More evidence that the world has gone mad!

This topic has 48 replies, 40 voices, and was last updated 7 December 2019 at 17:52 by Brian Wood.

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3 December 2019 at 08:25 #35684
Brian H
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@brianh50089
Advert

3 December 2019 at 08:25 #439944
Brian H
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@brianh50089
I tried to leave good feedback for a tub of protective wax bought through Ebay by saying "Endorsement by the British Museum is good enough for me"

This was rejected by Ebay on the grounds that swearing is not allowed!

It turned out that the offending word was 'endorSEMENt.

Brian
3 December 2019 at 08:40 #439948
Michael Gilligan
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@michaelgilligan61133
Ah … that nicely complements the infamous Scunthorpe problem

MichaelG.
3 December 2019 at 08:54 #439951
Tony Pratt 1
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@tonypratt1
The lunatics are running the asylum

Tony
3 December 2019 at 09:02 #439952
Joseph Noci 1
Participant
@josephnoci1
Posted by Tony Pratt 1 on 03/12/2019 08:54:43:

The lunatics are running the asylum

Tony

And only those without are mad..

Joe
3 December 2019 at 09:14 #439955
Clive India
Participant
@cliveindia
Posted by Michael Gilligan on 03/12/2019 08:40:53:

Ah … that nicely complements the infamous Scunthorpe problem MichaelG.

A friend came from there and, when he was away, called it Shorpe, since there wasn't one in Scunthorpe when he wasn't there!
3 December 2019 at 09:53 #439965
Mike Poole
Participant
@mikepoole82104
If Typhoo put the T in Britain who put the **** in Scunthorpe, from the gents wall in the Chequers in Oxford High circa 1970s
Mike
3 December 2019 at 10:27 #439971
Robin
Participant
@robin
I remember the Chequers, we used to sit on the benches in their odd courtyard, then off to the Turf to sit on the benches in their odd courtyard. Wonder if it is still there…
3 December 2019 at 10:28 #439972
davidk
Participant
@davidk
Yesterday I called BT and renewed my mobile phone contract. In response they sent two emails to my BTinternet email account, saying thanks for renewing etc. What did my BT mail account do with the two emails from BT? Put them in the spam folder of course…

Following on from Mike's post, in the seventies I used to work for RCA Records in London. The saying at the time was: If Typhoo put the T in Britain, who put the ar*e in RCA?

David

Edited By davidk on 03/12/2019 10:29:26
3 December 2019 at 10:42 #439976
Mike Poole
Participant
@mikepoole82104
Posted by Robin on 03/12/2019 10:27:55:

I remember the Chequers, we used to sit on the benches in their odd courtyard, then off to the Turf to sit on the benches in their odd courtyard. Wonder if it is still there…

They are both still going strong unlike many other Oxford pubs, I spent Sunday evening for awhile having a pint in every one of Oxfords 165 pubs. A quick mental tally would seem that about 40 have closed but a few have opened. People never used to preload in my day which must have been better for pubs.

Mike
3 December 2019 at 10:46 #439977
Brian G
Participant
@briang
Possibly Scunthorpe and Penistone should get together and twin with the most famous village in upper Austria?

(good luck with googling THAT

I'll get my coat…

Brian G

Edit: The wink was unintenional, (bl**** emoticons), but I think I'll let it be

Edited By Brian G on 03/12/2019 10:47:19
3 December 2019 at 11:19 #439985
blowlamp
Participant
@blowlamp
Aromatherapist?
3 December 2019 at 11:23 #439986
SillyOldDuffer
Moderator
@sillyoldduffer
Older nerds like me fondly remember the Commodore PET, an early USA home computer sold in huge numbers worldwide. At the time most people distrusted computers, and many were terrified. So Commodore carefully chose the name because, in English, 'pet' is an exceptionally cuddly acceptable word. Who wouldn't want a pet?

Alas, they didn't think outside the box. Unfortunately for European sales, pet in French means 'fart'

Keeping it clean is surprisingly difficult. In his poke at 'endorsement', Brian uses the word 'protective'. I'm shocked! Poor old ebay have a desperate need to stop customers posting obscenities. The software they're using is thorough rather than mad. Wonder if it would reject saltwater, weep, teaspoon or rehearse?

Dave
3 December 2019 at 11:58 #439992
Georgineer
Participant
@georgineer
And of course there's my Uncle Will's motoring joke, probably from the 1920s:

"If Morris put the Ox in Oxford and the Cow in Cowley, who put the 'oss in Austin?"

George B.
3 December 2019 at 12:17 #439995
larry phelan 1
Participant
@larryphelan1
My Dad worked in a Mental Hospital for 40 years or more and he always maintained that those inside were more sane than the ones outside. He used to say that "Half of those are as mad as hatters and the rest are suspect !

Seems like nothing has changed
3 December 2019 at 12:19 #439996
simondavies3
Participant
@simondavies3
Posted by SillyOldDuffer on 03/12/2019 11:23:03:

Older nerds like me fondly remember the Commodore PET, an early USA home computer sold in huge numbers worldwide. At the time most people distrusted computers, and many were terrified. So Commodore carefully chose the name because, in English, 'pet' is an exceptionally cuddly acceptable word. Who wouldn't want a pet?

Alas, they didn't think outside the box. Unfortunately for European sales, pet in French means 'fart'

Keeping it clean is surprisingly difficult. In his poke at 'endorsement', Brian uses the word 'protective'. I'm shocked! Poor old ebay have a desperate need to stop customers posting obscenities. The software they're using is thorough rather than mad. Wonder if it would reject saltwater, weep, teaspoon or rehearse?

Dave

I was told a (probably apocryphal) story dating back to the mid 80s and the period when GEC (remember them?) bought Plessey and created a telecoms division known as GPT.

A senior UK manager went to France to talk to the French part of the Plessey business and wondered why his announcement regarding the new company was met with laughter – GPT sounds like J’ai peté in French, translates to “I have farted”.

On a similar note, the recent Audi e-Tron, pronounced in French means ‘turd’, not good for a high end car I guess…
3 December 2019 at 12:32 #439999
Martin Kyte
Participant
@martinkyte99762
Must go like e-Tron off a shovel then.

See you can get the meaning accross whatever words you use.

regards Martin
3 December 2019 at 12:39 #440001
An Other
Participant
@another21905
Made a reference to one of the characters in the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett in a comment in the Guardian yesterday, one Bl**** Stupid Johnson. The comment was moderated out of existence on the grounds that it was disrespectful. Surely I can't be the only person who has difficulty expressing myself these days, since so many words and expressions have become non-PC, hateful, meanings changed, etc? – what happened to free speech and common sense?
3 December 2019 at 12:43 #440003
Robert Atkinson 2
Participant
@robertatkinson2
The other good one is that despite restricting the sale of military items, including most military vehicles, ebay have a category for military vehicles.
3 December 2019 at 12:44 #440004
Nick Clarke 3
Participant
@nickclarke3
Another probably apocryphal story is that Rolls Royce wished to name a new model the Silver Mist until it was pointed out that mist in German translates as dung!
3 December 2019 at 12:59 #440006
John Paton 1
Participant
@johnpaton1
Posted by SillyOldDuffer on 03/12/2019 11:23:03:

Older nerds like me fondly remember the Commodore PET, an early USA home computer sold in huge numbers worldwide. At the time most people distrusted computers, and many were terrified. So Commodore carefully chose the name because, in English, 'pet' is an exceptionally cuddly acceptable word. Who wouldn't want a pet?

Alas, they didn't think outside the box. Unfortunately for European sales, pet in French means 'fart'

Keeping it clean is surprisingly difficult. In his poke at 'endorsement', Brian uses the word 'protective'. I'm shocked! Poor old ebay have a desperate need to stop customers posting obscenities. The software they're using is thorough rather than mad. Wonder if it would reject saltwater, weep, teaspoon or rehearse?

haha – didn’t know that.

makes you think about pet dogs ( especially elderly boxers?)

but more particularly the term heavy petting!

Dave
3 December 2019 at 12:59 #440007
John Paton 1
Participant
@johnpaton1
Posted by SillyOldDuffer on 03/12/2019 11:23:03:

Older nerds like me fondly remember the Commodore PET, an early USA home computer sold in huge numbers worldwide. At the time most people distrusted computers, and many were terrified. So Commodore carefully chose the name because, in English, 'pet' is an exceptionally cuddly acceptable word. Who wouldn't want a pet?

Alas, they didn't think outside the box. Unfortunately for European sales, pet in French means 'fart'

Keeping it clean is surprisingly difficult. In his poke at 'endorsement', Brian uses the word 'protective'. I'm shocked! Poor old ebay have a desperate need to stop customers posting obscenities. The software they're using is thorough rather than mad. Wonder if it would reject saltwater, weep, teaspoon or rehearse?

haha – didn’t know that.

makes you think about pet dogs ( especially elderly boxers?)

but more particularly the term heavy petting!

Dave
3 December 2019 at 13:04 #440008
Henry Brown
Participant
@henrybrown95529
Posted by Brian G on 03/12/2019 10:46:13:

Possibly Scunthorpe and Penistone should get together and twin with the most famous village in upper Austria?

(good luck with googling THAT

I'll get my coat…

Brian G

Edit: The wink was unintenional, (bl**** emoticons), but I think I'll let it be

Edited By Brian G on 03/12/2019 10:47:19

Perhaps they should all get together with these folks Linky

Incidentally there is a street in Upton-upon-Seven called Minge Lane…
3 December 2019 at 13:32 #440012
Bazyle
Participant
@bazyle
Words and phrases change their meanings over time, or are just not in everyone's mental dictionary. The marketeers who named an antipodean teenager's first album, a radio, and the drinks machine in our office all "Pure" were not aware it was the Victorian slang for dog sh*t.
Any of you been out walking the dog this morning or covering your horse? Not he same as taking the dog for a walk (nor dogging) or putting a coat on your steed.
3 December 2019 at 16:05 #440038
Michael Gilligan
Participant
@michaelgilligan61133
Posted by Simon0362 on 03/12/2019 12:19:43:

.

On a similar note, the recent Audi e-Tron, pronounced in French means ‘turd’, not good for a high end car I guess…

.

And again … Toyota had a French problem with the MR2

MichaelG.
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