What still confounds you about travel?
Apr 16th, 2014, 04:08 PM
#23
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As soon as I posted I questioned whether shock and awe was a good thing. I quickly checked Wikipedia and was indeed shocked to learn that it means rapid dominance. Now I'm totally laughing at myself! I don't think I really meant to write that!
Apr 16th, 2014, 09:10 PM
#28
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Well, this has gone a bit off track. What confounds me is why no designer has yet to come up with a flight suit. Maybe a body stocking that one can wrap a skirt around, add a jacket, but something that has no pockets or belts or buttons or anything else that might cause suspicion, from which outer garments can be removed easily and it's obvious that one isn't hiding anything. And no muffin top to worry about, just one long smooth line. I'd also like to see consistency in what we have to strip off. I'm okay with most of it, but I really don't like taking off shoes and padding about in my stocking feet. That is just yucky.
Apr 16th, 2014, 11:20 PM
#29
Interesting, as a Brit the word "fanny" is really only as unattractive as "willy" (strangly both "Christian names", or as we now must call them "first names"), certainly acceptable for small children to use but slighlty odd coming from an adult's mouth. To overcome the confusion a popular radio show coined the gender neutral phrase "front bottoms", I kid you not. So the reason we Brits look odd when these words are used is that they are normally only used by the infants or infantile not that they are swear words. Hence "Fanny Adams" is used to calm down the swear phrase also cleaned up as "sweet FA" the last word being "All". To add to our amusement (because to a true Brit there has to be at least two jokes in every joke, the FA is the useless bunch who run our football (soccer) leagues.
I hope that clears up any confusion.
I hope that clears up any confusion.
Apr 17th, 2014, 01:33 AM
#31
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I agree with the other British posters that Fanny is an inappropriate word, rather than a particularly obscene one. It is also the diminutive of Frances, so occurs quite often in literature, although it is uncommon nowadays.
Another innocent word that can cause confusion is "pants". In Britain, this is the word for underwear, so the injunction to not wear pants at smart restaurants means don't wear underwear. The popular term for this practice is "Going commando".
Another innocent word that can cause confusion is "pants". In Britain, this is the word for underwear, so the injunction to not wear pants at smart restaurants means don't wear underwear. The popular term for this practice is "Going commando".
Apr 17th, 2014, 04:04 AM
#34
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[[What confounds me is why no designer has yet to come up with a flight suit. Maybe a body stocking that one can wrap a skirt around, add a jacket, but something that has no pockets or belts or buttons or anything else that might cause suspicion...]]
I think they should just wrap us in that plastic that people wrap their luggage in, give us a soporificant, and stack us on shelves for the duration. That would obviate the need for security and also allow more of us to be packed in to economy class.
I think they should just wrap us in that plastic that people wrap their luggage in, give us a soporificant, and stack us on shelves for the duration. That would obviate the need for security and also allow more of us to be packed in to economy class.
Apr 17th, 2014, 04:08 AM
#35
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My aunt Edith said that when she was preparing to emigrate to the US (from Scotland), someone advised her not to use the word "ass" to refer to a donkey. I'm not sure how useful that advice was. After all, how often do you need to mention donkeys?
Apr 17th, 2014, 06:06 AM
#37
Donkey is a realtively new word invented to avoid the use of that word. I'm always surprised by the range of police one has in different countries and their uniforms. Best so far are local cops in the Basque area who had red guernseys when we were there. Plus the shock of seeing them with guns.
Apr 17th, 2014, 06:24 AM
#39
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I was admonished on one forum for writing that 'I call a spade a spade'.
Before anyone decides to jump on me here for that, you should look up where the phrase comes from.
A 'spade' is what is used to dig a hole in your garden. A shovel is what you use to shovel gravel.
Before anyone decides to jump on me here for that, you should look up where the phrase comes from.
A 'spade' is what is used to dig a hole in your garden. A shovel is what you use to shovel gravel.
