Happy belated Eleventy First Birthday JRRT.    Have been reading the books now for over 20 years and still can't get enough of them.

With regard to the mention of one gross Dave I think it was simply because the term itself was vulgar and the guests felt they'd only been invited to make up that number!   Oh the horror of having to go to a hobbit's birthday party - all that food, drink and presents!!!.

Pushkin