A friend used to say he had two long lost brothers who, in the manner of dead goldfish had been flushed down the loo. His father regretted flushing them and was often heard, late on a Saturday night, calling for them by name. They were called Ralph and Hughie.

Puke is a good English word, supposedly invented by William Shakespeare - it appears in his 'seven ages of man' bit (can't remember where from, at work so can't check) where man appears as a baby 'mewling and puking in its mothers arms'.

It's also the name of one of Gerald Durrells' dogs when he lived on Corfu as a boy. He'd been given two puppies for his birthday who had then been put in a side room to settle in, with some food and water. When the party expanded, they opened up the side room to find evidence that the dogs had enjoyed both. Hence they were named Widdle and Puke.

LTS