A Conversation for Ask h2g2

Plurals again..

Post 1921

Mustapha

Also one can can eat pizza, which doesn't reveal how many slices one consumes. But you can purcase two or three pizzas, when you want more than one pie.

Bacon and Porridge both refer to the food itself, and could be regarded as collective nouns.

It would be a different story for cornflakes if they were called Flaked Corn.

Would you eat a bowl of Flaked Corn for breakfast?


Plurals again..

Post 1922

Kaeori

No,no, no... cornflakes are discrete, so you can have one or more, whereas porridge is, er, continuous (which is why mathematicians like it!smiley - winkeye).

Bacon is neither, but needs a qualifier just like toast, i.e. 3 rashers of bacon and two slices of toast.

Now, just where does the word 'rasher' come from - my dictionary doesn't know?

smiley - coffee


Plurals again..

Post 1923

Mustapha

Ooh, ooh, mine does!

Rasher is of Scandinavian origin, from rasch meaning quick or rash. Rasher refers to something that is hastily cooked or roasted. Also people used to say something was rashed, if it was burnt in cooking.


Plurals again..

Post 1924

Kaeori

*shreds useless dictionary*

smiley - coffee


Plurals again..

Post 1925

Is mise Duncan

I think the rahser of bacon is unlikely to be related to the word "rash"...does anyone know what the Irish word for bacon is?


Plurals again..

Post 1926

Kaeori

Sorry, DJ, but Gnomon's on his hols!

Baykun, perhaps?smiley - winkeye

smiley - coffee


Plurals again..

Post 1927

Nikki-D

Well ! It's obvious that 'rhaser' doesn't come from rash - the letters are in the wrong order.

It's like saying goally is related to jail ... no, that's not right ...

*shreds useless brain* (thanks for the idea Kaeori)


Plurals again..

Post 1928

Is mise Duncan

smiley - tongueout


Plurals again..

Post 1929

Kaeori

I think I'm in h2g2 heaven - looksmiley - whistle:

smiley - cappuccinosmiley - cappuccinosmiley - cappuccino

The smiley world has exploeded into life!

smiley - ufosmiley - bleepsmiley - moonsmiley - planetsmiley - starsmiley - earthsmiley - mars


smiley - cappuccino


Plurals again..

Post 1930

Argon0 (50 and feeling it - back for a bit)

smiley - tea


Plurals again..

Post 1931

Kaeori

Ooh, must have been a quiet weekend.smiley - huh

smiley - coffee


Plurals again..

Post 1932

Wand'rin star

Thanks to typhoon Utor, I left Thursday evening at 7pm and got in today(Monday) at mid-day, having spent the morning going round the wholesale haberdashery market, Wonderful - I've been here nearly 3 years and have only just discovered the three streets of buttin-makers and sequin makers and ribbon makers. I bought five quidsworth and now have to return to the silk market in Shenzhen to get some material to put the notions on. God, life's hard! smiley - smileysmiley - star


Plurals again..

Post 1933

Kaeori

Er, let me see if I've understood you, WS: you get hit by a raging typhoon, which sends you into a sewing frenzy?smiley - weird

Notions?smiley - huh

smiley - cappuccino


Plurals again..

Post 1934

Wand'rin star

Yes, that's it in one.
The typhoon actually missed by enough to make it possible to go out and shop (having wreaked havoc on the porch plants)
Notions is a collective term for buttons and bows.
*muses I wonder if any other verb can be used with havoc*smiley - star


Plurals again..

Post 1935

Kaeori

Caused havoc?

My stupid dictionary doesn't mention this meaning of 'notions'. Ah, that's the beauty of this thread - always learning new things.smiley - smiley

smiley - cappuccino


Plurals again..

Post 1936

Is mise Duncan

"cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war?"


Plurals again..

Post 1937

Kaeori

Create havoc?

Play havoc, even!smiley - smiley

And DJ, I noticed your little indiscretion!smiley - bigeyes

smiley - coffee


Plurals again..

Post 1938

Kaeori

I meant...

smiley - cappuccino


Plurals again..

Post 1939

~ jwf ~ scribblo ergo sum

Havoc ensued...

Notions is one of them words that has an associated pairing word like salt and pepper, buttons and bows, notions and ???? (We, that is to say, I may be basing this on 40 year old North American retail memories of Woolworth's and Kresge's type five and ten cent department stores, where notions and ???? would be a separate department. Buttons and bows would be in this department. So would thread, needles, wool...smiley - bigeyes)
Arrgghhh. smiley - run


Plurals again..

Post 1940

~ jwf ~ scribblo ergo sum

PS: While havoc may have other verbs, I believe wreaked is lost without havoc.


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