in the next five turns.
They say that there are at least 15 ways to lose a pair of levitation boots.	Some ways to remove cursed levitation gear: float over a sink, pray to get it uncursed, have it stolen by a nymph. See curse removal for more.
They say that throwing glass gems is the same as throwing rocks.	Both do the same amount of damage.
They say that trespassing a boulder is probably beneath you.	Unknown. Has nothing to do with Sokoban, which it predates. But if you drop all your items, you can squeeze past a boulder.
They say that unicorns are fond of precious gems.	Throwing valuable gems at a co-aligned unicorn will raise your luck. Also, if a gem is type-named, any unicorn will refuse it as junk if it is glass, but keep it if it is valuable.
They say that prayer at an altar can sometimes make the water there holy.	Known as water prayer, any potions of water on an altar will be blessed if the altar is coaligned and it is otherwise safe to pray.
They say that what goes down the drain might come back up.	Sinks are known to swallow rings (except slow digestion, searching, and a small chance for others), identifying it. Conversely, you can get one ring per sink from kicking it.
They say that wielded, a long sword named Fire Brand makes you feel cooler.	As with most artifacts, Fire Brand grants resistance against its special type of damage: fire.
They say that wielded, a long sword named Frost Brand makes you hot stuff.	As with most artifacts, Frost Brand grants resistance against its special type of damage: cold.
They say that wiping its face is impossible for a floating eye.	A floating eye does not have hands, and therefore cannot un-blind itself if you cream pie it.
They say that with a floating eye you could see in the dark.	Eating a floating eye corpse or polymorphing into one will always give you telepathy.
They say that you are lucky if you can get a unicorn to catch a ruby.	If you throw a valuable gem at a co-aligned unicorn, that raises your luck. Also, you usually need some maneuvering to line up with a hostile unicorn; being invisible or fast helps.
They say that you are what you eat.	Some corpses may convey intrinsic properties when eaten. Eating a mimic corpse will cause you to mimic a pile of gold (or an orange) for a while. Eating a green slime will cause you to become one (unless prevented), which will end your game. Eating a giant corpse can make you stronger.
They say that you can find named weapons at an altar if you're lucky.	Sometimes, sacrificing or praying at an altar will cause a god to give you an artifact weapon.
They say that you can safely touch cockatrice eggs but why bother?	Cockatrice eggs (also known as "stoning grenades") can be wielded or thrown to turn monsters to stone. Unlike cockatrice corpses, handling the eggs with bare hands does not turn the player to stone.
They say that you can't break an amulet of reflection.	Mirrors break, but amulets of reflection don't (no special attack destroys amulets). Both are useful against Medusa.
They say that you don't always get what you wish for.	Certain items cannot be received from a wish, and wishes for artifacts may fail if at least two artifacts have already been generated. Wishes for stacks of stackable items and items with enchantment greater than zero also have their own special rules. See article Wish.
They say that you should always be prepared for a final challenge.	The Endgame and in particular the Astral Plane are much harder than the walk up with the Amulet. Also, the Wizard of Yendor greets you one (hopefully last) time on the Plane of Earth. An ascension kit is practically a requirement to win the game.
They say that you should ask a dwarf to let you into a locked shop.	Dwarves sometimes carry pick-axes or mattocks, which can dig through the walls of a shop. Note that shopkeepers won't allow you into the shop with a pick-axe or mattocks in your main inventory, but they can be smuggled into the shop in a container.
They say that you should pray for divine inspiration.	Prayer can reveal the passtune for the Castle.
They say that you should religiously give your gold away.	Donating to a temple priest has a variety of good results. See article Aligned priest.
They say that you will never get healthy by eating geckos.	Eating a gecko corpse won't give you poison resistance. Lizard corpses have special properties, but this doesn't extend to geckos, iguanas, etc. Eating blue jellies, cave spiders, and several other types of corpses can grant poison resistance, which will give a message about feeling healthy.
They say that zapping yourself with a wand of undead turning is stupid.	Doing so revives the lizard corpse you are always carrying around, and will stun you if you're polymorphed into an undead creature. Otherwise, it's harmless other than wasting a charge, and will even identify the wand if it was unidentified.
They say the Wizard's castle is booby-trapped!	Unknown, but has nothing to do with the Wizard's Tower, which it predates.
They say the gods get angry if you kill your dog.	Killing your pet by displacing it into a trap results in divine anger. Killing it at all incurs an alignment and Luck penalty.
They say the gods get angry if you pray too much.	After praying, you must wait for a while before being able to pray again successfully. If you pray too soon, your god will get angry and may smite you, e.g. by draining a level.
They say there is a powerful magic item hidden in a castle deep down!	There is a guaranteed wand of wishing in the Castle.
Those who wield a cockatrice corpse have a rocky road ahead of them.	Cockatrice corpses must be handled with extreme care to avoid the wielder turning to stone. But hitting a monster while wielding it will turn the monster to stone. Wearing gloves is required.
Throwing food at a wild dog might tame him.	Dogs and cats can be tamed with tripe, fresh corpses, or people food. If it becomes peaceful rather than tame, anger it and try again.
To a full belly all food is bad.	Eating while satiated risks choking to death for anyone and gives an alignment penalty to Knights.
Trolls are described as rubbery: they keep bouncing back.	Troll corpses have a chance of reviving each turn. Partially eaten troll corpses revive partially damaged.
Try the fall-back end-run play against ghosts.	Ghosts are quite slow, so you can employ hit and run tactics against them. Note that ghosts often indicate a bones level, beware of what killed the original player, and be cautious. Opponents in general will be adapted to the deceased player's difficulty.
Try using your magic marker on wet scrolls.	Dipping scrolls into a fountain, pool, moat, or potion of water will blank them. (BUC status is kept except sometimes for fountains.)
Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.	One way to explore a level is to walk around the edges of the map and then to guess if/where anything in the middle could be.
Unicorn horns can cleanse things other than yourself.	Intelligent pets will use a unicorn horn to cure various status ailments, and a unicorn's horn will glow when it is cured of these.
Valkyries come from the north, and have commensurate abilities.	Valkyries are cold resistant.
Vampires hate garlic.	Standing on a clove of garlic or hitting them with it will scare vampires and other undead.
Vault guards never disturb their Lords.	Giving your name as Croesus to a vault guard gets rid of him (unless Croesus is dead).
Vegetarians enjoy lichen and seaweed.	Lichen corpses and kelp fronds are considered vegan.
Visitors are requested not to apply genocide to shopkeepers.	Because it wouldn't work anyway.
Watch out, the Wizard might come back.	The Wizard of Yendor will periodically reappear after killing him.
Water traps have no effect on dragons.	Dragon scales and dragon scale mail are rustproof.
What is a cockatrice going to eat when it gets hungry?	Cockatrices are carnivorous, i.e. eat what a dog would. However, they usually stone opponents, leaving them without food.
Who needs an apron if they're made of glass?	Glass golems are naturally resistant against acid and poison.
Why do you suppose they call them MAGIC markers?	Magic markers can be used to write scrolls or books of spells that you know on blank scrolls or spellbooks. There is a chance of success for unknown ones.
Why do you think they call them mercenaries?	You can bribe the Yendorian army, turning them peaceful. This does not work on the Minetown watch, however.
Why would anybody in his sane mind engrave " Elbereth "?	Engraving Elbereth will protect you from most creatures, however, if engraved with your fingers in the dust, it degrades quickly. Tooled horns or expensive cameras work on the rest.
Wishing too much may bring you too little.	You can specify quantity (for stackable items) or enchantment when wishing for items. If you want too much, you will get the base version, or only one item. Wishing for 2 or 3, or +2 or +3, is usually best. For example, you could probably safely wish for "2 blessed +2 daggers".
You can't bribe soldier ants.	But you can bribe the Yendorian army, turning them peaceful.
You can't leave a shop through the back door: there isn't one!	Shops are always generated with only one exit.
You may discover a fine spirit inside a potion bottle.	Djinnis are sometimes released by quaffing smoky potions, and ghosts by quaffing milky potions.
You may want to dip into a potion of bottled blessings.	Dipping something in holy water will change its BUC status. If cursed, it makes uncursed. If uncursed, it blesses it. This never blanks scrolls, rusts metal, dilutes potions, etc.
You might be able to bribe a demon lord.	All named demons (except Juiblex and Orcus) will demand payment for safe passage before attacking you if you encounter them in their lair.
You might trick a shopkeeper if you're invisible.	Shopkeepers do not let you come in a shop while invisible. Wear a mummy wrapping or teleport in if you are invisible.
You should certainly learn about quantum mechanics.	Quantum Mechanics are a type of monster. They may teleport you away when they hit you. Eating their corpses toggles intrinsic speed. See article Quantum mechanic.
You won't always get a second chance, even with life saving.	An amulet of life saving doesn't cure brainlessness or genocide.
You're going into the morgue at midnight???	Undead cause double damage from 0:00h to 1:00h (midnight to 1:00 AM).
Your dog knows what to eat; maybe you should take lessons.	Pets will not eat poisonous, acidic, or hallucinogenic corpses. However, they will eat dogs and cats, which grant aggravate monster, and your own race, which counts as cannibalism.
Zap yourself and see what happens...	You can zap wands at yourself. Of course you might not want to try it with some wand types.
Zapping a wand of undead turning might bring your dog back to life.	If it leaves a corpse, that is. There is a small chance it will come back hostile.

References

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