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

I have just read my previous posting and realised that our Scotsman may then have been misinterpreted as having shouted "I am going to drown someone, please save me." Is there no end to ambiguity? This demonstrates nicely the advantage of short sentences. "I am drowning." "Please rescue me."

Try "HELP!". Shorter still.

(I think) derives from Fridgedaire (sp?) who were American manufacturers of some of the first domestic ones.
Pun on frigid air? Anyway, they didn't want anything that sounded like frig,although I think that's a British rather than an American f word,

Like you I always put a 'd' in my fridge, refridgerator and fridgidaire. Always have, always will. Have you looked in a dictionary recently?

My dictionary says.... no it is not a speaking dictionary... It is written in my dictionary that the correct spelling is 'refrigerator'.
'HELP!'

Are you accusing me of spelling it any other way? I was just trying to circle round the derivation of fridge()
I was driven to my dictionary, which gives "fridge n. (informal) refrigerator"
Also frig seems to mean mess about, rather than what I thought it was. I was misled by "frigging in the rigging" on the Good Ship Venus

Presumably the word refrigerator comes from "frigid" meaning cold. There should certainly not be a "d" in it. I have seen refrigerator abbreviated as "frig" in old American books. (1950s and 1960s). It never looked right as it looks like it has a hard "g" like in "big". Spelling it "fridge" indicates the correct pronunciation.

I am aware of the current word "frig" with some sexual connotation, but I don't think this is anything to do with it.

Your derivation is unchallenged. I have always spelled the word and its siblings with a 'd', but Percy is right, as are all the dictionaries here, they all say no 'd'. Refrigerator.

I think that frigging can mean what you think it means, but in an innocuous way for TV consumption etc. (Didn't we do this before?)

I know it doesn't have to be a happy occasion if you are celebrating, but it has rather come to have that connotation. Were you really celebrating Oscar Wilde's demise or commemorating it?

The German numbering system

I have lived in Germany for a long time now and have never heard the word Billion used (except by people translating directly and badly from an American text). They use Milliarde.

However, according to the definitive dictionary (Duden) though, the word does exist and means "a million million or a thousand 'Milliarde' - ten to the power of 12). The Swiss use the word "billionth" (the fraction) to mean ... wait for it: one eighth (again, according to Duden)

Thus a 'Milliarde' is 1000 million. A Billiarde (honestly!!) - a word derived from the French - is ten to the power of 15 - a thousand billion.

Why has this forum turned into a list of questions? Answers are slow coming these days.

Did we? Sorry. The memory's not what it was, you know.(unless it's connected with points of English language, that is)

I don't know why but from the first invitation/suggestion it was called "celebration", possibly in the same sense as "Henry V's exploits are celebrated in Shakespeare's play of the same name".And not all celebrations of mass are for joyous occasions.
Commemorate sounds a bit too solemn for what went on yesterday.

You were celebrating his life (Yay, what a funny line!) and not celebrating his death (Yay, he's dead). I think commemorate applies to the manner of death, whilst celebrate applies to the life before hand. Hence why you don't celebrate Armistice Day, I hope

Absolutely. Always buy poppies,listen to or watch services. Definitely commemorate.
On the other hand, the best funeral I've been to, because the most true to the life of the dead, was definitely a celebration of it. "We are here to give thanks for the life of G"

I like the title *Oscar* WS - I am sure you deserved one, too, for your "Handbag".

Is there a drama society on H2G2 yet?

Drama soc? Wouldn't that encompass the whole membership? Various degrees of role-playing,more or less pretentious persona adoption(some more than others' less)Ham fat in abundance is evidence of thespian ubiquitousness

True

*exits to standing ovation* (even those bits you can put in yourself.!!)

Why is the dog's bollox good?

I think this term comes from observation. The dog seems to *love* the taste of them, so they can't be that bad.

Welcome, Inkwash, to the conversation, however you appear not to have read the last 2496 posts. The subject to which you refer is banned, it is an ex:subject, the subject is no more, it has gone to that great essay in the sky, it is, in short.....what was the word??

Dead, demised, defunct, gone west, shuffled off this mortal coil, gone to meet it's maker, six feet (or four?) under. Should we celebrate this? Or commemorate it?

There are too many Cockneys in London, that's for sure...

... because last night's ridiculous 'hot' debate was whether 'twelfth' should be pronounced 'twelth' (gets my vote), 'twelf' (Cockney favorite) or the full 'twelfth' (which I think is impossible).