From c099e0a1ffbd16de41860cfa7dc10681d829d69f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: nhmall <nhmall@nethack.org>
Date: Sat, 19 Oct 2019 12:05:33 -0400
Subject: [PATCH] grammar fix for "That walking shoes is really a small mimic"

---
 doc/fixes36.3    |  2 ++
 include/extern.h |  1 +
 src/apply.c      | 11 +++++++++--
 src/mkobj.c      | 32 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 4 files changed, 44 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/doc/fixes36.3 b/doc/fixes36.3
index b787a3c1e..dee5b5b40 100644
--- a/doc/fixes36.3
+++ b/doc/fixes36.3
@@ -200,6 +200,8 @@ in a shop which doesn't care about tools:  You drop a <box> containing 1 item.
 	<Shk> offers you <gold> for your items in your <box>.  Sell them?
 	[plural 'items' and 'them' were including the box along with the one
 	item in it even though shk was only offering to buy its contents]
+grammar correction for "That walking shoes is really a small mimic" when
+	applying a stethoscope
 
 
 Fixes to Post-3.6.2 Problems that Were Exposed Via git Repository
diff --git a/include/extern.h b/include/extern.h
index e2fd85dca..8552e195f 100644
--- a/include/extern.h
+++ b/include/extern.h
@@ -1379,6 +1379,7 @@ E struct obj *FDECL(obj_nexto_xy, (struct obj *, int, int, BOOLEAN_P));
 E struct obj *FDECL(obj_absorb, (struct obj **, struct obj **));
 E struct obj *FDECL(obj_meld, (struct obj **, struct obj **));
 E void FDECL(pudding_merge_message, (struct obj *, struct obj *));
+E struct obj *FDECL(init_dummyobj, (struct obj *, SHORT_P, long));
 
 /* ### mkroom.c ### */
 
diff --git a/src/apply.c b/src/apply.c
index 11bd09d03..3c11c6114 100644
--- a/src/apply.c
+++ b/src/apply.c
@@ -383,10 +383,15 @@ register struct obj *obj;
             newsym(mtmp->mx, mtmp->my);
         } else if (mtmp->mappearance) {
             const char *what = "thing";
+            boolean use_plural = FALSE;
+            struct obj dummyobj, *odummy;
 
             switch (M_AP_TYPE(mtmp)) {
             case M_AP_OBJECT:
-                what = simple_typename(mtmp->mappearance);
+                odummy = init_dummyobj(&dummyobj, mtmp->mappearance, 1L);
+                what = simple_typename(odummy->otyp);
+                use_plural = (is_boots(odummy) || is_gloves(odummy)
+                              || odummy->otyp == LENSES);
                 break;
             case M_AP_MONSTER: /* ignore Hallucination here */
                 what = mons[mtmp->mappearance].mname;
@@ -396,7 +401,9 @@ register struct obj *obj;
                 break;
             }
             seemimic(mtmp);
-            pline("That %s is really %s.", what, mnm);
+            pline("%s %s %s really %s.",
+                  use_plural ? "Those" : "That", what,
+                  use_plural ? "are" : "is", mnm);
         } else if (flags.verbose && !canspotmon(mtmp)) {
             There("is %s there.", mnm);
         }
diff --git a/src/mkobj.c b/src/mkobj.c
index 6975ca966..6f5abbcc0 100644
--- a/src/mkobj.c
+++ b/src/mkobj.c
@@ -2470,6 +2470,38 @@ struct monst *mon;
     }
 }
 
+/*
+ * Initialize a dummy obj with just enough info
+ * to allow some of the tests in obj.h that
+ * take an obj pointer to work.
+ *
+ */
+struct obj *
+init_dummyobj(obj, otyp, oquan)
+struct obj *obj;
+short otyp;
+long oquan;
+{
+     if (obj) {
+         *obj = zeroobj;
+         obj->otyp = otyp;
+         obj->oclass = objects[otyp].oc_class;
+         /* obj->dknown = 0; */
+         /* suppress known except for amulets (needed for fakes and real A-of-Y) */
+         obj->known = (obj->oclass == AMULET_CLASS)
+                       ? obj->known
+                         /* default is "on" for types which don't use it */
+                         : !objects[otyp].oc_uses_known;
+         obj->quan = oquan ? oquan : 1L;
+         obj->corpsenm = NON_PM; /* suppress statue and figurine details */
+         /* but suppressing fruit details leads to "bad fruit #0"
+            [perhaps we should force "slime mold" rather than use xname?] */
+         if (obj->otyp == SLIME_MOLD)
+             obj->spe = 1;
+     }
+     return obj;
+}
+
 /* obj sanity check: check objects inside container */
 STATIC_OVL void
 check_contained(container, mesg)