Messages

1

English & Linguistics / Re: The random etymology of the day

« on: June 18, 2025, 12:03:26 AM »

It would explain the gourmet tendencies.

The hints were there from the beginning-- a trail of tiny breadcrumbs!

Exactly.

Side note: I love that that's the name of the species.

Right? Lower Decks was a brilliant show.

It so was.

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English & Linguistics / Re: The random etymology of the day

« on: June 17, 2025, 11:01:12 AM »

It would explain the gourmet tendencies.

3

English & Linguistics / Re: The random etymology of the day

« on: June 16, 2025, 07:39:30 PM »

Do you lay many eggs?

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English & Linguistics / Re: Strange Proununciations

« on: June 04, 2025, 10:39:09 AM »

*shudder*

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English & Linguistics / Re: Interesting language stuff

« on: May 20, 2025, 09:50:30 PM »

Indeed.

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English & Linguistics / Re: Interesting language stuff

« on: April 03, 2025, 09:09:03 AM »

Fascinating.

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English & Linguistics / Re: Quotes from work

« on: February 28, 2025, 01:06:32 PM »

Quote from a financial-aid-related podcast I am listening to: "Well, when the zombie apocalypse finally does come, just sign me up for hiding in a cave with a bunch of financial aid administrators!"

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English & Linguistics / Re: You keep on using that word

« on: January 29, 2025, 10:57:56 AM »

And the presenters are all part of a law firm that specializes in education-related law.

In her defense, she was talking about things triggered by recent actions of the Crackpot-In-Chief. So maybe that's where it came from.

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English & Linguistics / Re: You keep on using that word

« on: January 29, 2025, 10:40:29 AM »

Just heard in a webinar "thanks to our crackpot team".

Um.

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English & Linguistics / Re: Funny English and Linguistics stuff...

« on: January 12, 2025, 12:30:10 PM »

I think most of us had a higher tolerance for bad writing at that age.

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English & Linguistics / Re: Funny English and Linguistics stuff...

« on: October 08, 2024, 06:07:02 PM »

The UCLA one sounds about right.

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English & Linguistics / Re: English-to-English translation

« on: October 06, 2024, 10:46:23 PM »

Heh. I like the Kiwi version.

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English & Linguistics / Re: English-to-English translation

« on: September 25, 2024, 06:37:07 PM »

I've been watching an Australian show (to follow up all the UK ones I was watching before that). Lots of odd (to my ears, at least) slang and word usage

One last batch:
pregnant to him = pregnant by him (although this one I mostly see in older books and such) or pregnant with his child
pash = smooch
buck's night = stag night

14

English & Linguistics / Re: English-to-English translation

« on: September 23, 2024, 05:14:05 PM »

I also knew arvo, root, and combi, but the rest were new to me.

I think I had heard arvo before. And definitely chook. I don't think I knew any of the others.


A few more:

dunny = toilet, especially porta-potty-type
spliff = joint (in the pot sense)
rack off = emphatic "go away!"
grizzling = that noise a baby makes that's not quite crying, similar to whimpering or kvetching

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English & Linguistics / Re: New column-type thingy

« on: September 23, 2024, 05:07:50 PM »

Even in fictional dialogue?

16

English & Linguistics / Re: English-to-English translation

« on: September 20, 2024, 03:18:55 PM »

"You've got tickets on yourself" is pretty great.

Yeah, and that one I was pretty sure of the meaning by context, but looked it up to confirm.

Some of the others I was completely  until I looked them up.

17

English & Linguistics / Re: English-to-English translation

« on: September 20, 2024, 12:14:06 AM »

I've been watching an Australian show (to follow up all the UK ones I was watching before that). Lots of odd (to my ears, at least) slang and word usage, including:

doona = duvet
arvo = afternoon
chook = chicken (I knew this one already, but it's still weird)
off his/her face = very drunk or high
root (noun or verb) = mildly rude word for sex
rooted = broken
ute = truck or SUV
nursing babies = working as a nurse with babies
Combi/Kombi = VW van (or similar) meant for transporting both people and lots of stuff
you've got tickets on yourself = seriously conceited

18

English & Linguistics / Re: Funny English and Linguistics stuff...

« on: July 19, 2024, 11:18:48 AM »

I have seen it done well -- just enough to give you the flavor, without making your eyes cross -- and done very badly. And everything in between. The Outlander books mostly do it well.

19

English & Linguistics / Re: New column-type thingy

« on: June 18, 2024, 03:57:34 PM »

This actually happened at my last job

Ah, that makes sense.

Many of the lines are direct or near-direct quotes.

I had a feeling.

And I'm probably safe pointing out here that the coworker in question was literally named Karen.

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English & Linguistics / Re: New column-type thingy

« on: June 18, 2024, 11:47:32 AM »

Been having some fractious discussions at work?

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English & Linguistics / Re: Funny English and Linguistics stuff...

« on: June 07, 2024, 01:20:51 PM »

I have been using captions on Netflix and Prime a lot lately. And have noted when they do (or do not) indicate in the caption when speakers elide letters. (As in the example, do the captions say "gonna" or "going to" when what was said was definitely the former, etc. Do the captions reflect accents, real (either of the actor or the character) or temporary (like funny voices when a parent is reading a book to a child), and so on.) It's quite interesting.

22

English & Linguistics / Re: The random etymology of the day

« on: June 03, 2024, 06:10:40 PM »

I have seen it a handful of times recently.

I was very confused the first couple times. Now I just roll my eyes and go on.

Edit: It's been included on the Wiktionary listing for several years. Huh.

Edit2: And there's this discussion on Reddit.

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English & Linguistics / Re: Dear Expert

« on: February 06, 2024, 04:21:47 PM »

Because some people think they are meant to put a comma anywhere they would pause when speaking the sentence aloud.

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English & Linguistics / Re: You keep on using that word

« on: December 26, 2023, 10:49:52 PM »

There were a number of issues with the ad I just attempted to read. But "comfortability with [specific task]" was probably the most egregious.

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English & Linguistics / Re: The random etymology of the day

« on: November 28, 2023, 05:21:37 PM »

Huh.