Posted by Peter Ceresole on May 15, 2004 at 00:08:09 from 80.177.22.49 user PeterC.
In Reply to: Re: New Frequently Asked Questions pages-meths posted by Ed Kiser on May 14, 2004 at 22:36:56:
"Meths" stands for "methylated" spirits. "Normal" booze contains ethyl alcohol only, which is a slowish poison. Careless distillation will produce methyl alcohol, which is extremely and rapidly poisonous. Methylated spirits contain a proportion of methyl alcohol; the nasty taste is added to prevent sad desperate drunks trying to get high on the stuff, and that was what the D&D&Gs tasted. It's unlikely that enough methyl alcohol would remain after pudding ignition to be actively dangerous, although I wouldn't be keen to try the experiment.