You're dead right, Spaw, involuntary celibacy is called "cannagitlaid". Voluntary celibacy, on the other hand, is "willnagitlaid". Har, har! Sounds like something Little John Cameron would say, doesn't it?

By the way, lest I be misunderstood, the Jennifer I was referring to who made the wisecrack to me about my own period of celibacy is Jennifer Ives, otherwise known as Jives, a leading light of our own Orillia Folk Society. She loves to bicker with me in a somewhat aggressive but entirely friendly way about anything whatsoever. We frequently disagree but have a mutual respect which goes very deep.

As far as I know, she is not (and has not been) on Mudcat. At least, I don't think so...

And if so, I have no idea what her codename might be.

flattop - there are some civilizations which were built not on the bones of their own ancestors, but the bones of someone else's ancestors...like the children of Israel, shortly after reaching the "promised land", for example. Or the Spanish after taking over Santo Domingo and Cuba. Given time, of course, their own bones do pile up on the top layer, so eventually your expression holds true.