More evidence that the world has gone mad!

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

[Brian HParticipant @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

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Ah … that nicely complements the infamous Scunthorpe problem

MichaelG.

[Tony Pratt 1Participant @tonypratt1]

The lunatics are running the asylum

Tony

[Joseph Noci 1Participant @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

[Clive IndiaParticipant @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!

[Mike PooleParticipant @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

[RobinParticipant @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…

[davidkParticipant @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

[Mike PooleParticipant @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

[Brian GParticipant @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

[blowlampParticipant @blowlamp]

Aromatherapist?

[SillyOldDufferModerator @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

[GeorgineerParticipant @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.

[larry phelan 1Participant @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

[simondavies3Participant @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…

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

Must go like e-Tron off a shovel then.

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

regards Martin

[An OtherParticipant @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?

[Robert Atkinson 2Participant @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.

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @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!

[John Paton 1Participant @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

[John Paton 1Participant @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

[Henry BrownParticipant @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…

[BazyleParticipant @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.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @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.

[Author]

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