h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Genuine Bull Urine? Hmmm... I think I'd prefer that to fake Bull Urine.

Actually urine is pretty clean as it happens and is quite drinkable, but I'd prefer Cream Soda.

Ah, that sounds like it would make a good guide article, things one should generally avoid drinking.

Is it really true, about urine? I recall hearing a story about a 110-year old Chinese man who drank two cups of his own urine every day. I think the fact that he lived that long says enough. But really, though, are we supposed to be drinking it? It's leaving our body for a reason, after all.

And yes, drinks to avoid would make a great guide article. Be sure to include "Windex" and "Pus."

Glob of Sugary Lard

We have that in the Uk, but it goes under the name of 'Mars Bar Deep Fried in Batter'

If you reckon Uric Acid is healthy, then sure, why not? While your at it, I believe arsenic makes a tasty treat in small doses. One of the things your advised in british forces - depending of course on which branch your in - is 'If in the Sahara Desert (or any desert really) and you've run out of fluid and are literally dying of thirst, and no matter how logical this may seem, Do NOT drink your own urine.

Of course, you are also advised that 'If approached by a terrorist who is pointing a sidearm at your head, inform him in a clear, commanding voice "Armed Forces, Drop your weapon or i'll be forced to shoot", three times before unholstering and loading your own weapon, or using any physical deterrent'

- or words to that effect.

So I suppose it's open to debate, really.

There's that military intelligence [sic] at work again!

By the way, does anyone actually remember what sic actually stands for?


(Not the meaning, the expansion.)

sic \Sic\, adv. [L.] (1) Thus. (2) This word is sometimes inserted in a quotation [sic], to call attention to the fact that some remarkable or inaccurate expression, misspelling, or the like, is literally reproduced.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

--
Does this help?

Yeah... it helped me get out of my braindead moment and actually look the thing up.

My dictionary (the smaller, more convenient one that is -- Merriam-Webster, 1974 (oh gadz, I think I need an update )) has a slightly different definition, but basically I knew the meaning...
It's just that when I first hit the net, I kept seeing it as [SIC] (all caps) and someone told me it's an acronym for something but no one remembers what. Guess that'll teach me to trust in others.

Oh, well, perhaps the capitalised acronym isn't an acronym at all; maybe it was supposed to be [SICK] (used to indicate anything unpleasant or disgusting). Or, if it is really an acroyn, it could mean "Surely I Call" or some other combination of words that begin with S, I, or C.

That wasn't very helpful, was it?

*grin* ... guess not.

It just occured to me that in my last posting, I spelled "acronym" as "acroyn." I feel as though I must apologise. It's unacceptable, and embarassing. "Acroyn," when sounded out, sounds something like "a groin." This fact only adds to my overall embarassment.

That was a mistake? Oh dear... I just thought it was an attempt to conserve bandwidth.

Deep Thought's pretty much got it. It's Latin for "thus" and therefore is more or less an abbreviated way of saying "it was this way in the original."

*nods* I know.. I looked it up, and have known what it -meant- for several years now. My question on expansion, however, is now moot, as it was based on the false assumption that "sic" was actually an acronym.

Sorry. Got a bit carried away with the Latin there. I sometimes think etymology excites me a bit too much....

*perk* ... I got a sig for that somewhere... *rumages around*

Here it is...

Etymology, n.:
Some early etymological scholars come up with derivations that were hard for the public to believe. The term "etymology" was formed from the Latin "etus" ("eaten"), the root "mal" ("bad"), and "logy" ("study of").

It meant "the study of things that are hard to swallow."

-- Mike Kellen --

Nifty.

I thought this thread was longer.

It is now

Speaking as a potholer, empty crisp packets are ideal for knot-tying practice - just keep folding in half until you have a long thick ribbon, and then try tying figure 8 (or 9) knots in it without looking. The results are much more compact, and tidier in the ashtrays.

Given that cavers often get to the pub after food-serving hours, and in an enlightened establishment we might end up staying until the small hours of the morning, crisps can be a crucial part of a balanced diet, adding much-needed salt and fat to the ale's carbohydrate, vitamins and ethanol.