"Mute witness stand" makes more sense. They generally didn't bury them in sand.

Of course, there is the joke about Olive, the other reindeer. They even sell stuffed Olive The Other Reindeer toys now.

For years I thought the words in Star of the County Down were "down a bowling green", instead of "down a boreen green". I had thought it very civilized of the Irish to have bowling greens in their villages.