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

I don't get either. What is it? Snorting whilst emitting gacky stuff? Ewwww...


az

It's supposed to represent blowing one's tea (or other beverage) through one's nose upon reading a particularly amusing post.

What it represents in the mind of the beholder is another matter enirely...

Yeah, if I say it, it must be ok.

Take your lead from me. Although I didn't realise anyone thought of 'bloody' as a 'swearword'...

One of the milder ones certainly, but swearing nonetheless. Not that it stops me from saying it, of course.

Eco Worrier - I didn't realise anyone thought of 'bloody' as a 'swearword'...

i have a general problem with british swearing, not knowing just how vulgar certain terms are, so i tend to stay away from all of them.

still, i think h2g2 is being very a-retentive here. compared to the anything goes policy at GUT it all seems silly to me.

I find one of the more amusing US/UK differences in swearing and its weight, as it were, crops up in ER.

Now as a mainstream network show, there really isn't much swearing in to at all, with the exception of the Dr. Neela Rasgotra character who is English and says "w a n k e r" quite a lot. No doubt this is inserted into the script as a cute British expression that carries no weight in the US, and is used as a script device to differentiate this character as being from a different place to all of the others.

But of course when it's broadcast over here, the "w a n k" stands out like a sore-thumb, as it's probably about number three on the 'words most offensive to British ears' list after the c and f-words.

Heigh-ho, two nations divided by a common language all over again.

<>

Is it really, GD? I never knew that.


az

My copy of Tony Hawk skateboarding IV for the GameCube suffers from an inappropriate-merchant banker error as well.

In one game, you have to hitch on to the back of a motorbike and sidecar containing a pair of British policeman, as they turn round and try to knock you off (if you'll pardon the expression) with their truncheons.

They shout out a lot of very mild abuse as they do it, but every now and then, one shouts 'w a n k e r' at you, causing great hysterics from whoever is playing the game. The Yanks obviously have a high opinion of our police.

B

On a side-issue, I would imagine that quite a lot of w a n k e r s have sore thumbs.

B

Well, A435584 was rejected for the edited guide first and foremost because one of the italics de jour found the w-word to be the most offensive word in the English language. There were other reasons, but it was basically a case of over their dead body.

I guess it's symptomatic of the extent to which we and the site are watching our backs for the Daily Mail's snipers really - it is just about inconceivable that anyone would defend it these days.

*sigh*

*uses smiley nostalgically*

B

"one of the italics de jour found the w-word to be the most offensive word in the English language."

He should have realised we weren't intending it personally.

In that particular case.

B

The particular italic admitted to me tha their dislike of the word was irrational, but given that the entry had few redeeming features, the decision was taken partly on that basis.

B

If anyone's ineterested, this is a document that includes tables from the Advertising Standards Authority website (from 2000). If it gets yikesed (which, as it's on the ASA site seems unlikely but you never know) there's a convoluted way of getting to it from Ben Goldacre's Bad Science site. It's one of those highly irksome PDFs I'm afraid.

http://www.asa.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/1EAEACA7-8322-4C86-AAC2-4261551F57FE/0/ASA_Delete_Expletives_Dec_2000.pdf

Here's hoping the link works!

Well, that's an entertaining read.

B

And if you read the left-hand column of page 9 out loud and quickly it sounds hilarious.

B

It does rather! 'Shag' at number 11 surprised me, as did 33% of respondants thinking post-watershed documentaries should have the language toned down (page 31).

This is the first time I've really read it beyond the lists: it is enlightening.

" 'Shag' at number 11 surprised me,"

Not half as much as it surprised Gordon Brown.

B

I was surprised by the 2% of 18 - 34 year olds who considered c*** not to be swearing. I mean what? How? Huh? What DO they consider to be swearing? And even more surprised that Jew should be considered to be a term of abuse. I guess it's how you tell 'em.

B

Hmmm.... What about the Norse goddess of fertility, marriage and childbirth?

Can we talk about Frigg?


I guess we can!

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