Source:True rumors

This is the annotated and categorized version of Rumors.tru. A short explanation is given beneath each line (for some, so far).

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Intrinsics

Telepathy

1.    A blindfold can be very useful if you're telepathic.

Intrinsic telepathy only works when blind.

7.    A potion of blindness lets you see invisible things.

When you are telepathic and blind, you can sense the position of every intelligent monster on the level.

33.   Blind?  Catch a floating eye!

Floating eye corpses confer intrinsic telepathy, which works when blind.

Teleportitis

49.   Eating a tengu is like eating a nymph.

Both may grant teleportitis.

Resistances

47.   Eating a freezing sphere is like eating a yeti.

Both may grant cold resistance.

48.   Eating a killer bee is like eating a scorpion.

Although they are poisonous, they have a slightly better chance of granting poison resistance than would be expected for a monster of their level.

53.   Elf corpses are incompatible with the sandman, and at times the gods as well.

Eating an elf corpse may grant sleep resistance. Elf players should beware of co-racial sacrifice and cannibalism.

Items

3.    A crystal plate mail will not rust.

Crystal as a material is not prone to rust.

4.    A katana might slice a worm in two.

Bladed weapons have a much better chance than non-bladed weapons of cutting long worms .

5.    A magic vomit pump could be useful for gourmands.

With an amulet of magical breathing you can eat all you want and will vomit rather than choking to death.

11.   A short sword is not as good as a long sword.

A short sword does d6/d8 damage versus small/large monsters, while a long sword does d8/d12. Also, there are no artifact short swords, so advancing short sword skill is usually a waste of skill slots.

13.   A wand can exorcize a past explorer's ghost.

This refers to the wand of undead turning's ability to possibly destroy undead.

16.   Afraid of nymphs?  Wear a ring of adornment.

Nymphs will steal a ring of adornment before anything else.

17.   Afraid of your valuables being stolen?  Carry more junk!

A theft attack targets a random item in your inventory; if you carry more junk, the probability of your good items being stolen is reduced.

21.   An elven cloak protects against magic.

It has maximum magic cancellation which protects against many special attacks including poison, lycanthropy and level drain.

28.   Bashing monsters with a bow is not such a good idea.

Bows are best used as ranged weapons, with arrows or crossbow bolts.

32.   Blank scrolls make more interesting reading.

Use a magic marker to write on a blank scroll. It may also refer to your ability to identify unlabeled scrolls as blank by reading them.

35.   Chemistry 101: Never pour water into acid.

Dipping acid into water will cause an explosion. This is also true in reality (given a sufficient amount of acid).

37.   Conserve energy, turn off the lights.

Light sources are created with power for only a fairly small number of turns.

39.   Dilithium crystals are rare indeed.

Dilithium crystals are generated only below dungeon level 27.

46.   Eat your carrots.  They're good for your eyes.

Eating a carrot cures blindness.

54.   Elven cloaks cannot rust.

Elven cloaks are made of cloth, which obviously does not rust.

56.   Ever fought with an enchanted tooth?

Using a scroll of enchant weapon on a worm tooth will turn it into a crysknife, a more powerful weapon.

57.   Ever tried reading while confused?

Scrolls have different (often useful) effects when you are confused.

59.   Ever wondered why one would want to dip something in a potion?

Dipping into potions may have useful effects: dipping into (un)holy water, for example, alters an item's beatification; dipping an item into a potion of polymorph polymorphs the item.

60.   Expensive cameras have penetrating flash lights.

Applying an expensive camera blinds monsters.

64.   Gems are too precious to be thrown away carelessly.

This may refer to throwing precious gems at unicorns to increase your Luck.

65.   Getting hungry?  Stop wearing rings!

All rings cause you to burn nutrition faster, with the exception of chargeable rings which are at +0, the ring of slow digestion, and the meat ring.

71.   Guy Montag keeps his scrolls in a bag.

This is a Fahrenheit 451 reference which means that the contents of a bag are safe from fire damage.

72.   Handle your flasks carefully -- there might be a ghost inside!

Milky potions have a chance of creating a ghost just like smoky potions have a chance of creating a djinni.

73.   Holy water has many uses.

Dipping an item into holy water uncurses or blesses it. Quaffing holy water cures you of lycanthropy and other nasty inflictions.

76.   I once knew a hacker who ate too fast and choked to death.

Eating too much food will cause you to choke.

78.   I wish I never wished a wand of wishing.  (Wishful thinking.)

Wishing for a wand of wishing gives you a canceled (i.e. useless) wand of wishing.

81.   Ice boxes keep your food fresh.

Corpses in an ice box will stop decaying.

82.   If you are being punished, it's done with a deadly weapon.

The iron ball you receive when punished can be thrown to do lots of damage.

87.   If you're lost, try buying a map next time you're in a shop.

A scroll of magic mapping will map out the current level for you.

Monster properties

6.    A nymph knows how to unlock chains.

If a nymph steals your iron ball, the chain is automatically removed.

9.    A priestess and a virgin you might be, but that unicorn won't care.

Character role and encounters with incubi or succubi don't affect the behaviour of unicorns.

10.   A ring of conflict is a bad thing if there is a nurse in the room.

The nurse's "attack" will heal the monsters she hits.

12.   A succubus will go farther than a nymph.

A nymph will seduce you and steal items, but a succubus will seduce you and lie with you.

14.   Acid blobs should be attacked bare-handed.

Attacking an acid blob with an iron weapon will corrode the weapon, reducing its effectiveness.

15.   Affairs with nymphs are often very expensive.

Nymphs will steal items from you.

22.   An umber hulk can be a confusing sight.

Umber hulks have a gaze attack which causes confusion.

24.   Asking about monsters may be very useful.

Consult the encyclopedia for information on a monster.

25.   Attack long worms from the rear -- that is so much safer!

Long worms can only attack if you are adjacent to their head.

26.   Attacking an eel where there is none is usually a fatal mistake!

Since attacking a monster involves moving into its square, moving into an empty water square will cause you to fall in. This is not fatal, but if the eel is still around, it may swing itself around you and attempt to drown you.

29.   Be careful!  The Wizard may plan an ambush!

This refers to the ability of the Wizard of Yendor to summon monsters around you, or appear himself, at the end of the game.

30.   Be nice to a nurse:  Put away your weapon and take off your clothes.

The nurse's attack only heals the player if you are wearing no armor and are not wielding a weapon.

31.   Being digested is a painfully slow process.

Digestion takes a few dozen turns to actually kill you.

45.   Dragons never whip their children; they wouldn't feel it!

A bullwhip does no damage to dragons and other thick-skinned monsters.

50.   Eating a wraith is a rewarding experience!

Eating a fresh wraith corpse causes you to gain an experience level.

58.   Ever tried to put a troll into a large box?

Trolls don't revive if you put their corpses into a container.

79.   I wouldn't advise playing catch with a giant.

Giants will throw boulders.

Pets

40.   Dogs are attracted by the smell of tripe.

Dogs like tripe rations! If you carry one, your pet dog will stick closer.

41.   Dogs are superstitious; they never step on cursed items.

This is true, not only for your pet dog, but also for your pet cat, horse, and most other pets. There is an exception: a pet can step "relunctantly" on a cursed item.

42.   Dogs of ghosts aren't angry, just hungry.
163.  There is no harm in praising a large dog.
330.  Throwing food at a wild dog might tame him.

Throwing food at a domesticable animal (dog, cat, or horse) will tame or pacify it (depending on whether the food is what that animal eats). Throwing food at a pet will increase its tameness.

43.   Don't forget!  Large dogs are MUCH harder to kill than little dogs.
113.  Once your little dog will be a big dog, and you will be proud of it.

Pets will level up and become stronger.

74.   Horses trust their riders, even when not so deserved.

75.   Hunger is a confusing experience for a dog!

When a pet becomes hungry, it becomes confused and can start attacking you.

91.   It is not always a good idea to whistle for your dog.

96.   It's a `d' eats `d' world.

An obvious play on the "dog eats dog world" quote, using the glyph for dog instead of the word "dog". And literally, pet dogs will eat the corpses of other canines.

123.  Polymorphing your dog probably makes you safer.

Dogs are on the low end of the monster spectrum; polymorphing them will usually make them stronger.

132.  Riding a dragon can be an uplifting experience.

Riding a dragon will let you fly which is far better than levitation.

143.  Some monsters can be tamed.  I once saw a hacker with a tame dragon!

The charm monster spell and scroll of taming can tame just about any monster.

154.  The gods will get angry if you kill your dog.
326.  They say the gods get angry if you kill your dog.

Killing a pet indeed angers your god.

173.  They say that a cat avoids traps.

Pets will avoid traps they know about.

179.  They say that a dog can be trained to fetch objects.

357.  Your dog knows what to eat; maybe you should take lessons.

Pets avoid eating dangerous corpses.

Religion

8.    A priest can get the gods to listen easily.

If you #chat to priests, they will ask for a contribution. Giving them money will buy you various rewards including divine protection.

23.   As Crom is my witness, I'll never go hungry again!

Barbarians (who worship Crom if neutral) are poison resistant and can therefore eat more types of corpses. Also, prayer (to any god, not just Crom) can fill your stomach (but this is risky, so try to find food first). This rumor is a parody of Gone with the Wind.

55.   Even evil players have a guardian angel.

Players of all alignments get a guardian angel upon entering the Astral Plane, unless they are inducing conflict.

67.   Gods expect the best from their priesthood.

68.   Gods look down their noses at demigods.

Plot

2.    A candelabrum affixed with seven candles shows the way with a magical light.

The candelabrum is part of the invocation ritual.

20.   Amulets of Yendor are hard to make.  Even for a wand of wishing.

Wishing for the Amulet of Yendor will only get you a cheap plastic imitation. This message was changed from the one introduced in NetHack 1.3d when other amulets were added to the game.

61.   Extra staircases lead to extra levels.

Referring, of course, to the dungeon branches: Gnomish Mines, Sokoban, and Vlad's Tower.

66.   Getting too warm?  Take off that Amulet of Yendor and stay away from the exit!

The Amulet of Yendor gets warm when you are near a magic portal, so put it on to feel this.

80.   I'm watching you.  -- The Wizard of Yendor

83.   If you kill the Wizard, you get promoted to demi-god.

One of the many steps to ascension is retrieving the Book of the Dead from the Wizard of Yendor.

92.   It is rumored that the Wizard has hired some help.

151.  The Wizard finds death to be quite an experience.

160.  There is a Mastermind deep in the dungeon.

This refers to the Mastermind game you play to open the Castle drawbridge with an instrument.

169.  They say that Vlad lives!!! ... in the mazes.

Vlad's Tower is in the maze-filled Gehennom.

199.  They say that a wizard is even more powerful the second time around.

Each time the Wizard of Yendor returns from death, he does become stronger.

212.  They say that demigods must leave behind their prized earthly possessions.

220.  They say that escaping a dungeon is only the beginning of the end.

Refers to the existence of the Elemental Planes and the Astral Plane.

242.  They say that it is easier to kill the Wizard than to make him stand still.

291.  They say that the Wizard of Yendor is schizophrenic and suicidal.

325.  They say the Wizard's castle is booby-trapped!

341.  Watch out, the Wizard might come back.

328.  They say there is a powerful magic item hidden in a castle deep down!

Referring to the guaranteed wand of wishing in the Castle.

319.  They say that you should always be prepared for a final challenge.

Shopping

44.   Don't mess with shopkeepers, or you'll get the Guild after you.
243.  They say that it only takes 1 zorkmid to meet the Kops.

Shoplifting will force the shopkeeper to summon the Keystone Kops.

86.   If you want to rob a shop, train your dog.
266.  They say that shopkeepers don't mind you bringing your pets in the shop.

Shopkeepers won't summon the Keystone Kops if a pet steals items. You can train your dog to steal by rewarding it with tripe. See stealing from shops.

34.   Booksellers never read scrolls; they might get carried away.
51.   Eating unpaid leprechauns may be advantageous.

Both of these refer to shoplifting with teleportitis. Doing so will anger the shopkeeper and summon the Keystone Kops, but that might be worthwhile.

88.   Inside a shop you better take a look at the price tags before buying anything.

This is probably a reference to eating food off the ground in a shop. You suffer a hunger surcharge, so if you eat a store food ration while fainting, you can expect to pay a lot for it.

89.   It is bad manners to use a wand in a shop.

Shopkeepers will charge you for zapping their wands.

121.  Playing billiards pays when you are in a shop.

This is possibly a reference to either:

• throwing items in a shop to detect mimics from afar, or
• blocking a shopkeeper into a shop with a boulder so you can more safely shoplift

122.  Polymorphing a shopkeeper might make you safer.

Polymorphing a shopkeeper can turn it into a much weaker creature; great for shoplifters.

136.  Shopkeepers accept credit cards, as long as you pay cash.

The dungeon has credit cards but they are nothing more than unlocking implements.

137.  Shopkeepers can spot a tourist a mile away with those Hawaiian shirts.
141.  Shopkeepers might raise their prices for tourists.
296.  They say that the local shopkeeper frowns upon the rude tourist.

Tourists and those wearing Hawaiian shirts suffer extra surcharges when shopping.

138.  Shopkeepers can't tell identical twins apart.
237.  They say that in a shop you can be charged for old charges.
269.  They say that shopkeepers often remember things that you might forget.

If you anger a shopkeeper and die, loading those bones will cause the shopkeeper to attack you if you have the same name as before.

139.  Shopkeepers don't read, so what use is engraving in a shop?

Shopkeepers ignore Elbereth.

140.  Shopkeepers have incredible patience.

You can stay in a shop as long as you want without irritating the shopkeeper.

142.  Shopkeepers value money more than revenge.

Sometimes you can pay off a shopkeeper to pacify him.

152.  The best equipment for your work is, of course, the most expensive.

In general, better items are more expensive than bad ones.

246.  They say that killing a shopkeeper brings bad luck.
260.  They say that only chaotics can kill shopkeepers and get away with it.

Killing a peaceful human is considered to be murder, and unless you are chaotic, you will lose telepathy and two points of Luck.

265.  They say that shopkeepers don't like pick-axes.
302.  They say that the walls in shops are made of extra hard material.

Shopkeepers don't like it when you dig in their shops. They try to prevent it by not letting you come in with a visible pick-axe.

268.  They say that shopkeepers often have a large amount of money in their purses.

They often have more than 2000 gold.

206.  They say that antique dealers are always interested in precious stones.
278.  They say that some shopkeepers consider gems to be family heirlooms.
279.  They say that some shopkeepers recognize gems but they won't tell you.

Shopkeepers will try to buy unidentified gems from you as though they were glass, and try to sell pieces of glass to you as though they were precious gems.

267.  They say that shopkeepers don't usually mind if you sneak into a shop.
320.  They say that you should ask a dwarf to let you into a locked shop.

If you come across a "Closed for inventory" shop, shopkeepers won't mind if you teleport in or unlock the shop door. As long as you don't break down the door (hence the reference to the dwarf who can dig down doors), the shopkeeper won't get mad at you.

340.  Visitors are requested not to apply genocide to shopkeepers.

Shopkeepers are not genocidable.

350.  You can't leave a shop through the back door:  there isn't one!

Shops are always generated with exactly one door.

354.  You might trick a shopkeeper if you're invisible.

Shopkeepers do not have see invisible.

Miscellaneous

18.   Always be aware of the phase of the moon!

See phases of the moon.

19.   Always sweep the floor before engraving important messages.

If you engrave too much on a single square, it may erase some/all of your existing engravings.

27.   Bandaging wounds helps keep up appearances.

36.   Concise conquest:  Control, confuse, conjure, condemn.

38.   Digging up a grave could be a bad idea...

Digging down on a headstone may summon undead.

52.   Elbereth has quite a reputation around these parts.

Engraving "Elbereth" will cause most monsters to run away.

62.   Fiery letters might deter monsters.

Engraving Elbereth with a wand of fire or lightning burns the word into the ground, which is practically permanent. Also, the Sokoban treasure and Castle wand of wishing rest upon a burnt Elbereth.

63.   For a good time engrave `Elbereth'.

Another obvious reference to Elbereth's power.

69.   Got a question?  Try rec.games.roguelike.nethack.

rec.games.roguelike.nethack is the NetHack newsgroup, which is very active.

70.   Grave robbers sometimes get rich.

77.   I smell a maze of twisty little passages.

A reference to Adventure.

Uncategorized

84.   If you need a wand of digging, kindly ask the minotaur.

Minotaurs have a 33% chance of being generated with a wand of digging.

85.   If you want to hit, use a dagger.

Daggers have a +2 to-hit bonus.

90.   It is dangerous to visit a graveyard at midnight.

The attacks of undead monsters do double damage at midnight.

93.   It is the letter 'c' and not 'e' that changes status to statue.

It is true that a floating eye e cannot make you into a statue, but a chickatrice or cockatrice c would. To become a statue is an instadeath. Floating eyes only paralyze you, and you will eventually unfreeze if some other monster does not first kill you "while helpless".

94.   It might be a good idea to offer the unicorn a ruby.

Throwing gems at coaligned unicorns increases your Luck.

95.   It would be peculiarly sad were your dog turned to stone.

Refers to the "You have a sad feeling for a moment, then it passes." message you get when a pet dies.

97.   Keep your armors away from rust.

Rusted armor provides less AC.

98.   Keep your weaponry away from acids.

Corroded weapons do less damage.

99.   Kill a unicorn of your color and you kill your luck.

Killing a coaligned unicorn confers a -5 Luck penalty.

100.  Leather is waterproof.  Ever see a cow with an umbrella?

Leather doesn't rust; it burns.

101.  Leprechauns are the most skilled cutpurses in this dungeon.

Leprechauns will steal gold from your main inventory if they hit you.

102.  Lizard corpses protect against cockatrices.

Eating a lizard corpse stops the stoning process started by cockatrices. Also, during a new moon, if you aren't carrying a lizard corpse, a cockatrice's hissing attack will always start the stoning process.

103.  Money lost, little lost; honor lost, much lost; pluck lost, all lost.

104.  Most monsters can't swim.

Indeed, many will drown if they find themselves over water.

105.  Music hath charms to affect the stubborn drawbridge.

Refers to the ability of instruments to open and close drawbridges.

106.  Music hath charms to soothe the savage beast.

Magic harps will charm monsters. Wooden flutes can pacify snakes.

107.  Never attack a guard.

Vault guards are rather strong.

108.  Never ride a long worm.

Riding a long worm isn't possible in 3.4.3. This is a reference to Dune.

109.  Never use your best weapon to engrave a curse.

Engraving with an edged weapon reduces its enchantment.

110.  No easy fighting with a heavy load!

You cannot fight if Overtaxed or worse.

111.  Nurses are trained to touch naked persons:  they don't harm them.

If you're naked, a nurse's attack will heal you.

112.  Nymphs can unlink more than your chain mail.

Nymphs can steal your iron ball.

114.  Only female monsters can lay eggs.

Lay an egg with the #sit command.

115.  Opening a tin is difficult, especially when you attempt it bare handed!

Use an edged weapon like a dagger to open tins in far less time.

116.  Orcs and killer bees share their lifestyle.

They come in swarms and usually poison adventurers, whether with stinger or arrow.

117.  Orcs do not procreate in dark rooms.

118.  Plain nymphs are harmless.

Cancelling a nymph turns it into a plain nymph which will not steal items from you.

119.  Playing AD&D may be helpful.

NetHack draws much of its mythology and mechanics from Dungeons and Dragons.

120.  Playing Gauntlet might be enlightening in some situations.

124.  Potions don't usually mix, but sometimes...

Refers to alchemy.

125.  Psst!  It's done with mirrors!

126.  Put on a ring of teleportation:  it will take you away from onslaught.

127.  Rays aren't boomerangs, of course, but still...

Rays (like death ray and magic missile) will bounce off a wall back at you.

128.  Read the manual before entering the cave -- you might get killed otherwise.

Refers to the Guidebook which tells you how to play the game.

129.  Reading Herbert might be enlightening in one case.

Frank Herbert is the author of Dune; this refers to enchanting a worm tooth to produce a crysknife.

130.  Reading Tolkien might help you.

Tolkien is a large influence on NetHack; this rumor could refer to many things, such as naming Sting or [[Orcrist].

131.  Reading scrolls after drinking booze can give confusing results.

Quaffing a potion of booze usually confuses you. Reading scrolls while confused usually have different effects.

133.  Rust monsters love water.  There are potions they hate, however.

Rust monsters can swim.

134.  Sacks protect contents from temperatures up to 452 degrees fahrenheit.

Refers to the ability of containers to protect their contents from heat damage.

135.  Scrolls fading?  It's not the heat, it's the humidity.

Dipping a scroll in water will turn it into blank paper.

144.  Someone once said that what goes up < might come down >.

Possibly refers to the "petrified by elementary physics" death, where throwing a cockatrice corpse up into the air will make it fall onto your head.

145.  Someone's been spiking the pits!

Many pits have spikes in them, thus, spiked pits.

146.  Sometimes monsters are more likely to fight each other than attack you.

This is true if you are conveying conflict.

147.  Spinach, carrot, and jelly -- a meal fit for a nurse!

These three foods each have special effects: spinach increases your strength, carrots cure blindness, and royal jelly will heal some HP and fix wounded legs.

148.  Tainted meat is even more sickening than poison!

Tainted (very old) meat will induce food poisoning which kills you after a few turns.

149.  Telepathy is just a trick:  once you know how to do it, it's easy.

150.  The Leprechaun Gold Tru$t is no division of the Magic Memory Vault.

153.  The gods don't appreciate pesky priesthood.

155.  The magic marker is mightier than the sword.

Indeed, spells and scrolls are often more potent than melee combat.

156.  The moon is not the only heavenly body to influence this game.

The sun also influences the game: gremlins are more potent at nighttime, and undead do double damage at midnight.

157.  The orc swings his orcish broadsword named Elfrist at you.  You die...

Refers to the ability to name an elvish broadsword Orcrist.

158.  The secret of wands of Nothing Happens:  try again!

This refers to wresting a wand of its last charge.

159.  There has always been something mystical about mirrors.

Applying a mirror can scare a monster.

161.  There is a big treasure hidden in the zoo!

Zoos have gold on every square. The Sokoban zoo has an amulet of reflection or bag of holding.

162.  There is more magic in this cave than meets the eye.

164.  There is nothing like eating a mimic.

Eating a mimic will turn you into a pile of gold for a few turns.

165.  There once was a Knight named Lancelot who liked to ride with his lance a lot.

166.  They say a gelatinous cube can paralyze you...

Hitting a gelatinous cube does paralyze you.

167.  They say that Juiblex is afraid of a wand of digging.

If he engulfs you, zap a wand of digging to reduce him to 1 HP.

168.  They say that Medusa would like to put you on a pedestal.

Her gaze attack will turn you to stone.

170.  They say that `Elbereth' is often written about.

171.  They say that a bag of holding can't hold everything.

Bags of holding cannot easily contain another bag of holding, or a charged bag of tricks or wand of cancellation.

172.  They say that a blessed tin of quasit meat is a quick meal.

Blessed tins open up quickly even if you're using your bare hands.

174.  They say that a cave spider will occasionally eat cave spider eggs.

175.  They say that a clever wizard can have stats:  18/** 24 18 24 24 24.

176.  They say that a clove of garlic makes a good talisman if handled right.

Hitting a vampire with a wielded clove of garlic will make him flee.

177.  They say that a cursed scroll of teleportation could land you in trouble.

A cursed scroll of teleportation levelports you.

178.  They say that a diamond is another kind of luck stone.

Throwing gems at a unicorn will increase your Luck.

180.  They say that a gelatinous cube makes a healthy breakfast.

It can give you poison, fire, cold, shock or sleep resistance.

181.  They say that a giant gets strong by eating right, try it!

Eating a giant corpse increases your strength.

182.  They say that a grid bug won't hit you when you cross it.

Grid bugs only move in the cardinal directions (north, south, east, west).

183.  They say that a lembas wafer is a very light snack.

It weighs only 5 units and has the highest nutrition to weight ratio of any food in the game.

184.  They say that a loadstone has a strange attraction and is not bad luck.

Cursed loadstones cannot be dropped. They're heavy, but they don't affect your luck at all.

185.  They say that a lock pick by any other name is still a lock pick.

186.  They say that a lucky amulet will block poisoned arrows.

This refers to the amulet of versus poison.

187.  They say that a mirror will freeze a floating eye but you can still see it.

188.  They say that a neutral character might get Giantslayer.

Giantslayer is a neutral artifact weapon which is attainable by sacrificing on an altar.

189.  They say that a polymorph trap is magic and magic protection prevents it.

Magic resistence protects you from polymorph traps.

190.  They say that a potion of healing can cancel a potion of sickness.

191.  They say that a potion of monster detection sometimes works both ways.

192.  They say that a sink looks different from high above the floor.

Levitating over a sink will cause you to hit the ground.

193.  They say that a summoned demon could improve your game.

This is referring to djinnis and water demons (who are both indeed symbolized by &) granting wishes.

194.  They say that a tin of wraith meat is a rare dining experience.

Tins of wraith meat don't actually exist; but if they did they'd increase your experience level.

195.  They say that a unicorn might bring you luck.

196.  They say that a wand of cancellation is like a wand of polymorph.

197.  They say that a wand of locking can close more than just doors.

198.  They say that a wand of polymorph can change your game.

200.  They say that a xorn knows of no obstacles when pursuing you.

Xorns can pass through walls.

201.  They say that abusing a credit card could shock you sooner or later.

Repeatedly charging a wand through the Platinum Yendorian Express Card's invocation has a chance of making the wand explode.

202.  They say that amulets, like most things, can be deadly or life saving.

Refers to the amulet of life saving and strangulation.

203.  They say that an altar can identify blessings.

Dropping an item onto an altar will identify its beatification.

204.  They say that an ooze will bite your boots and a rockmole will eat them.

205.  They say that an unlucky hacker was once killed by an exploding tin.

207.  They say that bandaging one's wounds helps to keep up one's appearance.

208.  They say that booze can be diluted but not cancelled.

Dipping a potion of booze into water will dilute it, but cancelling it won't affect it.

209.  They say that by listening carefully, you can hear a secret door!

Applying a stethoscope on a secret door will automatically reveal it.

210.  They say that carrots and carrot juice may improve your vision.

Carrots cure blindness.

211.  They say that cave spiders are not considered expensive health food.

Cave spider corpses, which are not poisonous, have a small chance of conveying poison resistance.

213.  They say that disturbing a djinni can be a costly mistake.

"You disturbed me!" is the message you get when rubbing a magic lamp or quaffing a smoky potion produces a hostile djinni.

214.  They say that dragon scales can be quite enchanting.

Enchanting dragon scales creates the far more powerful dragon scale mail.

215.  They say that dropping coins into a fountain will not grant you a wish.

216.  They say that dwarves lawfully mind their own business.

All dwarves are Lawful.

217.  They say that eating a bat corpse will make you batty, for a while.

Eating a bat corpse makes you Stunned.

218.  They say that eating a cram ration is a smart move.

219.  They say that eating blue jelly is cool if you don't fight the feeling.

Eating a blue jelly corpse can grant cold resistance.

221.  They say that feeling an unexpected draft of air is sort of a breakthrough.

"You feel an unexpected draft." is the message you get when something breaks down a door by digging.

222.  They say that finding a cursed gray stone is always bad luck.

223.  They say that gaining a level is an experience that can raise your sights.

224.  They say that garter snake meat rarely tastes good but it's still healthy.

225.  They say that gauntlets of dexterity have a hidden enchanted touch.

Wearing enchanted gauntlets of dexterity will increase your dexterity.

226.  They say that going to heaven is just another way of escaping the dungeon.

227.  They say that golden nagas are law-abiding denizens as long as you are too.

Golden nagas are peaceful to Lawful players.

228.  They say that gremlins can make you feel cooler than you are now.

"You feel cooler." is the message you get when a gremlin steals your cold resistance intrinsic.

229.  They say that grid bugs only exist in a strictly Cartesian sense.

Grid bugs only move in the cardinal directions: north, south, east, and west.

230.  They say that hackers often feel jumpy about eating nymphs.

"You feel very jumpy." is the message you get when you get teleportitis from eating a nymph corpse.

231.  They say that having polymorph control won't shock you.

You can die by system shock while polymorphing, unless you have polymorph control.

232.  They say that if it's hard getting your food down another bite could kill.

233.  They say that if you don't wear glasses why bother with carrots?

Wearing a pair of lenses will protect you from many sources of blindness.

234.  They say that if you notice a loose board beneath you, don't step on it.

Stepping on a loose board will make a loud noise that wakes up monsters.

235.  They say that if you start at the bottom the only place to go is up.

236.  They say that if you teleport to heaven you're presumed to be dead already.

238.  They say that in lighter moments you could think of ways to pass a stone.

239.  They say that in the dungeon breaking a mirror can be seven years bad luck.

Breaking a mirror incurs a luck penalty.

240.  They say that in the dungeon you don't usually have any luck at all.

Unless a full moon or Friday the 13th, characters start with zero Luck.

241.  They say that in time a blessed luckstone can make your god happy.

Gods reserve their best gifts to very Lucky players. Carrying a blessed luckstone is the easiest way to retain Luck.

244.  They say that it's a blast when you mix the right potions together.

245.  They say that it's not blind luck if you catch a glimpse of Medusa.

247.  They say that monsters never step on a scare monster scroll.

248.  They say that most monsters find flute recitals extremely boring.

249.  They say that mummy corpses are not well preserved.

250.  They say that naturally a wand of wishing would be heavily guarded.

251.  They say that no one notices the junk underneath a boulder.

252.  They say that nobody expects a unicorn horn to rust.

253.  They say that nobody knows if an explorer can live forever.  Do you?

254.  They say that nothing can change the fact that some potions contain a djinni.

255.  They say that nothing can change the fact that some potions contain a ghost.

256.  They say that nymphs always fall for rock'n'roll, try it!

257.  They say that once an Olog-Hai is canned it never shows its face again.

258.  They say that once upon a time xans would never scratch your boots.

259.  They say that only an experienced wizard can do the tengu shuffle.

261.  They say that only female monsters can lay eggs.

262.  They say that playing a horn really bad is really good.

263.  They say that rubbing a glowing potion does not make it a magic lamp.

Rubbing a lit potion of oil has no effect.

264.  They say that scalpels become dull because they're not athames.

Only athames can engrave on the ground without becoming dull (i.e. losing enchantment).

270.  They say that sinks and armor don't mix, take your cloak off now!

Drinking from a sink may polymorph you.

271.  They say that sinks run hot and cold and many flavors in between.

272.  They say that snake charmers aren't charismatic, just musical.

273.  They say that soldiers are always prepared and usually protected.

274.  They say that some eggs could hatch in your pack, lucky or not.

275.  They say that some fire ants will make you a hot meal.

276.  They say that some horns play hot music and others are too cool for words.

277.  They say that some humanoids are nonetheless quite human.

280.  They say that some stones are much much heavier than others.

281.  They say that some yetis are full of hot air.

282.  They say that something very special would be in a well-protected place.

283.  They say that speed boots aren't fast enough to let you walk on water.

284.  They say that teleport traps are the devil's work.

285.  They say that tengu don't wear rings, why should you?

286.  They say that tengu never steal gold although they would be good at it.

287.  They say that that which was stolen once can be stolen again, ask any nymph.

288.  They say that the Delphic Oracle knows that lizard corpses aren't confusing.

289.  They say that the Hand of Elbereth can hold up your prayers.

290.  They say that the Leprechaun King is rich as Croesus.

292.  They say that the experienced character knows how to convert an altar.

293.  They say that the gods are happy when they drop objects at your feet.

294.  They say that the idea of invisible Nazguls has a certain ring to it.

Nazgul are always generated with a ring of invisibility.

295.  They say that the lady of the lake now lives in a fountain somewhere.

297.  They say that the only door to the vampire's tower is on its lowest level.

298.  They say that the only good djinni is a grateful djinni.

A djinni who is "grateful for his release" will grant you a wish.

299.  They say that the thing about genocide is that it works both ways.

300.  They say that the unicorn horn rule is if it ain't broke then don't fix it.

301.  They say that the view from a fog cloud is really very moving.

303.  They say that there are at least 15 ways to lose a pair of levitation boots.

Among the more creative are floating over a sink so that they fall off and allowing an incubus or succubus to remove them. See curse removal.

304.  They say that throwing glass gems is the same as throwing rocks.

305.  They say that trespassing a boulder is probably beneath you.

306.  They say that unicorns are fond of precious gems.

307.  They say that prayer at an altar can sometimes make the water there holy.

308.  They say that what goes down the drain might come back up.

309.  They say that wielded, a long sword named Fire Brand makes you feel cooler.

310.  They say that wielded, a long sword named Frost Brand makes you hot stuff.

311.  They say that wiping its face is impossible for a floating eye.

312.  They say that with a floating eye you could see in the dark.

313.  They say that you are lucky if you can get a unicorn to catch a ruby.

314.  They say that you are what you eat.

315.  They say that you can find named weapons at an altar if you're lucky.

316.  They say that you can safely touch cockatrice eggs but why bother?

317.  They say that you can't break an amulet of reflection.

318.  They say that you don't always get what you wish for.

321.  They say that you should pray for divine inspiration.

322.  They say that you should religiously give your gold away.

Donating gold to priests can get you divine protection and temporary clairvoyance.

323.  They say that you will never get healthy by eating geckos.

Geckos do not give poison resistance.

324.  They say that zapping yourself with a wand of undead turning is stupid.

327.  They say the gods get angry if you pray too much.

329.  Those who wield a cockatrice corpse have a rocky road ahead of them.

331.  To a full belly all food is bad.

332.  Trolls are described as rubbery:  they keep bouncing back.

Trolls have a large chance of periodicially reviving.

333.  Try the fall-back end-run play against ghosts.

334.  Try using your magic marker on wet scrolls.

"Wet" scrolls become blank, which magic markers are used on.

335.  Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.

336.  Valkyries come from the north, and have commensurate abilities.

Valkyries start with cold resistance.

337.  Vampires hate garlic.

338.  Vault guards never disturb their Lords.

339.  Vegetarians enjoy lichen and seaweed.

342.  Water traps have no effect on dragons.

343.  What is a cockatrice going to eat when it gets hungry?

344.  Who needs an apron if they're made of glass?

345.  Why do you suppose they call them MAGIC markers?

346.  Why do you think they call them mercenaries?

You can pay off some soldier types.

347.  Why would anybody in his sane mind engrave "Elbereth"?

348.  Wishing too much may bring you too little.

Wishing for a piece of armor or weapon at +4 or better is unlikely to succeed: you'll instead get +0.

349.  You can't bribe soldier ants.

But you can bribe certain mercenaries.

351.  You may discover a fine spirit inside a potion bottle.

Refers to either milky potions having ghosts, or smoky potions having djinni.

352.  You may want to dip into a potion of bottled blessings.

A "potion of bottled blessings" is, of course, holy water.

353.  You might be able to bribe a demon lord.

Demon princes may ask for a bribe; if you give them gold, they'll disappear.

355.  You should certainly learn about quantum mechanics.

356.  You're going into the morgue at midnight???

358.  Zap yourself and see what happens...

359.  Zapping a wand of undead turning might bring your dog back to life.

Zapping a wand of undead turning at a corpse will indeed revive the monster.