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

Hello again Terri

I hope you'll find a nice help through that ad, like you wrote on the EYE-thread. I'm still surprised about how little after care there is. Your health insurance is with a French company, isn't it? But you're still a British citizen, could there possibly be some form of finacial aid from the British state?

What wouldn't Jesus do? *giggles*

Oh, you were talking about duvets and such, I've got a wonderful plaid, a sort of beach towel. I call it "my moss", it's so soft, with broad stripes the colour of olive and light green I'm using it for picknicks, and take it with me as a blanket when I'm not sleeping at home.

Sorry, but what is plaid

Tartan. Think kilts!

zdt

Oh, yes, we have a red inflatable ring toss clown, and you can imagine which part of the clown you toss the rings at!

And day-glo orange monkeys in the bath (a clear vinyl curtain with monkey faces in various expressions, with matching grinning bath mat). And yellow drums for plant stands. And garden gnomes. Etc. All perfectly normal.

Just got some news today. It was inevitable, given my recent promotion... that K heard today that his contract ends in two weeks. Hopefully his agency will land him something else- even better- or the company will place him in a better position there. So, I must ask you all to cross fingers for a couple of weeks, once again.

We could have done without this much excitement!

I like the sound of Geo's t-shirt!!

Lots of good luck for K!!!

I thought plaid is an English word

Looked it up in the dictionary just now, there it says that it's the typical Scottish squared cloth . Plaid in German is just a blanket that you have lying on the sofa, on a balkony chair etc., made of wool or soft fabric. It's decorative, or you can wrap it round your shoulders to warm yourself.

Plaid would be a print similar to Tartan. When I've heard "Tartan" used, it's been to describe a particular plaid pattern.

Weird how terms are used just slightly differently.

It is an English word, I just didn't know what it was. Now you've triggered a memory: I think plaid is like miniature tartan, isn't it? Much smaller squares.

Pretty much. This pattern isn't really "proper" squares, but rather criss-crossing horizontal and vertical lines which form a plaid pattern of squares between them.

I don't mean to imply that I think anyone is dense or anything- just we Americans seem to use words differently with some frequency.

Hhmm, here are some things I would call Plaids, no square patterns, though. http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=5&catalogId=10103&langId=-3&topcategoryId=15594&parentCats=15594*15830*15849&categoryId=15849&cattype=sub

Voila!

http://www.answers.com/topic/plaid

zdt

("kilt" apparently comes from Scandivian "kiltern": to tuck up.)

Pronounced "plad"? I always say "playd", like *to play*.

I've only heard it pronounced "plad". What an interesting language study this is turning out to be!

I've said it before, I'll say it again, I love the quality of people I've met here on hootoo: the sort of people with whom I can discuss work, play, books, film, music, cat poop, mucous, and plaid. For days. Thanks, you guys!

No "real" update on K's work situation other than they want to hold on to him for at least another month. My personal opinion is that they're buying time so they can scramble to find a different position for him.

Here's a disgusting question - but bear with me, I'm not a native speaker. Is 'mucus' the noun and 'mucous' the adjective?

Actually, now that you mention it, I think you're right.

*consults dictionary*

Ivan is 100% correct. So in my previous posting, I should've typed "mucus" instead. My bad. Should've gone with "phlegm".

A fine word, 'phlegm'.

I've only ever heard 'plaid' pronounced 'played'. (Unless we're talking the Welsh word for 'political party', which is pronounced 'plied'.)