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

On mature (sic) reflection, Bald Bloke is perfectly correct

being as I'm too lazy and arrogant to bother reading the last few pages I will, for no other reason than sheer asshole-ness, disagree and say that Bald Bloke is most definitely as wrongas wrong can be. In fact, he is King of Wrongolia and on the Incorrect Express calling at Totally Off The Mark station.

Ah cool, calm reasoned debate. The hallmark of the BritEng thread

In response to my current article in the Valentine's issue of
" ~jwf~ kisses and tells " at A961995
Mikey ( a humming mouse ) has posted to me that s/he has seen the film in question and expressed some 'surprise' that I was the SKEEVY guy.

I have had to advise Mikey that I cannot 'officially' reply until I have asked the good folks here what skeevy means. Is it a nice thing? No, eh...

Go on then, tell me. I can take it. I'm an actor.


~jwf~

Speaking for myself and the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, we ain't never heard the word and, just between the two of us, I'm not too disappointed at my ignorance.

It's more of an American slang term, AFAIK -- I've posted some more info and links back on the original conversation if anyone's interested. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/F114083?thread=248275 Mikey

so NOT skeevy. far more likely to be skoovy.

I'm tellin yer.

Is it possible to unsubscribe from any further updates of the English language do you think? I'm not sure I want to spend the time trying to understand that.

why? have you gone all keeved out? or is it just that your metabloogels have smorfed?

I live in New Jersey and I hear people from the greater New York Metropolitan area use this word. I've also heard it used as a verb, as in "I really skeeve that place".

Here is an amusing reference:

http://archive.salon.com/books/col/keil/2001/07/24/late_starter/

Oh my!

How terribly frantibulous! Excroochully hamamorphic...

According to links Mikey put up in the other conversation we were having, 'skeevy' could be Italian or even Japanese in origin but I am surprised no one here made a connection to 'skivvy'.

I am inclined to think 'skeevy' somehow comes from 'skivvy' which is a lowly unskilled (and possibly untrustworthy) worker (usually feamle) assigned the most menial tasks and probably subject to the most unsavoury sexual advances. It also refers to 'skimpy' undergarments, usually men's and usually very, very skimpy.

With all that in mind I can see American college girls coming up with 'skeevy' to refer to unwelcome male attention. The classic plumber's bum crack being the obvious visual connection.

Nonetheless I have now thanked Mikey for the compliment. It is quite gratifying for an actor to realise he has achieved the intended reaction to his character with a single line and few seconds on screen. The real me is not skeevy.

In that light let me say how glad I am to see Livsy back among the living. Not everyone will agree, but I for one appreciate his methods and intentions and would assure him that they are (usually) sucessful with me.


~jwf~

Okay, enough jabberwocking for now.

pendabulously put! I am in contribulatory and bregarious agreement

I noticed something a bit odd the other day when ordering some DVDs on-line. The site said that the title in question was 11.99 including free delivery. But since the delivery is free, the price cannot include it, you can;t include something that doesn't exist. It would be like saying 6 apples for £1 including no bananas which doesn't make sense.

It would be better I thought to say 11.99 for the title and put a note saying 'free delivery on this item' next to it.

Hmm, my usual clear as mud explanation, sorry!

There are lots of misuses of language like this:

This product contains 100% meat.
Ingredients: Meat, salt.

Thats wierd coz the other day I went down me local pub for a quiet beer or dozen and the bar price list did, in fact, state that the £1.75 price a my partuclar tipple did, indeed, include NO free kumquats. So, obviuosly, I watied until I received my no free kumquates before sitting down at a table. And, to be fair to the barstaff, they did serve me my no free kumquats in an acceptable time period after ordering. Shame I cant say the same for the kebab shop down the road that took half an hour to provide me with the accomanying "no free polar bear teeth" that went with my extra large donner. I even questioned them and suggested they give me no free donkey navel fluff instead but apprently their supplier had broken down on the M1 and consequently all the no navel fluff (donkey, gorilla and mountain goat) had perished in the heat. Or at least it would have had there actually been any in the first place. The kebab shop owner was, uinderstanadbly distraught as he had to cancel half his menu for the night and wast even serving burgers. I mean, what choice did he really have? He had no no free donkey navel fluff, no no free gorilla finger nail clippings and no no free mountain goat beard shavings. Poor bloke. I felt sorry for him.

Cheers Gnomon, I wasn;t sure if it was misuse or just me not understanding correct usage!

My personal bugbear is "offer subject to availability" - as if anything isn't subject to availability.

"Reply to witty posting subject to readers possessing a sense of humour and ability to respond"