English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

2:00 PM

Maybe we should post a link to an online dictionary on the front page and all take a vacation. Put up a sign that says "We got a life. Back when the pineapples are harvested."

Matt Эллен

@Cerberus s/demony/terrifying orc/

Cerberus

@Robusto Yeah!

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@RegDwighт So you're saying that "opacity vs opaqueness" IS GR because the user didn't indicate that they already read the dictionary, and only ISN'T GR once they go on to ask about nuances or usage?

Robusto

How does Mauritius sound for our vacation spot?

RegDwighт

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 I suppose I'm saying that, yes.

Cerberus

2:01 PM

@MattЭллен Oooh I'm sorry, I misapplied some term that your monstrous bureaucracy deems unfitting.

tchrist

Christiansen’s Conjecture: There exists no ELU question so surpassingly GR that a sufficiently creative, motivated, and assiduous writer cannot provide a useful and interesting answer to.

Cerberus

How typical.

Monsters.

RegDwighт

A question can be Off-Topic or GR or NARQ in one wording and perfectly fine in another.

Matt Эллен

@Cerberus just because we're a minority doesn't mean you can sideline our identity!

tchrist

Jetwood has been prowling our borders again:

don't forget the flowchart here either blog.stackoverflow.com/2011/02/are-some-questions-too-simple — Jeff Atwood 5 hours ago

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

2:02 PM

@MattЭллен a persecuted minority at that.

Robusto

@tchrist Robusto's Retort: That's way too much work. Much better to party.

RegDwighт

In an ideal world, the opacity question is a perfect candidate for a Reversal badge.

Matt Эллен

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 exactly!

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

Maybe we should allow high-rep users to answer closed questions, or single-vote-reopen

tchrist

@RegDwighт Do we not live in a world of ideas, O Wideheaded One?

Cerberus

2:03 PM

@RegDwighт As to this zero research: it may conduce to closing here, but I don't think it should be treated as some immoral act. The OP may think that we enjoy answering such questions, or that we just won't answer if the question doesn't interest us (gasp).

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

Or submit answers to be reviewed the way edits get reviewed

Cerberus

@MattЭллен Don't tell me you/we're a "community"!

pukes

tchrist

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Answers are reviewed. It is called voting.

RegDwighт

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 don't forget how many questions we have where people actually have looked it up in a dictionary. So you get those comment exchanges, "please look it up" — "but I did" — "so what did it say" — "it said X" — "so what's still unclear" — "actual question".

Closing as GR is our way of saying, post the actual question.

Matt Эллен

@Cerberus you might be a self hating monster, but I'm here, I'm scary and I'm going to eat your children.

2

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

2:04 PM

@RegDwighт I must have forgotten, actually, because I rarely see that

Matt Эллен

Chant it with me, brother!

@MattЭллен Hahaha.

:D

OMG

2:06 PM

noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

RegDwighт

@Cerberus no, not OMG, OMD.

Matt Эллен

Such bigotry!

tchrist

@MattЭллен I believe that is Cronus’s job.

RegDwighт

Cerberus can't acronym.

Cerberus

RegDwighт

2:07 PM

He must be one happy allot.

Robusto

Who is Allot? Someone sucked his head clean off.

Cerberus

@RegDwighт Hah. Ha.

tchrist

@MattЭллен Bigotes grow on trees now?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.ca/2010/04/…

Robusto

Those are smallotes.

RegDwighт

2:08 PM

@Robusto clearly you have no idea how it works. Someone sucked off the rest of him.

Matt Эллен

@tchrist that's one handsome 'stash

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

Cerberus

The alot is perhaps the most widely known internet thingy around the world.

tchrist

@RegDwighт No, that is a bigote. These are smallotes:

Robusto

@RegDwighт Bigotes, smallotes, and litotes — not!

tchrist

2:08 PM

RegDwighт

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Yeah, that one was responsible for the very first jinx ever in this room.

True story!

Really?

Really.

here comes the link

Was I there?

2:09 PM

3

RegDwighт

Kosmo and I posted the exact same picture. Martha said jinx. It was a premiere.

2

Haha.

1

Feb 9 '11 at 16:34, by Martha

JINX!

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

2:09 PM

blastoff!

tchrist

@Cerberus Sir Leggo Suxalot.

RegDwighт

The posts were so close together, they even had consecutive IDs. Across all rooms of the SE network.

Robusto

Feb 17 '11 at 13:37, by Robusto

Jinx

A jinx, in popular superstition and folklore, is: * A type of curse placed on a person that makes them prey to many minor misfortunes and other forms of bad luck; * A person afflicted with a similar curse, who, while not directly subject to a series of misfortunes, seems to attract them to anyone in his vicinity. * An object/ person that brings bad luck. * A common slang term used when two people say the same thing at the same time, said as a game among children. The superstition can also be referenced when talking about a future event with too much confidence. A statement such as "We'...

And here Robusto explains the jinx custom to @RegDwighт for the very first time.

tchrist

@RegDwighт Vade retro me, Trollanas.

Cerberus

@RegDwighт Dammit, I missed that.

Robusto

2:11 PM

Trollananas. FTFY.

RegDwighт

@Robusto and it was approximately around that time that I didn't grasp it for the very first time. Coincidence?

Cerberus

I wasn't in the room 24/7 yet back then.

@tchrist Tell the lego.

Matt Эллен

-3

Q: Why is it 'an historic'?

Why is it 'an historic...'? Shouldn't it be a historic? You pronounce the h, so.. quality standars blablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablabla...

grammar

Robusto

@RegDwighт That's why we go over this stuff over and over.

Cerberus

@RegDwighт Woah. You didn't know? Noob.

Robusto

2:13 PM

Feb 17 '11 at 13:44, by Robusto

As my son liked to say, "You did your best? That's loser talk!"

RegDwighт

@Cerberus are you Jasper now? Start getting jokes.

its_me

Hi, does anyone know what "in trust for" means? As in "He received nearly 12,000 acres in trust for the landless." (Can I make this a question?)

Robusto

@Cerberus You are so au courante.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

Dammit reg, I was posting that very dupe link when you opened and reclosed the question right out from under me

@its_me google.ca/… See #6, 7

RegDwighт

I am Lightning MacReg.

tchrist

2:16 PM

@Robusto There’s your trollananas.

its_me

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Ah, thanks!

Robusto

@tchrist No showing off your cock rings in chat.

RegDwighт

@Robusto that's not a cock, that's a hare.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@its_me googling define:some_word gives you nice definitions. But usually you have to click "more info" for the extra senses of a word.

RegDwighт

The turquoise ears are a dead giveaway.

Cerberus

2:17 PM

@RegDwighт Ohhh.

tchrist

@Robusto Why not? Can’t talk with your mouth full?

Robusto

@RegDwighт Hare of the dog that bit you. Where is @Cerberus, anyway?

its_me

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 I missed that somehow

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

Even better is the OED, which if you have a library card from an English-speaking country you might have access to: oed.com

Cerberus

@Robusto CourantE?

its_me

2:18 PM

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 I'll see if I can purchase a subscription then :)

Cerberus

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 You know, it used to be accessible. Now it's not, or I have to VPN my my uni.

Thankfully I have two versions on my hard drive.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus hm, they block access by IP? odd

Cerberus

nods

tchrist

@Reg You are too clever by half.

Cerberus

It's slower than off-line versions anyway.

tchrist

2:22 PM

Everyone votes for his own reasons, and everyone makes exceptions to their own rules. It is impossible to agree on an exact set of rules, and even if we did, there would be no way to enforce them. The system is specifically designed such that voting is completely anonymous and nobody has to explain themselves ever. — RegDwighт 17 hours ago

RegDwighт

> to be too confident of your own intelligence in a way that annoys other people

Oh yeah, that's me.

Be annoyed, be very annoyed.

tchrist

There is another meaning.

RegDwighт

I liked this one. Does that annoy you or what?

tchrist

I meant you whoosh so many that they do not appreciate your effort.

But so it always is.

After all, half the people are below average.

RegDwighт

Jul 4 at 15:38, by RegDwight ΒВB

Doesn't matter. All just pearls before swain.

Bah, not the Hideous Room.

The Hideous Room should not be allowed to have flags.

Mahnax

2:26 PM

Ew, that place is hideous.

Why would you do that?

tchrist

I can read this three ways:

Well, that is ... unfortunate. I have expressed my dissent with this closure privately. — Jeff Atwood 5 hours ago

Or maybe more.

RegDwighт

He expressed it in front of a mirror?

tchrist

So I don’t know what it means, and needs must fall back to the literal interpretation.

But even that is unclear.

Is he agreeing with waiwai questioning the Galleria-ness, or is he disagreeing with ELL closing?

must need more coffee

Mitch

No one is talking about the real problems of the day, things where we can have an actual impact, where our iopinioins matter and can shape and direct the future. Namely...

the weather.

And the sound of all that construction going on. please, just let it stop.

Matt Эллен

@Mitch s/iopinions/iOpinions/

Cerberus

2:32 PM

@tchrist The closing must be the closing of ELL.

tchrist

Seriously guys, there is no question that cannot ever have a great answer. So then what?

Cerberus

Privately must mean to that guy who closed it.

Robert?

Matt Эллен

Aye, or the Community Team

Cerberus

Silly name.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

AU PM's speech prompts misogyny definition rethink

tchrist

2:34 PM

@Cerberus Ok, you’re right. I brainskipped "closure" in his response.

Thanks.

Matt Эллен

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 you've got it back to front

tchrist

Una vez más.

Et voilà.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@MattЭллен yeah I finally figured it out

Matt Эллен

I do that all the time

cpx

@Gigili Hi

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

2:35 PM

The comments on that article are hilarious

Cerberus

> "They merely have what we think of as sexism, an entrenched prejudice against women." Ms Butler says Ms Gillard's use of the word prompted the rethink.

Silly.

"Hatred" can of course be used to mean "prejudice" semi-metaphorically/metonymically.

RegDwighт

@MattЭллен s/s\/iopinions\/iOpinions\//s\/iopinioins\/iOpinioins\//

2

Cerberus

There's nothing special about that.

No need to change definitions.

Gigili

Oh hullio @cpx, nice to see you here again.

tchrist

@RegDwighт –1 for gratuitous Leaning Toothpick Syndrome.

Or the Teepee Problem.

Cerberus

2:37 PM

@Gigili Is your new SIM working at last??

I've been waiting for so long!

tchrist

And I ain’t talkin’ toilet paper.

RegDwighт

@tchrist yeah yeah put your –1 in a hat and eat it.

tchrist

hasnohat

been by lately?

Matt Эллен

what are you doing with nohat?

is it "the safety dance"?

tchrist

lo que le dé la gana

Robusto

2:40 PM

So ... work question. One of my colleagues is getting taken out to lunch by the boss for a 'come to Jesus' meeting. I know about it. Should I confide in my colleague on what to expect, or stay out of it?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus Well, more importantly are all the people who seem to believe that if people use a word to mean something, but that word also means something else, those speakers must be wrong and the dictionary shouldn't support their wrongness.

@Robusto do you mean literally "come to jesus"?

RegDwighт

@Robusto how do you know what to expect?

Robusto

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Metaphorically. Shape up or ship out kind of thing.

tchrist

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 No, this is an idiom.

Cerberus

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Umm what do you mean?

Robusto

2:41 PM

@RegDwighт Because I am a prized employee in whom the manager confides.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus read the comments

tchrist

Is either a close friend?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@tchrist I haven't heard that one before

Cerberus

Do I have to? I don't want to.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus well, that's what I mean. those people.

Matt Эллен

2:42 PM

@Cerberus if you don't, you won't get desert.

Robusto

Not close. My colleague is a gamer and movie enthusiast, and he and his girlfriend have visited my house, we've gone out to dinner as couples, etc.

tchrist

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 It’s a dressing down.

user19161

@Robusto It's up to you, either option is fine.

Cerberus

@Robusto Would your boss see it as a serious breach of trust? If not, tell your colleague something vague, but do alert him.

tchrist

What possible benefit — or detriment — might you gain or risk in doing this? In not doing it?

These are always the questions.

Robusto

2:44 PM

Yeah, I'm thinking it's a no-win for me if I say anything.

tchrist

I think so, too.

Gigili

@Cerberus Haha, it is! I've been playing chicken run since umm 10 in the morning or something.

user19161

@Cerberus Why is it a breach of trust?

Cerberus

Because the boss confided in Rob.

Robusto

I'll just make myself available later for commiseration.

Matt Эллен

2:45 PM

@Gigili the film?

Cerberus

It could be, doesn't have to be.

Gigili

@MattЭллен Umm, the game?

Cerberus

@Gigili Oh God, you've become a total addict!

So are you happy with it?

Matt Эллен

@Gigili is it based on the film?

user19161

@Cerberus As in he told him to keep it a secret?

Cerberus

2:45 PM

@Gigili I'm glad you found the Right Path of the Nexus, even though you took a few roundabouts.

tchrist

@JasperLoy He should not have to.

Cerberus

@JasperLoy I don't know, I was trying to figure this out; but Rob said his boss "confided" in him, and some level of confidentiality is to be naturally expected.

user19161

@Cerberus Ah, that is vague. I am sure Rob knows what to do, let's leave it to the man.

tchrist

@Cerberus Absolutely.

Gigili

@MattЭллен Oh no, not at all. Or is it? You just shake/flip your phone to help the chicken jump or something like that.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

2:47 PM

I agree. say nothing, unless you value your friendship with your colleague more than your employment with your boss.

Cerberus

@JasperLoy He asked.

Gigili

@Cerberus Yes, it's an awesome phone. Thank you.

Matt Эллен

@Gigili this one?

Cerberus

@Gigili Don't accidentally throw it against the wall.

Mitch

@MattЭллен my medcations cause a variabilty in production of 'i's.

Cerberus

2:48 PM

@Gigili Yay! I'm now going to try and convince my uncle to buy one too.

tchrist

@Mitch Turn down the freezer.

user19161

@Cerberus But what is wrong with the boss telling X about Jesus or Rob telling X about the boss going to do that? Both are fine. Nobody is killing anyone.

tchrist

@JasperLoy Jasper, Jesus does not enter into this equation.

user19161

8 mins ago, by Robusto

So ... work question. One of my colleagues is getting taken out to lunch by the boss for a 'come to Jesus' meeting. I know about it. Should I confide in my colleague on what to expect, or stay out of it?

Cerberus

@JasperLoy "Jesus" supposedly means he's going to tell his employee that he needs to do x better or he will be kicked out.

As in sacked.

Mitch

2:50 PM

@Robusto all depends. How good a restaurant is it? Also, will Jesus really be there or is it just talk?

Cerberus

8 mins ago, by Robusto

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Metaphorically. Shape up or ship out kind of thing.

user19161

@Cerberus Is that what "come to Jesus" means? Gosh!

Matt Эллен

@JasperLoy definition of "come to jesus meeting"

Cerberus

@JasperLoy We didn't know either.

tchrist

@JasperLoy Jeezis.

Matt Эллен

2:50 PM

@Cerberus nope. only just heard it today

Mitch

@tchrist then I don't have enough.

tchrist

come to jesus meeting: A meeting where someone close to you (e.g. friend, family, etc.) are confronted over behavior that's causing consternation that's negatively effecting your relationship.

Mitch

I have no problem with p.

user19161

@tchrist The standard form in this room is "geezis".

tchrist

@JasperLoy Is that the geezer’s wife?

Cerberus

2:51 PM

9 mins ago, by Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@tchrist I haven't heard that one before

It's not that common, apparently.

tchrist

@Mitch He remarks, speaking ex catheter.

Cerberus

@MattЭллен A regional expression, apparently.

tchrist

No.

Merkin.

Merka != Region

Cerberus

That's what I said.

A region.

tchrist

No, it isn’t.

user19161

2:52 PM

Now I wonder what a "come to Gautama meeting" would mean.

tchrist

Plus it is actually bizspeak.

Cerberus

You should be glad I'm not even bashing it (yet).

tchrist

Mercia = Region

Go look up annoying bizspeak, and come back when you’re disgusted enough.

Cerberus

Within the (former) Commonwealth, that particular country is a region.

tchrist

I have no clue what that means.

Go see Jesus. He wants a word with you.

Cerberus

2:54 PM

If it's not a regionalism, then what is it?

tchrist

bizspeak.

Corporate blather.

Don’t make me link you.

The secret and annoying “incentivize” is not particularly well-loved. — tchrist Oct 7 at 16:56

It lives with those.

Nuff sed.

Robusto

@JasperLoy Jesus, not you. "Geezis" is a euphemism I introduced to this room in an attempt to confound the pineapples. It worked, apparently.

simchona

Do my eyes deceive me?

and yet, there is a precedent for this pattern within the network already: mathoverflow.net is for graduate level and above math problems, and math.stackexchange.com is for everything else. Math seems as basic and fundamental a topic as English to me, and can support a similar split. — Jeff Atwood 6 hours ago

user19161

@Robusto Hey I know. In case that was not another whoosh.

Transcript for

English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…