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

No. I found another one where they were more tolerant towards yankees.

I've just made the very kind of misreading error you were talking about, B'el.

I was looking at a map of the London Underground and spotted a station called Deviants Road.

I was slightly disappointed when it just turned out to be Devons Road.

"I feel a perfect ass."

That makes a nice change from feeling a right

I'm a Northerner, and I once dated a.. well, Midlander. There were a couple of differences in dialect there, and on one occasion I was accused of "having a cob-on".
I looked at my trousers, and protested that I didn't.
Apparently it means I'm grumpy. I thought it meant something else...

I received a really grand insult once

I just wish I knew what it was

(I was driving on the autobahn and couldn't hear the other driver)

I've noticed that there's always a north vs south friction in any country I've ever been. It's usually exacerbated by the dialect difference.

Here in the US, 'good buddy' means what you'd think it means. A guy might slap a friend on the back and call him that. But only in the North.

I've seen that offer of camaraderie done by a northerner to a southerner. He was not aware that in the South, 'good buddy' means bunk-mate, if you know what I mean. The southerner growled, "I ain't yer good buddy"

I don't think we have such differences in meaning here, but then Germany is tiny compared to the USA.

There is an accountancy company in Casablanca who have a sign above the door 'Lays & Fuxa'. For some inexplicable reason, I always misread it!!

New Mexico has its own brand of signs and seems never content unless it can take a simple concept and make it ambiguous.

"Gusty Winds May Exist" is one. But, I recently drove through a neighborhood and say a sign that read "Speed Humps". Naturally I thought of rabbits.

I was still thinking about them when I was jolted by running over what the rest of the country normally calls a 'speed bump' - designed to slow traffic.

I, too, have words which I misread frequently.

as you may know the scandinavian languages are very much alike (as are dutch and german). they share a lot of words and phrases, BUT: there is a whole dictionary of danish and swedish words who are spelt the same but have somewhat different meanings

for example if you ask a swedish cab driver to take you to a 'roligt' place he will drive you to the nearest red light district or something similar

while a danish cab driver will probably drive you to the nearest cemetery...




and i'm told the estonian and finns share a similar dictionary

I guess a German taxi driver would bring you to the 'Rotlicht' district, too.

yeah, while 'roligt' means 'fun' in sweden it means 'quiet' in denmark

I find one thing puzzling ? no matter what languages are spoken, when all are drunkall understand each other

danes...they always get things the wrong way

ah, prof, you're really on to something there!

in my experience all you have to do is get drunk in the local poison and talk plattdeutsch - and bob's your uncle

i've done it in both the netherlands, belgi*m and france - and i had no problems whatsoever

(except remembering the next morning where, who and what i was )

Re - Prof's drunks' understanding each other. You have obviously never been to the bars in Benj'Dia (Casablanca) or Aden!

Neither have I. Are drunks so different there from elsewhere? Or did you mean to imply there aren't any drunks because alcohol is forbidden?

i remember having a few s in the mos eisly cantina

Morocco (I am reliably informed) is the largest producer of wine of any Muslim country. When I asked someone why the wine was not much known outside Morocco, the answer came back, "Because Moroccans drink it all!"

But the drunks in the bars are something else!!