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

An invertebrate veterinarian on the other hand would be little help to guinea pigs . . .

Not just an inveterate flatterer, he or she would need to be an inveterate flattering inebriate.

Gnomon,

"I bring my guinea pigs to an inveterate veterinarian."

That hit a nerve.
Normally, I would "bring" something to the place where I am, or ask someone to "bring" it from where he or she is towards me. I would "take" something to where I am not at present.
Exception:
If I were fixing an appointment with the veterinary surgeon I'd say: "May I bring my dolphin tomorrow morning?"
So, I'll "bring" to you but "take" to someone else.

"Fetch" would involve going to one place to get something to take to another place.

(Oh, dear. This has become complicated since I started.)

That's a hiberno-anglicism. In Irish English you say to the taxi driver, "Bring me to the airport" while in British English you say "Take me to the airport".

So an Irish alien would say "Bring me to your leader!"

*Bring me* as in *Bring me along when you go*? It sounds very friendly!

When I went to school in England, to experience the famous English "sixth year" that lasted two years (three for some), I tried to register as an alien, down at the police station. I was in an international house, and we were all told that this was necessary.

But they wouldn't let me. In pre-EU (pre-EEC even) days the Irish were not aliens to Britain. And indeed I found it a very welcoming place. But an Irish boy in an English public school was such a rarity that they generally assumed I was American.

Ooops!

I meant *Will you bring me along when you go?* which again should be *Will you take me along when you go?* but I believe the *bring* sounds friendlier even if not strictly correct.

...bring me to your leader...(Irish aliens)

And also, you could ask someone if they wouldn't mind "bringing it up the back passage" (in the case of having something delivered, so to speak)

And as to aliens, are there legal ones as opposed to illegal aliens?

Sting once sang
I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien
on Englishman in New York so yes you can have legal aliens (ie people who are legaly allowed to stay/work in a country even though they are not citizens)

On my latest tax form I had to sign that I was "a legal alien or non national ordinarily resident in the state". I'd rather hoped to be an extraordinary alien, but that was not one of the options

D'you know the difference between "unlawful" and "illegal" ?

Unlawful refers to an act or omission which is contrary to Law.

Illegal is a sick member of the genus Aquila.

>> (Oh, dear. This has become complicated since I started.) <<

Now this is the kind of thing I like to see.
It gives meaning to the works of Lewis Carroll to see that people are finally feeling as Free as Alice to publicly admit to the nature of the universe.

Einstein said something similar but only after a life of trying to better his original ideas. For Arthur Dent it was obvious from the beginning that things would only get more complicated.

Sanity is a gradual process; don't rush it.


~jwf~

"Sanity is a gradual process; don't rush it."

[Jo Brand (stand up comic, ample size - I mention that only because she does) referring to her children and "child development" said it's straightforward, there's nothing to it. They crawl, they walk, they talk; it's just like a visit to the pub, in reverse.]

I'm not sure in which direction I'm heading.

>But an Irish boy in an English public school...<
I assume that's 'public' in the English sense i.e. 'private'?

It being "an English public school" and myself not being American . . . em, yes, rather.

That's alright then

It's alright for some.

~jwf~

left handed