The toy snake anecdote.

My daughter got a toy snake made of wood that's very realistic-looking with its paint job and articulation. Shortly after getting it, she lost it.

On the phone to Grandma, she talked about having lost her snake. Of course, she doesn't call it a toy snake, just a snake. Her mom confirmed, yes, we got it at the store, and it has indeed been lost.

So Grandma was left with the impression that a living, breathing snake was lost in the house. A pet snake wouldn't be dangerous, but we wouldn't want it roaming the halls where a dog might find it. I also wouldn't want it to find our hamster.

That's not a concern, though, because it's a toy snake.

The next day, we still hadn't found it, and my darling daughter reiterated to her grandma that the snake was lost. The misunderstanding was finally cleared up when she became concerned and asked my wife, "you still haven't found the snake loose in your house?"