Le 04/05/2023 à 16:18, Adam Funk a écrit :
>
> I like the signs for "Humped Zebra Crossing".

I wonder if the official mind was secretly amused when it came up with
that, or just unaware.

Anyway, it's a good illustration of the utility of hyphens.

musika <mUs1Ka@NOSPAMexcite.com> writes:
> On 03/05/2023 03:19, Peter Moylan wrote:
>> In my student days, a fellow student and I shared a mini-apartment that
>> was bedroom plus study. There was a washbasin and mirror in the bedroom.
>> No shower or toilet; those were shared facilities off the external
>> corridor.
>>
>> Once a female visitor said she wanted to powder her nose. I said there
>> was a mirror and light in the bedroom. No, she said, what she wanted was
>> to wash her hands. I told her there was a washbasin in the bedroom too.
>> From there she proceeded to a few more euphemisms, and for some reason I
>> never twigged to what she meant. I hope she figured out where to go
>> after she left.
>
> I assume she watered the daisies.

One I've used a lot is "check the plumbing". It initially was
"investigate the plumbing", but that was once bizarrely misheard
as "invade Poland", which I also occasionally use now.

Phil
--
We are no longer hunters and nomads. No longer awed and frightened, as we have
gained some understanding of the world in which we live. As such, we can cast
aside childish remnants from the dawn of our civilization.
-- NotSanguine on SoylentNews, after Eugen Weber in /The Western Tradition/

On Friday, May 5, 2023 at 12:05:20 AM UTC-6, bil...@shaw.ca wrote:
> On Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 6:13:12 PM UTC-7, Peter Moylan wrote:
....

> > I know someone who went to a road sign saying "Hump", and had himself
> > photographed humping the sign.
> >
> A friend of mine had himself photographed naked, posing in the snow by the famous White River
> thermometer. It's next to the Trans-Canada Highway in Northern Ontario. White River -- pop. 645 --
> trades on being a cold place, with a recorded low of -72 F, or -58 C.
....

Naked except for shoes?

Compare the 200 Club and the 300 Club for those who have been to
the South Pole in the austral winter. (The units are degrees Fahrenheit.)

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/01/on-getting-naked-in-antarctica/282883/

--
Jerry Friedman

Adam Funk <a24061@ducksburg.com> wrote:

> On 2023-05-04, charles wrote:
>
> > In article <3vucijx8qc.ln2@news.ducksburg.com>,
> > Adam Funk <a24061@ducksburg.com> wrote:
> >> On 2023-05-03, lar3ryca wrote:
> >
> >> > On 2023-05-03 04:04, J. J. Lodder wrote:
> >> >> TonyCooper <tonycooper214@gmail.com> wrote:
> >> >>
> >> >>> On Tue, 2 May 2023 11:41:05 +1000, Peter Moylan
> >> >>> <peter@pmoylan.org.invalid> wrote:
> >> >>>
> >> >>>
> >> >>>> The motivation is obvious: a shower hob, the thing you have to
> >> >>>> step over while getting into and out of the shower, is a trip
> >> >>>> hazard, and the older you get the more likely you are to trip. You
> >> >>>> can count yourself lucky that you still have the balance to be
> >> >>>> safe in the shower.
> >> >>>
> >> >>> It's been discussed before, but describing that part of a shower that
> >> >>> one steps over as a "hob" always seems odd to me. I realize it's an
> >> >>> accepted term in the UK and - evidently - Australia, but not in the
> >> >>> US.
> >> >>
> >> >> From Dutch, German, old Germanic, whatever, I guess.
> >> >> A 'hobbel' is a bump, for example in a road.
> >> >> From 'heffen', to raise.
> >> >> (compare also German 'Hobel' for a 'plane', the tool to remove them)
> >> >>
> >> >> Also figuratively, for example a 'hobbel die genomen moet worden'
> >> >> as an obstacle to progress.
> >> >> Survives in English only as a verb, afaik.
> >> >
> >> > And as a noun. Both spelled 'hobble'.
> >> >
> >> >> The deliberate speed reducing ones 'verkeershobbels'
> >> >> are called 'speed bumps' in English.
> >> >
> >> > I prefer the Norwegian "FartsHumper", or the English "Speed Hump".
> >
> >> I like the signs for "Humped Zebra Crossing".
> >
> > But, it's camels (see ealier) who have humps.
>
> But zebras can get humped (ideally just by other zebras).

Hm. Some zebras seem to like horsing around,

Jan

On 2023-05-05 04:23, Phil Carmody wrote:
> musika <mUs1Ka@NOSPAMexcite.com> writes:
>> On 03/05/2023 03:19, Peter Moylan wrote:
>>> In my student days, a fellow student and I shared a mini-apartment that
>>> was bedroom plus study. There was a washbasin and mirror in the bedroom.
>>> No shower or toilet; those were shared facilities off the external
>>> corridor.
>>>
>>> Once a female visitor said she wanted to powder her nose. I said there
>>> was a mirror and light in the bedroom. No, she said, what she wanted was
>>> to wash her hands. I told her there was a washbasin in the bedroom too.
>>> From there she proceeded to a few more euphemisms, and for some reason I
>>> never twigged to what she meant. I hope she figured out where to go
>>> after she left.
>>
>> I assume she watered the daisies.
>
> One I've used a lot is "check the plumbing". It initially was
> "investigate the plumbing", but that was once bizarrely misheard
> as "invade Poland", which I also occasionally use now.

I have, fairly often, but not in the past decade or two, heard "I have
to see a man about a horse."

Checking onelook.com, I see Wiktionary has it...

verb: (idiomatic, euphemistic) Used in place of a real explanation when
excusing oneself for a short period of time, particularly to use a toilet.

--
I bought a box of animal crackers.
On the box it said 'Do not eat if seal is broken'.
So I opened the box and sure enough...

On 2023-05-05 07:59, J. J. Lodder wrote:
> Adam Funk <a24061@ducksburg.com> wrote:
>
>> On 2023-05-04, charles wrote:
>>
>>> In article <3vucijx8qc.ln2@news.ducksburg.com>,
>>> Adam Funk <a24061@ducksburg.com> wrote:
>>>> On 2023-05-03, lar3ryca wrote:
>>>
>>>>> On 2023-05-03 04:04, J. J. Lodder wrote:
>>>>>> TonyCooper <tonycooper214@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Tue, 2 May 2023 11:41:05 +1000, Peter Moylan
>>>>>>> <peter@pmoylan.org.invalid> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> The motivation is obvious: a shower hob, the thing you have to
>>>>>>>> step over while getting into and out of the shower, is a trip
>>>>>>>> hazard, and the older you get the more likely you are to trip. You
>>>>>>>> can count yourself lucky that you still have the balance to be
>>>>>>>> safe in the shower.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> It's been discussed before, but describing that part of a shower that
>>>>>>> one steps over as a "hob" always seems odd to me. I realize it's an
>>>>>>> accepted term in the UK and - evidently - Australia, but not in the
>>>>>>> US.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> From Dutch, German, old Germanic, whatever, I guess.
>>>>>> A 'hobbel' is a bump, for example in a road.
>>>>>> From 'heffen', to raise.
>>>>>> (compare also German 'Hobel' for a 'plane', the tool to remove them)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Also figuratively, for example a 'hobbel die genomen moet worden'
>>>>>> as an obstacle to progress.
>>>>>> Survives in English only as a verb, afaik.
>>>>>
>>>>> And as a noun. Both spelled 'hobble'.
>>>>>
>>>>>> The deliberate speed reducing ones 'verkeershobbels'
>>>>>> are called 'speed bumps' in English.
>>>>>
>>>>> I prefer the Norwegian "FartsHumper", or the English "Speed Hump".
>>>
>>>> I like the signs for "Humped Zebra Crossing".
>>>
>>> But, it's camels (see ealier) who have humps.
>>
>> But zebras can get humped (ideally just by other zebras).
>
> Hm. Some zebras seem to like horsing around,

Hippies?

--
If swimming is so good for your figure, how do you explain whales?

On Fri, 5 May 2023 09:48:20 -0600
lar3ryca <larry@invalid.ca> wrote:

> On 2023-05-05 07:59, J. J. Lodder wrote:
> > Adam Funk <a24061@ducksburg.com> wrote:
> >
> >> On 2023-05-04, charles wrote:
> >>
> >>> In article <3vucijx8qc.ln2@news.ducksburg.com>,
> >>> Adam Funk <a24061@ducksburg.com> wrote:
> >>>> On 2023-05-03, lar3ryca wrote:
> >>>
> >>>>> On 2023-05-03 04:04, J. J. Lodder wrote:
> >>>>>> TonyCooper <tonycooper214@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>> On Tue, 2 May 2023 11:41:05 +1000, Peter Moylan
> >>>>>>> <peter@pmoylan.org.invalid> wrote:
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>> The motivation is obvious: a shower hob, the thing you have to
> >>>>>>>> step over while getting into and out of the shower, is a trip
> >>>>>>>> hazard, and the older you get the more likely you are to trip. You
> >>>>>>>> can count yourself lucky that you still have the balance to be
> >>>>>>>> safe in the shower.
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> It's been discussed before, but describing that part of a shower that
> >>>>>>> one steps over as a "hob" always seems odd to me. I realize it's an
> >>>>>>> accepted term in the UK and - evidently - Australia, but not in the
> >>>>>>> US.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> From Dutch, German, old Germanic, whatever, I guess.
> >>>>>> A 'hobbel' is a bump, for example in a road.
> >>>>>> From 'heffen', to raise.
> >>>>>> (compare also German 'Hobel' for a 'plane', the tool to remove them)
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Also figuratively, for example a 'hobbel die genomen moet worden'
> >>>>>> as an obstacle to progress.
> >>>>>> Survives in English only as a verb, afaik.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> And as a noun. Both spelled 'hobble'.
> >>>>>
> >>>>>> The deliberate speed reducing ones 'verkeershobbels'
> >>>>>> are called 'speed bumps' in English.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I prefer the Norwegian "FartsHumper", or the English "Speed Hump".
> >>>
> >>>> I like the signs for "Humped Zebra Crossing".
> >>>
> >>> But, it's camels (see ealier) who have humps.
> >>
> >> But zebras can get humped (ideally just by other zebras).
> >
> > Hm. Some zebras seem to like horsing around,
>
> Hippies?
>
Hippothetically speaking. I think the SkaMod revivalists who dress(ed?) in
black & white came later.

--
Bah, and indeed Humbug.

On 05-May-23 11:23, Phil Carmody wrote:

> One I've used a lot is "check the plumbing". It initially was
> "investigate the plumbing", but that was once bizarrely misheard
> as "invade Poland", which I also occasionally use now.

Mis-hearings can be fun.

A recent one here, was when I suggested my wife was offering a hostage
to fortune.

She demanded to know what an ostrich had to do with anything.

But most of her mis-hearings are more bizzare.
(i.e. The great distance between what was said, and what she seemed to
hear.)

--
Sam Plusnet

lar3ryca scribbled something on Friday the 5/5/2023:
> On 2023-05-05 04:23, Phil Carmody wrote:
>> musika <mUs1Ka@NOSPAMexcite.com> writes:
>>> On 03/05/2023 03:19, Peter Moylan wrote:
>>>> In my student days, a fellow student and I shared a mini-apartment that
>>>> was bedroom plus study. There was a washbasin and mirror in the bedroom.
>>>> No shower or toilet; those were shared facilities off the external
>>>> corridor.
>>>>
>>>> Once a female visitor said she wanted to powder her nose. I said there
>>>> was a mirror and light in the bedroom. No, she said, what she wanted was
>>>> to wash her hands. I told her there was a washbasin in the bedroom too.
>>>> From there she proceeded to a few more euphemisms, and for some reason
>>>> I
>>>> never twigged to what she meant. I hope she figured out where to go
>>>> after she left.
>>>
>>> I assume she watered the daisies.
>>
>> One I've used a lot is "check the plumbing". It initially was
>> "investigate the plumbing", but that was once bizarrely misheard
>> as "invade Poland", which I also occasionally use now.
>
> I have, fairly often, but not in the past decade or two, heard "I have to see
> a man about a horse."
>
> Checking onelook.com, I see Wiktionary has it...
>
> verb: (idiomatic, euphemistic) Used in place of a real explanation when
> excusing oneself for a short period of time, particularly to use a toilet.

Good luck trying to outpiss a horse.

/dps

--
Killing a mouse was hardly a Nobel Prize-worthy exercise, and Lawrence
went apopleptic when he learned a lousy rodent had peed away all his
precious heavy water.
_The Disappearing Spoon_, Sam Kean

On 06/05/23 01:47, lar3ryca wrote:
> On 2023-05-05 04:23, Phil Carmody wrote:
>> musika <mUs1Ka@NOSPAMexcite.com> writes:
>>> On 03/05/2023 03:19, Peter Moylan wrote:
>>>> In my student days, a fellow student and I shared a
>>>> mini-apartment that was bedroom plus study. There was a
>>>> washbasin and mirror in the bedroom. No shower or toilet; those
>>>> were shared facilities off the external corridor.
>>>>
>>>> Once a female visitor said she wanted to powder her nose. I
>>>> said there was a mirror and light in the bedroom. No, she said,
>>>> what she wanted was to wash her hands. I told her there was a
>>>> washbasin in the bedroom too. From there she proceeded to a few
>>>> more euphemisms, and for some reason I never twigged to what
>>>> she meant. I hope she figured out where to go after she left.
>>>
>>> I assume she watered the daisies.
>>
>> One I've used a lot is "check the plumbing". It initially was
>> "investigate the plumbing", but that was once bizarrely misheard as
>> "invade Poland", which I also occasionally use now.
>
> I have, fairly often, but not in the past decade or two, heard "I
> have to see a man about a horse."
>
> Checking onelook.com, I see Wiktionary has it...
>
> verb: (idiomatic, euphemistic) Used in place of a real explanation
> when excusing oneself for a short period of time, particularly to use
> a toilet.

The Australian version of that is "see a man about a dog". I have no
explanation of why a different animal is involved.

One I've occasionally heard is "shake hands with the unemployed".

--
Peter Moylan Newcastle, NSW http://www.pmoylan.org

On Sun, 7 May 2023 12:42:02 +1000, Peter Moylan
<peter@pmoylan.org.invalid> wrote:

>On 06/05/23 01:47, lar3ryca wrote:
>> On 2023-05-05 04:23, Phil Carmody wrote:
>>> musika <mUs1Ka@NOSPAMexcite.com> writes:
>>>> On 03/05/2023 03:19, Peter Moylan wrote:
>>>>> In my student days, a fellow student and I shared a
>>>>> mini-apartment that was bedroom plus study. There was a
>>>>> washbasin and mirror in the bedroom. No shower or toilet; those
>>>>> were shared facilities off the external corridor.
>>>>>
>>>>> Once a female visitor said she wanted to powder her nose. I
>>>>> said there was a mirror and light in the bedroom. No, she said,
>>>>> what she wanted was to wash her hands. I told her there was a
>>>>> washbasin in the bedroom too. From there she proceeded to a few
>>>>> more euphemisms, and for some reason I never twigged to what
>>>>> she meant. I hope she figured out where to go after she left.
>>>>
>>>> I assume she watered the daisies.
>>>
>>> One I've used a lot is "check the plumbing". It initially was
>>> "investigate the plumbing", but that was once bizarrely misheard as
>>> "invade Poland", which I also occasionally use now.
>>
>> I have, fairly often, but not in the past decade or two, heard "I
>> have to see a man about a horse."
>>
>> Checking onelook.com, I see Wiktionary has it...
>>
>> verb: (idiomatic, euphemistic) Used in place of a real explanation
>> when excusing oneself for a short period of time, particularly to use
>> a toilet.
>
>The Australian version of that is "see a man about a dog". I have no
>explanation of why a different animal is involved.

Both horse and dog are used in the US. The dog has been more common
than the horse in the phrase, in my experience, but I've heard both.

>
>One I've occasionally heard is "shake hands with the unemployed".
--

Tony Cooper - Orlando,Florida

On 2023-05-07 02:42:02 +0000, Peter Moylan said:

> On 06/05/23 01:47, lar3ryca wrote:
>> On 2023-05-05 04:23, Phil Carmody wrote:
>>> musika <mUs1Ka@NOSPAMexcite.com> writes:
>>>> On 03/05/2023 03:19, Peter Moylan wrote:
>>>>> In my student days, a fellow student and I shared a
>>>>> mini-apartment that was bedroom plus study. There was a
>>>>> washbasin and mirror in the bedroom. No shower or toilet; those
>>>>> were shared facilities off the external corridor.
>>>>>
>>>>> Once a female visitor said she wanted to powder her nose. I
>>>>> said there was a mirror and light in the bedroom. No, she said,
>>>>> what she wanted was to wash her hands. I told her there was a
>>>>> washbasin in the bedroom too. From there she proceeded to a few
>>>>> more euphemisms, and for some reason I never twigged to what
>>>>> she meant. I hope she figured out where to go after she left.
>>>>
>>>> I assume she watered the daisies.
>>>
>>> One I've used a lot is "check the plumbing". It initially was
>>> "investigate the plumbing", but that was once bizarrely misheard as
>>> "invade Poland", which I also occasionally use now.
>>
>> I have, fairly often, but not in the past decade or two, heard "I
>> have to see a man about a horse."
>>
>> Checking onelook.com, I see Wiktionary has it...
>>
>> verb: (idiomatic, euphemistic) Used in place of a real explanation
>> when excusing oneself for a short period of time, particularly to use
>> a toilet.
>
> The Australian version of that is "see a man about a dog". I have no
> explanation of why a different animal is involved.
>
> One I've occasionally heard is "shake hands with the unemployed".

Possibly invented for Barry McKenzie in Private Eye rather than real
Australian, but there are also "point Percy at the porcelain" and "take
a snakes".

--
Athel -- French and British, living in Marseilles for 36 years; mainly
in England until 1987.

On Sun, 7 May 2023 12:42:02 +1000, Peter Moylan
<peter@pmoylan.org.invalid> wrote:

>On 06/05/23 01:47, lar3ryca wrote:
>> On 2023-05-05 04:23, Phil Carmody wrote:
>>> musika <mUs1Ka@NOSPAMexcite.com> writes:
>>>> On 03/05/2023 03:19, Peter Moylan wrote:
>>>>> In my student days, a fellow student and I shared a
>>>>> mini-apartment that was bedroom plus study. There was a
>>>>> washbasin and mirror in the bedroom. No shower or toilet; those
>>>>> were shared facilities off the external corridor.
>>>>>
>>>>> Once a female visitor said she wanted to powder her nose. I
>>>>> said there was a mirror and light in the bedroom. No, she said,
>>>>> what she wanted was to wash her hands. I told her there was a
>>>>> washbasin in the bedroom too. From there she proceeded to a few
>>>>> more euphemisms, and for some reason I never twigged to what
>>>>> she meant. I hope she figured out where to go after she left.
>>>>
>>>> I assume she watered the daisies.
>>>
>>> One I've used a lot is "check the plumbing". It initially was
>>> "investigate the plumbing", but that was once bizarrely misheard as
>>> "invade Poland", which I also occasionally use now.
>>
>> I have, fairly often, but not in the past decade or two, heard "I
>> have to see a man about a horse."
>>
>> Checking onelook.com, I see Wiktionary has it...
>>
>> verb: (idiomatic, euphemistic) Used in place of a real explanation
>> when excusing oneself for a short period of time, particularly to use
>> a toilet.
>
>The Australian version of that is "see a man about a dog". I have no
>explanation of why a different animal is involved.

Also usually "see a man about a dog" in the US, at least in my
experience.

On 2023-05-07 01:32, Athel Cornish-Bowden wrote:
> On 2023-05-07 02:42:02 +0000, Peter Moylan said:
>
>> On 06/05/23 01:47, lar3ryca wrote:
>>> On 2023-05-05 04:23, Phil Carmody wrote:
>>>> musika <mUs1Ka@NOSPAMexcite.com> writes:
>>>>> On 03/05/2023 03:19, Peter Moylan wrote:
>>>>>> In my student days, a fellow student and I shared a
>>>>>> mini-apartment that was bedroom plus study. There was a
>>>>>> washbasin and mirror in the bedroom. No shower or toilet; those
>>>>>> were shared facilities off the external corridor.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Once a female visitor said she wanted to powder her nose. I
>>>>>> said there was a mirror and light in the bedroom. No, she said,
>>>>>> what she wanted was to wash her hands. I told her there was a
>>>>>> washbasin in the bedroom too. From there she proceeded to a few
>>>>>> more euphemisms, and for some reason I never twigged to what
>>>>>> she meant. I hope she figured out where to go after she left.
>>>>>
>>>>> I assume she watered the daisies.
>>>>
>>>> One I've used a lot is "check the plumbing". It initially was
>>>> "investigate the plumbing", but that was once bizarrely misheard as
>>>> "invade Poland", which I also occasionally use now.
>>>
>>> I have, fairly often, but not in the past decade or two, heard "I
>>> have to see a man about a horse."
>>>
>>> Checking onelook.com, I see Wiktionary has it...
>>>
>>> verb:  (idiomatic, euphemistic) Used in place of a real explanation
>>> when excusing oneself for a short period of time, particularly to use
>>> a toilet.
>>
>> The Australian version of that is "see a man about a dog". I have no
>> explanation of why a different animal is involved.
>>
>> One I've occasionally heard is "shake hands with the unemployed".
>
> Possibly invented for Barry McKenzie in Private Eye rather than real
> Australian, but there are also "point Percy at the porcelain" and "take
> a snakes".

That reminded me of something my fellow dock denizens used. "Goin' to
pump the bilge."

--
My boss gets annoyed when I shorten his name to Dick.
He says it's because his name is Bill.

On Sun, 7 May 2023 10:49:13 -0600, lar3ryca <larry@invalid.ca> wrote:

>On 2023-05-07 01:32, Athel Cornish-Bowden wrote:
>> On 2023-05-07 02:42:02 +0000, Peter Moylan said:
>>
>>> On 06/05/23 01:47, lar3ryca wrote:
>>>> On 2023-05-05 04:23, Phil Carmody wrote:
>>>>> musika <mUs1Ka@NOSPAMexcite.com> writes:
>>>>>> On 03/05/2023 03:19, Peter Moylan wrote:
>>>>>>> In my student days, a fellow student and I shared a
>>>>>>> mini-apartment that was bedroom plus study. There was a
>>>>>>> washbasin and mirror in the bedroom. No shower or toilet; those
>>>>>>> were shared facilities off the external corridor.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Once a female visitor said she wanted to powder her nose. I
>>>>>>> said there was a mirror and light in the bedroom. No, she said,
>>>>>>> what she wanted was to wash her hands. I told her there was a
>>>>>>> washbasin in the bedroom too. From there she proceeded to a few
>>>>>>> more euphemisms, and for some reason I never twigged to what
>>>>>>> she meant. I hope she figured out where to go after she left.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I assume she watered the daisies.
>>>>>
>>>>> One I've used a lot is "check the plumbing". It initially was
>>>>> "investigate the plumbing", but that was once bizarrely misheard as
>>>>> "invade Poland", which I also occasionally use now.
>>>>
>>>> I have, fairly often, but not in the past decade or two, heard "I
>>>> have to see a man about a horse."
>>>>
>>>> Checking onelook.com, I see Wiktionary has it...
>>>>
>>>> verb:  (idiomatic, euphemistic) Used in place of a real explanation
>>>> when excusing oneself for a short period of time, particularly to use
>>>> a toilet.
>>>
>>> The Australian version of that is "see a man about a dog". I have no
>>> explanation of why a different animal is involved.
>>>
>>> One I've occasionally heard is "shake hands with the unemployed".
>>
>> Possibly invented for Barry McKenzie in Private Eye rather than real
>> Australian, but there are also "point Percy at the porcelain" and "take
>> a snakes".
>
>That reminded me of something my fellow dock denizens used. "Goin' to
>pump the bilge."

"Drain the lizard" was used by one my acquaintances.

--

Tony Cooper - Orlando,Florida

On 07/05/2023 18:51, TonyCooper wrote:
> On Sun, 7 May 2023 10:49:13 -0600, lar3ryca <larry@invalid.ca> wrote:
>
>> On 2023-05-07 01:32, Athel Cornish-Bowden wrote:
>>> On 2023-05-07 02:42:02 +0000, Peter Moylan said:
>>>
>>>> On 06/05/23 01:47, lar3ryca wrote:
>>>>> On 2023-05-05 04:23, Phil Carmody wrote:
>>>>>> musika <mUs1Ka@NOSPAMexcite.com> writes:
>>>>>>> On 03/05/2023 03:19, Peter Moylan wrote:
>>>>>>>> In my student days, a fellow student and I shared a
>>>>>>>> mini-apartment that was bedroom plus study. There was a
>>>>>>>> washbasin and mirror in the bedroom. No shower or toilet; those
>>>>>>>> were shared facilities off the external corridor.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Once a female visitor said she wanted to powder her nose. I
>>>>>>>> said there was a mirror and light in the bedroom. No, she said,
>>>>>>>> what she wanted was to wash her hands. I told her there was a
>>>>>>>> washbasin in the bedroom too. From there she proceeded to a few
>>>>>>>> more euphemisms, and for some reason I never twigged to what
>>>>>>>> she meant. I hope she figured out where to go after she left.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I assume she watered the daisies.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> One I've used a lot is "check the plumbing". It initially was
>>>>>> "investigate the plumbing", but that was once bizarrely misheard as
>>>>>> "invade Poland", which I also occasionally use now.
>>>>>
>>>>> I have, fairly often, but not in the past decade or two, heard "I
>>>>> have to see a man about a horse."
>>>>>
>>>>> Checking onelook.com, I see Wiktionary has it...
>>>>>
>>>>> verb:  (idiomatic, euphemistic) Used in place of a real explanation
>>>>> when excusing oneself for a short period of time, particularly to use
>>>>> a toilet.
>>>>
>>>> The Australian version of that is "see a man about a dog". I have no
>>>> explanation of why a different animal is involved.
>>>>
>>>> One I've occasionally heard is "shake hands with the unemployed".
>>>
>>> Possibly invented for Barry McKenzie in Private Eye rather than real
>>> Australian, but there are also "point Percy at the porcelain" and "take
>>> a snakes".
>>
>> That reminded me of something my fellow dock denizens used. "Goin' to
>> pump the bilge."
>
> "Drain the lizard" was used by one my acquaintances.
>

"Syphon the python"
"Strain the potatoes"
"Shake hands with the wife's best friend"

On Sun, 7 May 2023, at 09:32:34, Athel Cornish-Bowden posted:
>On 2023-05-07 02:42:02 +0000, Peter Moylan said:
>
>> On 06/05/23 01:47, lar3ryca wrote:
>>> On 2023-05-05 04:23, Phil Carmody wrote:
>>>> musika <mUs1Ka@NOSPAMexcite.com> writes:
>>>>> On 03/05/2023 03:19, Peter Moylan wrote:
>>>>>> In my student days, a fellow student and I shared a
>>>>>> mini-apartment that was bedroom plus study. There was a
>>>>>> washbasin and mirror in the bedroom. No shower or toilet; those
>>>>>> were shared facilities off the external corridor.
>>>>>> Once a female visitor said she wanted to powder her nose. I
>>>>>> said there was a mirror and light in the bedroom. No, she said,
>>>>>> what she wanted was to wash her hands. I told her there was a
>>>>>> washbasin in the bedroom too. From there she proceeded to a few
>>>>>> more euphemisms, and for some reason I never twigged to what
>>>>>> she meant. I hope she figured out where to go after she left.
>>>>> I assume she watered the daisies.
>>>> One I've used a lot is "check the plumbing". It initially was
>>>> "investigate the plumbing", but that was once bizarrely misheard as
>>>> "invade Poland", which I also occasionally use now.
>>> I have, fairly often, but not in the past decade or two, heard "I
>>> have to see a man about a horse."
>>> Checking onelook.com, I see Wiktionary has it...
>>> verb: (idiomatic, euphemistic) Used in place of a real explanation
>>> when excusing oneself for a short period of time, particularly to use
>>> a toilet.
>> The Australian version of that is "see a man about a dog". I have no
>> explanation of why a different animal is involved.
>> One I've occasionally heard is "shake hands with the unemployed".
>
>Possibly invented for Barry McKenzie in Private Eye rather than real
>Australian, but there are also "point Percy at the porcelain" and "take
>a snakes".
>
Rhyming slang rather than any anatomical allusion, I think.
--
Paul W

On 2023-05-05, J. J. Lodder wrote:

> Adam Funk <a24061@ducksburg.com> wrote:
>
>> On 2023-05-04, charles wrote:
>>
>> > In article <3vucijx8qc.ln2@news.ducksburg.com>,
>> > Adam Funk <a24061@ducksburg.com> wrote:
>> >> On 2023-05-03, lar3ryca wrote:
>> >
>> >> > On 2023-05-03 04:04, J. J. Lodder wrote:
>> >> >> TonyCooper <tonycooper214@gmail.com> wrote:
>> >> >>
>> >> >>> On Tue, 2 May 2023 11:41:05 +1000, Peter Moylan
>> >> >>> <peter@pmoylan.org.invalid> wrote:
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>>> The motivation is obvious: a shower hob, the thing you have to
>> >> >>>> step over while getting into and out of the shower, is a trip
>> >> >>>> hazard, and the older you get the more likely you are to trip. You
>> >> >>>> can count yourself lucky that you still have the balance to be
>> >> >>>> safe in the shower.
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>> It's been discussed before, but describing that part of a shower that
>> >> >>> one steps over as a "hob" always seems odd to me. I realize it's an
>> >> >>> accepted term in the UK and - evidently - Australia, but not in the
>> >> >>> US.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> From Dutch, German, old Germanic, whatever, I guess.
>> >> >> A 'hobbel' is a bump, for example in a road.
>> >> >> From 'heffen', to raise.
>> >> >> (compare also German 'Hobel' for a 'plane', the tool to remove them)
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Also figuratively, for example a 'hobbel die genomen moet worden'
>> >> >> as an obstacle to progress.
>> >> >> Survives in English only as a verb, afaik.
>> >> >
>> >> > And as a noun. Both spelled 'hobble'.
>> >> >
>> >> >> The deliberate speed reducing ones 'verkeershobbels'
>> >> >> are called 'speed bumps' in English.
>> >> >
>> >> > I prefer the Norwegian "FartsHumper", or the English "Speed Hump".
>> >
>> >> I like the signs for "Humped Zebra Crossing".
>> >
>> > But, it's camels (see ealier) who have humps.
>>
>> But zebras can get humped (ideally just by other zebras).
>
> Hm. Some zebras seem to like horsing around,

Well, let's not kink-shame them.

--
Thinking about her this morning, lying in bed, and trying to get my
thoughts on the right track, I reached into the drawer of the bedstand,
and found the Gideons' Bible, and I was going for the Psalms, friend, honest
I was, but I found the Song of Solomon instead. ---Garrison Keillor

lar3ryca <larry@invalid.ca> wrote:

> On 2023-05-05 07:59, J. J. Lodder wrote:
> > Adam Funk <a24061@ducksburg.com> wrote:
> >
> >> On 2023-05-04, charles wrote:
> >>
> >>> In article <3vucijx8qc.ln2@news.ducksburg.com>,
> >>> Adam Funk <a24061@ducksburg.com> wrote:
> >>>> On 2023-05-03, lar3ryca wrote:
> >>>
> >>>>> On 2023-05-03 04:04, J. J. Lodder wrote:
> >>>>>> TonyCooper <tonycooper214@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>> On Tue, 2 May 2023 11:41:05 +1000, Peter Moylan
> >>>>>>> <peter@pmoylan.org.invalid> wrote:
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>> The motivation is obvious: a shower hob, the thing you have to
> >>>>>>>> step over while getting into and out of the shower, is a trip
> >>>>>>>> hazard, and the older you get the more likely you are to trip. You
> >>>>>>>> can count yourself lucky that you still have the balance to be
> >>>>>>>> safe in the shower.
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> It's been discussed before, but describing that part of a shower that
> >>>>>>> one steps over as a "hob" always seems odd to me. I realize it's an
> >>>>>>> accepted term in the UK and - evidently - Australia, but not in the
> >>>>>>> US.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> From Dutch, German, old Germanic, whatever, I guess.
> >>>>>> A 'hobbel' is a bump, for example in a road.
> >>>>>> From 'heffen', to raise.
> >>>>>> (compare also German 'Hobel' for a 'plane', the tool to remove them)
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Also figuratively, for example a 'hobbel die genomen moet worden'
> >>>>>> as an obstacle to progress.
> >>>>>> Survives in English only as a verb, afaik.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> And as a noun. Both spelled 'hobble'.
> >>>>>
> >>>>>> The deliberate speed reducing ones 'verkeershobbels'
> >>>>>> are called 'speed bumps' in English.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I prefer the Norwegian "FartsHumper", or the English "Speed Hump".
> >>>
> >>>> I like the signs for "Humped Zebra Crossing".
> >>>
> >>> But, it's camels (see ealier) who have humps.
> >>
> >> But zebras can get humped (ideally just by other zebras).
> >
> > Hm. Some zebras seem to like horsing around,
>
> Hippies?

They had a hearse once, if memory serves,

Jan