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

A dubplate is a test pressing from a Jamaican recording studio. It is not whatever dumb house record you just bought from HMV.

Can someone suck the earnestness out of the woman on 6Music's voice? I really want to believe the music matters *that much* but I can't. This trend of ending the sentence with a rise and drop of pitch and absurd sense of import really grates; especially when it's announcing a session by Kitchens Of Distinction or something. I blame Clarkson.

Blame the rise in pitch at the end of a sentence on Neighbours. I have it on good authority that it is an Oz thing.

PP

Ah, the AQI? But this is a penultimate rise with a final thud of a drop.

Imagine Jeremy Clarkson, about to drive away, saying something like

"I wanted to believe this new Jaguar series would disappoint... I couldn't have BEEN MORE WRONG."

Or just listen to 6Music for 20 minutes

This "axe" thing is often a CarrIbean or CarribEan thing isn't it?

I get frustrated with mysalf because I don't know where the emphasis should be in the word Carribean. Over to the H2G2 pronounciation unit (that is the pro-nun-sea-ay-shun or pro-noun-sea-ay-shun unit).

PP

And I'm sure that I've mentioned PIN numbers before.

So that's Personal Identification Number Number then!

PP

And "previous history" (often used in my area of work - mental health / forensic sort of thing).

This term "previous history" is used so as to prevent confusion with "Current History" or "Future History".

Got to go any lie down again, sorry.

PP

"It's in the draw."

No it damn well isn't it's in the drawer."

That's nothing! The other day in the shopping centre, I saw a big guy carrying a cardboard carton that said it contained a 'draw unit'. Did it contain an Etch-A-Sketch? An easel and chalks? No - it held to judge by the picture on the side a flimsy plastic set of file *drawers*!!!!

Pacific - specific - yes,
Borrow - lend - double
Bring - take though I get this one with ESOL students and from them it is at least excusable.

Vicky

PIN Number is an example of RAS Syndrome, or Redundant Acronym Syndrome, err, Syndrome.

Well when you barter you are quite likely to haggle.

"Fix my roof for an apple pie?"

"No, but I'll do it for an apple pie and a strawberry tart."

They are in regard to other words and their meanings so close that they caould be andd indeed are considered interchangeable by a lot of people.

I can sympathise though I was nearly fuming when on QI I heard Stephen Fry saying dry cleaning was not really dry cleaning because it used liquids. Well unless any of those liquids contained water it is "dry" cleaning because dry as I learnt in chemistry refers to the absence of water not liquids other than H2O.

Thing is I did know what he meant, which is the important thing with language. If you are confused about where to look for knives or if you get very worried if when someone is going to "axe you about going out on Friday." I think it would be better ie. simpler, easier to facillitate than getting all those other people to change and save you a lot of aggravation if you just gave a little lattitude to the different ways that people use language.

Blickybadger,

are you promoting tolerance? I really hate that. In my opinion, tolerance should be stamped out!

PP

What could drive a man to commit acts of such neutrality?

Ok, I've been trying for about five minutes to say them so they sound different but I can't. Draw and drawer sound exactly the same to me. Am now frustrated that there is something I should be getting all cross about but I can't see (or rather hear) what it is.

I hate having to haggle, although my brother is really good at it and does it in normal shops. He often gets discounts or extra stuff thrown in. Don't know how he does it really, never works when I try.

>Draw and drawer sound exactly the same to me.

We need to know which accent the original poster was using, in order to appreciate the difference.

"PS, a majority of voters thought Labour were socialists.

The bigger the lie..."

You reckon SWL?

I might have missed something but I thought the whole idea of the "New Labour" project was that Blair and Brown realised no "avowedly socialist" party were ever likely to win another election again so went to great lenghts to paint themselves as Centrist and distance themselves from the idea of socialism.

The abolition of Clause 4 and all that....

To the pundits and anyone taking an interest it may have been clear what New Labour were about, but for the vast bulk of voters it wasn't.

Never overestimate the intelligence of the "Great British Public". This is an electorate easily swayed by soundbites, hairstyles and cheesy grins.

In 1997 the choice for most people was clear - continue with the same tired faces who were clearly lying threw their teeth, or go for the new kids on the block with the catchy theme tune.

In 1997, people still thought in terms of Left and Right just as many still do today, despite the difference between the parties ostensibly being no wider than a cigarette paper.

In the end, Labour will be kicked out when enough people realise they've been lied to and the cycle will continue.

Well I think you fundamentally misread the situation SWL (funny that).

There was a massive difference between how Labour were viewed in 1992 and 1997. They basiacally convinced loads of new people to vote for them in '97 on the gorunds that they were not a socialist party any more but a centrist one.

They have gone on aobut this also ever since they got elected. Now I dont lilke them, but I dont think you can deny that they have been successful in what they are trying to do. They have won 3 elections and may well win a 4th.

I do not think for a second that an awoedly "socialist" part would have done this. Even if I would have agreed with more of what they say.

Did a *massive* unit at uni about "new laobur" and the 97 win. I suggest you read a book called "The New British Politics".

Or maybe he just thinks all voters are stupid? I happen to think most voters are only too well aware of the games politicians play but generally vote for the party best able to realistically run the country, however poor they are. I think most people are well aware that you vote for the lesser of two evils. And however defective democracy is, I still reckon it's by far the best system we have.

No FB, I think you bring your own knowledge and interest to the subject and it skews your viewpoint.

The average bod on the street has two major influences on how he votes:

1) That mornings newspaper headlines
2) How much money he has in his pocket.

Nobody ever got it wrong in politics by playing to the lowest common denominator.

>The average bod on the street has two major influences on how he votes:
1) That mornings newspaper headlines
2) How much money he has in his pocket.


also, how nicely the candidate smiles.