Ask Professor Peabody
Does anyone else find it ironic that the source is a French word.
Attribute it all to the adapability of the English language, which accepts words from practically every other spoken tongue on Earth.
And even some tongues OFF Earth, as portrayed by Harry Turtledove. For example, fans of the “Worldwar” series of novels (eight of them now, including Homeward Bound which was released late last year, quote the word “skelkwank” when referring to a laser, or add an emphatic Lizard cough (which, I believe, appears in other Earth languages) to an interrogatory sentence.
And that pisses off the French to no end.If olive oil is made from olives, what is the source of baby oil
B Badenov
In days of old, when knights were bold, and clocks not yet invented…
How were “clockwise” and “counter-clockwise” rotation described?
Hint: It waas NOT “Rightie-tightie, leftie loosie”
I’ll post the answer later if no one else gets it right.
LC RatPat
BTW, this once again applies today, try to get some “digital age” kid to grasp what “counterclockwise” means… I used to be on the local VFD, and got some very blank stares when training the “Juniors” the intricacies of operating the pumps and manual valves on a fire engine.
Sunwise.
Stin wins the kewpie doll!
The original terms were Doseil meaning “Sunwise” or “With the Sun”
and Widdershins meaning “Against the Sun”. These terms are Scottish Gaelic,
and were in reference to the direction of the dance around the fire in Wiccan
and Druid “activities”.What a wonderful thing the ‘web is…
LC RP
SOS is commonly recognized as the Internatinal Distress Call, mostly because, in Morse Code, it is easy to recognize: dod-dot-dot dash-dash-dash dot-dot-dot or ... --- ...
What was the original “distress call”? Hint: it was transmitted during the RMS TItanic’s last moments.
Rat:
I believe it was “Sh*T. We’re sinking!”
Strike that.
It’s the Brits were talking about.
It would be more like: “If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, would you mind coming round to collect us. It seems were taking on a bit of water.”
Actually it was “CQD” CQ was (and still is) the morse code for “calling” and D for “Distress”.
I remember seeing a vintage black and white Titanic movie on TV years ago, and they got it right. Must have been a British flick, and not some HollyWeird production…Actually, before clockwise and counter-clockwise, there were windward and leeward for you landlubbers out there (if your ship was sailing in circles).
In lieu of electrical communications, there are always flags for ships at sea. For distress they are:
NOVEMBER-CHARLIE (NC): Two square flags .... one in a pretty blue and white checkerboard (N) and the other in horizontal stripes of blue, white, red, white, blue (C).
This flag combination means: I am in distress and require immediate assistance.
http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/flags.htm
SO THERE! You bilge rats!
Well, shiver me timbers…
And if your
is displayed upside down it means “HELP”. Or perhaps the flagman was drunk on duty… 
Since todays “youts” can’t figure out the intricacies of clock hand rotational direction, it is a near certainty that Beowulf would be far beyond their modest capabilities.
http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~beowulf/
Nothing like a little Olde English to totally stump ‘em....
LC RatPat
I’m sort of a “yout” and my watch has “hands” on it thank you.
Digital just doesn’t look classy enough for me.Posted by Annoying Little Twerp
08/23/2005 at 06:33 PM
