English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

@skopp yeah. I was surprised when I saw it, but I don't know the motivation. I didn't think it was racist, but I'm a privileged white man, so what do I know :D

skopp

What is it?

Mahnax

@MattЭллен You like them too? Neato.

user19161

After seeing that ELU question, every time I walk past Victoria's Secret, I would ask myself: What is Victoria's secret?

skopp

@MattЭллен it's about SA. Seen Evil Boy?

Cerberus

Oh, we celebrate the supposed birthday of St Nicholas in Holland and some other countries. Santaclaus is derived from him.

skopp

9:07 PM

People think it's about sick subliminal penises and ... again, it's racist

Cerberus

But we celebrate Christmas separately, and without a Santaclaus.

Matt Эллен

@skopp no. I've not heard much SA music. Die Antwoord got a lot of Youtube coverage, so that how I came across them

user19161

Is @skopp from SA?

Matt Эллен

@Mahnax yeah :D They have a good beat and I like how they look

KitFox

@skopp Well, I can't speak for the average TV/media consumer. I'm not that stupid. Also, I lived with a scholar of religion for five years, so I know more about Islam that most 'consumers.'

skopp

9:08 PM

@MattЭллен I wont post the full link. append to youtube's url: watch?v=RTH38t6W3iI

@JasperLoy you asking me or the room?

Mahnax

@MattЭллен I agree. They're very different from what I normally listen to, but I like them.

user19161

@skopp You.

skopp

Oh. Yes.

anyway, back to writing this thing. Need the cash

peace

Matt Эллен

CU

Cerberus

Bai.

Mahnax

9:12 PM

I'm going to go eat something. See you all later!

Matt Эллен

CU

I was going to do something online, but I can't think what it was

user19161

@matt said two consecutive CUs.

Matt Эллен

it's true. I didn't copy paste though. I typed all the characters out by hand

Cerberus

Bai!

Haha.

user19161

Copy pasta would have taken more strokes.

Matt Эллен

9:16 PM

true

If I have to do it more than thrice, I should really write a function anyway

user19161

I remember we talked about using thrice in this chat.

user19161

How thrice sounds pretentious, but then it really is a simple word to me.

Matt Эллен

►

KitFox

Going sledding. Back later.

Matt Эллен

have fun!

avoid sledding into traffic :S

user19161

9:18 PM

Can someone tell me what sledding means?

Matt Эллен

sledging

no?

user19161

And what does sledging mean?

tchrist

Jan 14 at 14:44, by RegDwighт

@JasonBourne I upvote every post of yours thrice.

user19161

@tchrist LOL

Matt Эллен

a sledge or sled is a thing that you put at the top of a hill and sit on and ride down, when the hill is covered in snow

user19161

9:19 PM

@MattЭллен Yeah I know that one.

Matt Эллен

so sledding is the act of doing that

user19161

She is really doing that???

Matt Эллен

sounds like :D

tchrist

Aug 23 '12 at 14:42, by tchrist

But now in the western battle Fingon was surrounded by a tide of foes thrice greater than all that was left to him, and the Balrogs came against him.

user19161

@MattЭллен I don't even get to do that in my dreams...

Matt Эллен

9:21 PM

@JasperLoy I don't think I've ever dreamt of sledging

user19161

@MattЭллен But I often dream of flying.

user19161

In my dreams, I often fly without wings...

Matt Эллен

I haven't done it, I think. I have ridden a bread tray down steps, though

user19161

It has happened so often I wonder why.

Matt Эллен

similar experience, less snow, more danger

user19161

9:22 PM

In my dreams I will fly in the air a few metres above people.

Matt Эллен

@JasperLoy I don't know. dreams are explicable only to the person having them, and then only in the most vague of ways

user19161

Let's just say I had about 100 of such dreams already...

Cerberus

It's funny how many colloquial words for prison there are.

The big house, gaol, jail, prison...

Matt Эллен

clink

Cerberus

In Dutch gevangenis, nor, lik, bajes...

Matt Эллен

9:29 PM

porridge

bird

Cerberus

Clink? Porridge? See, I have never even heard of those.

user19161

Life is a big prison, lol.

Cerberus

Nor of Bird.

Matt Эллен

(although porridge and bird refer to the time spent)

Cerberus

And then there are lots of expressions too, like doing time, in English, moeten zitten in Dutch...

user19161

9:30 PM

Do Brits often eat porridge @matt?

Matt Эллен

thefreedictionary.com/clink

Cerberus

So how would you use bird?

Matt Эллен

@Cerberus "Harry's gone to do bird in [name of prison]"

user19161

@Cerberus I use bird to mean penis.

Cerberus

Ah OK.

We also have "op water en brood", on water and bread.

Thank you, Jasper.

user19161

9:31 PM

Or maybe that should be birdie? lol

Cerberus

That's a golf term.

One below par, I think.

Matt Эллен

aye

Cerberus

OK.

KitFox

Sledging? You're kidding.

Matt Эллен

@KitFox it's what we call it in the Motherland

KitFox

9:33 PM

Weird.

Matt Эллен

@Cerberus there used to be a UK sitcom called "Porridge", set in a prison

KitFox

It's not a sledge. It's a sled.

Matt Эллен

It's a sledge to us

KitFox

A sledge is much too big.

tchrist

@Cerberus slammer, joint, clink, can, cooler

user19161

9:34 PM

How about a sleigh?

KitFox

A sleigh is about sledge-sized.

Cerberus

@MattЭллен Ah yes.

Matt Эллен

Sleigh is way too big to go and play on

KitFox

A troika?

Anyway, I was just getting my gloves.

later.

tchrist

@MattЭллен We’ve been through this sled, sledge, sleigh thing before, and we determined that the Welsh talk funny.

Matt Эллен

9:35 PM

0

Q: Origin of slang "doing a bid" for prison time?

Going to prison is called "doing a bid". What's the history behind that? Is it based on "doing bird" (based on being locked up like a bird)?

Cerberus

@tchrist Ah yes, joint. Never heard the others.

Matt Эллен

@KitFox CU

@tchrist that they do.

all Ls, Ds, Ws and Ys

user19161

@MattЭллен If bird means penis, doing bird means? LOL

tchrist

15

Q: Differences between "sledge", "sleigh" and "sled"

Is there a difference between a sledge, a sleigh and a sled? Dictionary definitions suggest they are synonymous, but it certainly sounds wrong to refer to Santa Claus on a sledge.

differences synonyms dialects variants

Dec 21 '12 at 3:17, by tchrist

Is that a sled or a sleigh?

Dec 21 '12 at 3:07, by tchrist

I do not understand the difference between a sled and a sleigh.

Dec 11 '12 at 6:03, by MετάEd

Time for me to mount the sleigh.

user19161

A sleigh is something that Santa rides on, QED.

user19161

9:39 PM

A sled is something that KitFox rides on.

user19161

A sledge is something that others ride on.

Matt Эллен

@JasperLoy well I never!

user19161

@MattЭллен You never did bird!

tchrist

Dec 21 '12 at 3:25, by tchrist

@JasperLoy She did, though.

Matt Эллен

@JasperLoy quite

tchrist

9:40 PM

Dec 21 '12 at 3:28, by tchrist

Matt Эллен

@tchrist I've even upvoted Bazza. I forget so much

tchrist

Dinosaur chariots!

Matt Эллен

the best kind

tchrist

Dec 21 '12 at 3:29, by tchrist

You just know they must be Highly Unamused.

Cerberus

Haha.

> I read with great interest about the Satanic Child Abuse panic.

user19161

9:42 PM

Pardon my ignorance, but I have not really seen people riding on ostriches until now.

Matt Эллен

I'm surprised the ostrich are coöperating at all

Cerberus

Is this acceptable?

Maybe move with great interest?

Matt Эллен

it's acceptable

kinda old style

Cerberus

OK thanks.

Matt Эллен

I can imagine Phileas Fogg saying it

Cerberus

9:43 PM

Yeah it is a bit formal.

Matt Эллен

or his man, at least

tchrist

I’m not sure I’d call what’s happening with the chariots “coöperating”.

Cerberus

I am correcting someone's e-mail.

Matt Эллен

@tchrist :D perhaps not

Cerberus

How else would you say it? With an additional sentence, "...and it was very interesting"?

Well, I'm not going to correct things that merely sound a bit stiff in an e-mail.

Matt Эллен

9:44 PM

you could just move the "with great interest" to be after "Satanic Child Abuse panic"

user19161

Hey @cornbreadninja麵包忍者

Cerberus

Yeah OK, that's what I was thinking.

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

@aediaλ yes'm! They are delicioso. Vanilla creme. They are in a silver 60th anniversary package.

user19161

Mian Bao Ren Zhe, LOL.

Cerberus

Or in front...but that sounds even more formal.

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

9:45 PM

thinks

Matt Эллен

@Cerberus it shifts the focus from the reading to the panic, which is probably appropriate

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

@JasperLoy I got nuthin'.

Cerberus

How about "I have read about x with great interest"?

@MattЭллен Yeah, the placement is just a little bit off.

KitFox

"When's [my MiL] coming home?" "Five days, Gramma." "Oh, five more days?" "Yes." "When's [my MiL] coming home?" sighs "Tonight, Gramma." "Oh, OK."

Cerberus

Haha oh, dear.

tchrist

9:47 PM

Oh my. I just looked out the window: it’s snowing heavily. We may get as much as a foot by tomorrow night when it stops.

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

@aediaλ that's a good idea. I've already had a few small packages of those Cadbury mini eggs.

Matt Эллен

@KitFox that's an odd pattern. she wants your MiL back?

Cerberus

Time for a bus stop in the hallway.

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

@tchrist please don't send it here.

tchrist

Don’t reckon I’ve much choice.

KitFox

9:48 PM

@MattЭллен It's her daughter.

Matt Эллен

@Cerberus that would be fine, but would indicate something slightly different

KitFox

Seems like she's popping over here every five seconds. Or calling me on the phone.

Matt Эллен

@KitFox I see. Gramma D feels more secure when your MiL is around?

tchrist

Didn’t Mahnx just say he got a foot?

Matt Эллен

which would make sense

user19161

9:49 PM

I have two feet.

Cerberus

@MattЭллен Yeah...this professor suggested that he should read about x, and he did, so now he's telling the prof. how interesting a subject it is.

KitFox

@tchrist We got a foot two, three days ago.

@MattЭллен My MiL takes care of her here, in her home.

She's on vacation, so we're filling in.

user19161

I didn't know staycation is actually a word.

Matt Эллен

I see.

user19161

At this rate, anything will become a word.

Matt Эллен

9:51 PM

@Cerberus then I would stick with I read. I have read could imply that the reading was done before the suggestion. Although it might not.

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

@JasperLoy anything already is a word.

user19161

@cornbreadninja麵包忍者 Trying to LOL

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

QED. I think.

Matt Эллен

@KitFox that's got to be tough. I know my uncle looks after my granddad. he doesn't relish it.

Cerberus

@MattЭллен Hmm OK.

Matt Эллен

9:53 PM

@cornbreadninja麵包忍者 lol

Cerberus

> I would be curious to know what you think.

KitFox

@MattЭллен It's harder for them than me. I met her when she was still lucid, but she was already in decline by then.

One more round of sledding, then time for dessert!

Cerberus

I would like to know what you think? I would like to hear your opinion?

Matt Эллен

@KitFox My granddad is still basically fine, just can't see or hear too well. Makes conversation hard.

@KitFox woo!

Cerberus

Have fun!

user19161

9:54 PM

Time for just desserts and not just deserts, LOL.

Matt Эллен

@Cerberus the way with curious seems natural. a little fawning, but then that's expected of a student to a prof.

Cerberus

Heh.

But "I would be curious"?

I don't know, somehow I don't like it.

I would be interested to know what you think?

Matt Эллен

@Cerberus yeah. the hedging implies a sort of guardedness that means they don't expect an answer — it's at the prof's leisure

tchrist

I don’t understand the question.

Cerberus

@MattЭллен Yeah that's what he means...but...I don't know. I am glad you find it acceptable at least.

Matt Эллен

9:57 PM

@Cerberus simliar to "I would like to hear what you think"

but curious makes it sound grander

Cerberus

@MattЭллен Yeah, but somehow it sounds better with like.

tchrist

May I suggest that he already is curious?

Matt Эллен

maybe the vodka's gone to my head

user19161

@MattЭллен Vodka bucketwise is not wise.

Matt Эллен

well, I've certainly not had a bucket!

user19161

9:58 PM

I must have had a barrel of water today.

Cerberus

@tchrist Yeah exactly.

tchrist

@JasperLoy That’s 42 gallons you know.

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