English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

1:12 AM

@bertieb I know, and no pun intended by my OTOH; hindsight is 20/20, but it's too late to edit then. Best wishes, Gn.

1:51 AM

Dear Mr. Robot...the Earth is roundish, more ball-ish, I'd say...but you'd have to take a plane and/or boat somewhere along the line to realize that firsthand (or interface arm, whatever)...and all those ramps--very problematic, in the long run...unless you know someone with an X-Wing, of course.

SmokeDetector

4:02 AM

[ SmokeDetector | MS ] URL in title, bad keyword in body, bad keyword in title, blacklisted website in body, blacklisted website in title, +2 more: flvto.club/monster-sinners-heist-mp3-song-download/ by janctril on english.SE

Feeds

6:00 AM

1

Q: "Glance" is to sight as _ is to hearing?

I'm looking for a word which describes a brief auditory examination. Analogous to “glance” in the sense of the following example: At first glance, the object appeared round. At first ____, the theme seemed to be in a minor key.

Feeds

7:59 AM

0

Q: Word or short phrase meaning "the act of bring about fatal consequences"

Is there a word or short noun phrase that means "the act of bring about fatal consequences"? Also, can it be generalized for "the act of bring about <adjective> consequences"?

single-word-requests phrase-requests

Feeds

8:33 AM

0

Q: Modal"will can" wrong or right.

"I will can" does it make any sense?? I saw a post where someone wrote "i will can" is it right or wrong?? please answer me.

single-word-requests

Educ

8:54 AM

Hi

could we say : "Debate topics that were discussed in the class in this semester"

Færd

10:10 AM

@Educ We could, depending on the context.

.

What would you normally call chalk-like deposits on the inside of your kettle? Build-up?

Sediment would too technical for kitchen cant, I guess.

Feeds

0

Q: What is a single word for feeling like you could have done more?

I need to find a word that describes the feeling like you could have done more or something could have been better if you put in more work but did the best you could at the time.

single-word-requests

bertieb

@Færd Limescale

Færd

10:26 AM

@bertieb Ah thanks

bertieb

Any time :)

Educ

@Færd I would like to make it as a title of my section in PDF and after that write all the names of debate topics that we did in our class for Oral communication

Mitch

12:26 PM

@bertieb or just 'scale'

Limescale

Limescale is the hard, off-white, chalky deposit found in kettles, hot-water boilers and the inside of inadequately maintained hot-water central heating systems. It is also often found as a similar deposit on the inner surface of old pipe and other surfaces where "hard water" has evaporated. In addition to being unsightly and hard to clean, limescale seriously impairs the operation or damages various components. The type found deposited on the heating elements of water heaters has a main component of calcium carbonate. Hard water contains calcium (and often magnesium) bicarbonate or similar ions...

'scale' (as a noun) works. Your 'build-up' is also good.

Educ

@Mitch Is it correct to say : Debate topics that were discussed in the class in this semester

Sid

12:56 PM

@Educ why would it be wrong?

Educ

1:25 PM

I don't know I just want to write things correctly in my PDF

@CowperKettle Where is word of the day?

Mitch

1:45 PM

@Educ Is this the title of a section?

It should be "Debate topics that were discussed in class this semester"

If in a sentence: "We really enjoyed the debate topics that were discussed in class this semester"

Færd

@Mitch Right. Thanks.

Educ

@Mitch Right. Thanks ( :) copy past )

Mitch

Two dogs in a bar

Dog 1: "I heard a great joke today"

Dog 2: "Let's hear it then"

Dog1: "Knock kno..."

Dog2: BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK

3

bertieb

2:03 PM

@Mitch Yup, also works!

Færd

I've never eaten peanut butter.

Educ

@Mitch I got it:)

Færd

What did you get about it?

Educ

@Færd You want to see if I got it or not ? hahaha

Færd

No, I want to see if I got it or not.

Educ

2:10 PM

wait let me type that in good english

Educ

2:23 PM

Acually, I found diffuclties to explain it which means I didn't get it well

but any way I 'll try

Færd

Not much there to get, I guess: you knock, and the dog barks. It's also a blend of knock-knock jokes and bar jokes.

Educ

I think the joke begans when the dog2 fooled by knocking and was starting barking, it didn't reconize that's acually was joke, in this case the first joke that was heared by Dog 1 was barking by himself when someone knocked and ...

Færd

I'd have a good laugh as dog1: "That was my joke!".

But as a third party, meh.

terdon

Um. Isn't it just that when someone knocks on the door, your average dog will start barking like crazy?

Færd

That's what I gathered :D

Mitch

3:31 PM

@Færd All this dog barking commentary and no one noticed this?

Educ

@Mitch I'm back, What is your explanation for the joke ?

Mitch

Up- Dug's Joke

►

"It's funny because the squirrel gets dead"

Educ

what is the name of that movie ?

Mitch

@Educ It's funny because Dog2 starts barking at the knocking at the door, instead of following the usual conventions of a knock knock joke.

Educ

Ah see which is who is there ?

Mitch

3:37 PM

Hermeneutically, it is transmogrifying the conventions of joke-exposition yet fulfilling the exegetical conditions of a classic misdirection.

@Educ Exactamundo

(notice how I'm using another language successfully to get my point across)

@Educ Up. It's a very good movie.

Educ

@Mitch yes i see that you used another language but I get it. On the other hand, the movie Up seems good I 'll watch it this night after Iftar

imdb.com/title/tt1049413

Disney/Pixar's Up - Official Trailer

►

Mitch

It's multiple levels of funny

Educ

thank you for bringing this up

Mitch

OK, so I'll explain Dug's joke. It has multiple levels. first level is inside the text of Dug's joke: The squirrel forgets where the acorns are and dies of hunger. Normally that is sad, but note that the squirrel is the one who says that, in the text.

Second level is Dug. He thinks it is funny because squirrels are his prey and so he is likely to think of his prey as stupid or subordinate, and the most elementary humor is based on the pain or embarrassment of others, like slipping and falling or farting.

Third level is the humans in the movie. They hear Dug's joke and barely remark, because they are human and have more refined senses of humor, and probably think Dug is dumb.

I'm not done yet

Fourth level is us watching the movie. We see the people (OK that part is not that funny, we are more the watchers than the old man and the boy scout), we see the dog, and we hear the story about the squirrel. The whole situation is ludicrous because we know that dogs can't talk that well.

Fifth level is me here talking and explaining it and my last comment about 'that well' which implies that the movie is unrealistic in thinking that dogs have articulable thoughts at all, and I play into it, supporting its strange non-reality by saying 'can't talk that well' implying that they can talk a little bit. This is understatement, but also ludicrous.

Sixth level is me continuing this charade of explanation as though it is meaningful, when all you had to do was think, wow that's funny a talking dog, they probably think squirrels are dumb and wish them dead.

Eighth level is sort of the top level of the whole thing, the talking dogs, the longwinded explanation, the general context of the humor of the movie, the missing seventh level of humor explanation, that poor dead squirrel who is still alive to tell you why its dead.

Also a missing apostrophe somewhere in there.

terdon

3:57 PM

@Mitch I think you meant apostrophe's.

Educ

4:08 PM

@Mitch Could you tell us joke each week and try to explain it to us like you did with dog's one ?

Mitch

Do you get most 'knock knock' jokes? Those are usually the most basic of linguistic jokes, depends on mishearing a word or using two common meanings. You have enough facility with English already to make your own puns. Often the trouble with understanding puns, as a foreign language learner, is to quickly 'hear' the other meaning. For this foreign language learner, this usually results in a felling of deep recognition of some some... what is the fancy word... ineffability? no...

Epiphany! Hah!

Yes, it is an epiphany that the FL has realizing that one word has more than one meaning, or that a slightly different pronunciation has a very distant meaning that puts it in a very different funny context.

Like for example I just had an epiphany about 'epiphany'

Wait, that's not a pun but more ... self reflective? realization? something like that.

For a native speaker, puns tend to sound childish and/or nerdy (if too obscure or erudite).

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

terdon

@Mitch Navel-gazing?

;)

Mitch

(that was funny because it was a cultural reference to a Seinfeld episode where someone would say something questionable, and the comment about it was 'not that there was anything wrong with that').

Trust me, it was funny

But you probably had to have seen it already to appreciate it.

@terdon abstract. but yes

terdon

Here's your word of the day, omphaloskepsis!

Omphaloskepsis

Omphaloskepsis or navel-gazing is contemplation of one's navel as an aid to meditation. The word derives from the Ancient Greek words ὀμφᾰλός (omphalós, lit. 'navel') and σκέψῐς (sképsis, lit. 'viewing, examination, speculation'). Actual use of the practice as an aid to contemplation of basic principles of the cosmos and human nature is found in the practice of yoga of Hinduism and sometimes in the Eastern Orthodox Church. In yoga, the navel is the site of the manipura (also called nabhi) chakra, which yogis consider "a powerful chakra of the body". The monks of Mount Athos, Greece, were described...

Mitch

@Educ I could have made a very groan worthy pun on that by saying something like 'I'm not looking at any oranges'

because...

wait for it...

I could have said something about 'navel-gazing'

Educ

4:22 PM

@terdon you have explained things very well

Mitch

because 'navel' is one's belly button, but it also refers to a kind of orange without seeds called a navel orange.

Educ

Don't forget you're mathematician

terdon

Although, to be honest, those three are not so much gazing at their navels as wondering what the point of those little skirts is if you can still see your penis.

Mitch

@terdon That took an interesting turn

terdon

@Mitch Yes, OK, but seriously. That's some weird fashion they've got going there.

Mitch

4:24 PM

I need to point out that I forgot how to spell 'navel orange' and thought it was a more maritime fruit...(eg 'naval orange')

hahahh ah aha hah hah aha

That was a pun

a terrible terrible pun.

terdon

Punitive measures may be called for.

Or Punitive Measurers may be called in.

Mitch

@Educ I forgot

@terdon Oh. I wasn't looking so carefully at those pictures. Strange

@Educ Anyway, I've avoided answering your explicit question about explaining a joke, by explaining some jokes in general.

Not funny either way

Explaining jokes on main is off-topic, but here in chat anything goes.

I just come here for fun. If you have a joke you want explained, maybe I'll do it if I feel like it. Or maybe not, if I don't feel like it. (I'm just being honest; I don't want to give you false expectations).

I should point out, none of these jokes are mine.

link to twitter of dog kock knock joke

Educ

@Mitch Yes Thank you so much :)

@Mitch :p

Mitch

I bowdlerized it because... 'mental' is so British English, and I've had it up to my gills with all the scones and tea towels and gingers and brilliant meaning excellent

oops

Educ

what does bowdlerized means ?

Mitch

4:41 PM

@Educ If I start typing 'bowdl...' into the URL of Google Chrome, it already gives you an idea of the definition. But if not, then you can type 'bowdlerize definition' and Google chrome will say something like 'reword to avoid using inappropriate language'

Educ

5:16 PM

yes bowdlerize
ˈbaʊdlərʌɪz/Submit
verb
remove material that is considered improper or offensive from (a text or account), especially with the result that the text becomes weaker or less effective.
"a bowdlerized version of the story"
synonyms: expurgate, censor, blue-pencil, cut, edit, redact; make cuts to, delete parts of, make deletions in; purge, purify, sanitize, make presentable, make acceptable, make palatable, water down, emasculate; informalclean up
"he crossed out the expletives in Sheridan and bowdlerized ‘Macbeth’"

KOREAN STREET FOOD - Gwangjang Market Street Food Tour in Seoul South Korea | BEST Spicy Korean Food

►

looks delicious

hot peper

BladorthinTheGrey

Favourite usage of the word navel: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Fuckebythenavele

Færd

5:31 PM

@Mitch Indeed not. That's a misnomer on the part of the BBC. They're stickers, a super peachy Telegram convention, which is being parodied by its state-funded successors like that.

See also the Telegram Stickers Directory.

@Mitch Yeah. I didn't seek sympathy tho. I bet you haven't tasted tarhina, which is the same thing basically, only made from sesame.

Mixed with honey or sweet pastes ... I can't have enough of that.

MetaEd

@Mitch Like the dog joke.

Mitch

5:56 PM

@BladorthinTheGrey Please edit such things to at least say 'NSFW'

Færd

@terdon Damn, I hadn't contemplated my navel for so long it looked different than the last time I'd seen it. Thanks for the reminder.

Such a selfless person I am.

Mitch

@Færd Oh yeah. I saw 'stickers' and it just didn't register what that meant. It makes sense now.

My inner-teenager says it is totally lame though.

Færd

@Mitch It's a trove of alternative art.

Mitch

@Færd I have tasted 'tahini' which is the name they sell it by here in the US.

Færd

A huge part is lame tho.

BladorthinTheGrey

5:59 PM

@Mitch Sorry, fair point, it's not especially rude though

Mitch

lame-o man. totally for nerds

@BladorthinTheGrey profanity and all that. the children (and or someone's boss or coworker) might be listening

Also, it's a SE thing (they've explicitly stated somewhere that it's not good for SE)

Færd

The officials here harass the ordinary users not to post nudity or profanity or whatever, while they liberally revel in those sewers themselves.

(that was a bit too harsh)

Mitch

oh...they've also implemented flags for such things in chat.

BladorthinTheGrey

Fair enough

Mitch

@Færd wow...officials are wallowing (or reveling) in the sewers of nudity? Ew...

Links?

ba dum tss!

!//rimshot

Færd

6:01 PM

The navel-gazing thing would be against the norms you just laid out.

Mitch

@Færd I sadly accept full responsibility for my bad puns.

Færd

Oh not your pun. The wiki page.

@Mitch There are three types of rimshots! Did you know?

Mitch

@Færd Oh. haha. yes. forget what i said about puns then

Færd

@Mitch So how did you like it? How does it compare to peanut butter?

Mitch

@Færd ??? Wha? No, I didn't know that

Færd

6:04 PM

@Mitch You mean the Ba Dum Tisshhhh triplet effect, right?

Mitch

@Færd !st Peanut butter. I can fully understand why someone who is an adult would not care for peanut butter. It just doesn't make sense gastronomically.

Tahini is sort of like peanut butter (in many ways), but I had never considered that.

I don't think you would make a tahini and jelly sandwich. Would you?

Færd

Okay then. I have missed nothing so far.

@Mitch Oh of course you could.

But it's normally mixed with honey and such.

Mitch

@MetaEd It was new to me.

Færd

Or with grape syrup.

Mitch

@Færd You wouldn't mix PB with other stuff, but spread it on one slice, spread jelly on the other, then out together to make the sandwich. anything different is obviously wrong and would taste wrong.

BladorthinTheGrey

6:07 PM

I feel out of my depth as an Englishman trying to comprehend a peanut butter and jam sandwich

Mitch

@BladorthinTheGrey Like anything, if you grow up with it, then it doesn't make sense that it doesn't make sense to others. But as an adult... it just doesn't make sense.

Færd

@Mitch It's too much trouble doing that for every sandwich.

You'd be better off making a large tub of PB+J.

Mitch

@Færd can you buy tahini and jam mixed together, in a bottle?

@Færd There are some brands here in the US that do that. I think it is an abomination.

Færd

Does jam contain fruit lumps?

BladorthinTheGrey

At least fish and chips is a sensible combination

Færd

6:09 PM

It's marmalade that doesn't, tright?

BladorthinTheGrey

@Færd Yeah often

Nah marmalade can

Marmalade is for citrus fruits though, especially oranges

Mitch

@Færd hmm... jam and jelly... one of them has llumps the other not, but I can't remember which

preserves are definitely more lumpy

Færd

@Mitch Um, I'm not that tahini savvy .. maybe.

It's more likely to be mixed with the lumpless one.

@BladorthinTheGrey Right. And for lady marmalade.

Mitch

@Færd I've only ever really had tahini as an ingredient in other things, never straight

Færd

Pure tahini is too hardcore.

It has to be mixed with something sweet.

BladorthinTheGrey

6:11 PM

What do you guys call the BrE jelly then? The wobbly stuff you put in a mould

Mitch

@BladorthinTheGrey does it include the rind?

Færd

@BladorthinTheGrey Jell-O

In the US.

Mitch

@BladorthinTheGrey wobbly stuff from fruit is called Jell-O

@Færd jinx

BladorthinTheGrey

@Mitch There's no hard and fast rule but in a marmalade yeah I'd expect there to be bits of preserved orange with the rind

Mitch

but if it is from meat juice after cooking, that is just aspic I think.

BladorthinTheGrey

6:13 PM

Is Jell-o not a specific brand?

Mitch

@BladorthinTheGrey Like kleenex or xerox, the word is somewhat brandless now.

jello

Færd

That's what makes jelly more appealing to me.

Did you hear the one about this guy who opened the fridge door and saw the jelly shivering and wobbling?

Mitch

Go on...

Færd

He said "Don't worry now, I came to eat a banana."

Mitch

ha ha. nice

BladorthinTheGrey

6:15 PM

Classic :D

What's a sea monster's favourite food?

:D

Fish and ships

nice

That was in the Beano when I was young

Another British thing actually

The Beano

The Beano is the longest running British children's comic, published by DC Thomson. The comic first appeared on 30 July 1938, and was published weekly. In September 2009, The Beano's 3,500th issue was published. One of the best selling comics in British popular culture, along with The Dandy, the weekly circulation of The Beano in April 1950 was 1,974,072. The Beano is currently edited by John Anderson. Each issue is published on a Wednesday, with the issue date being that of the following Saturday. Its characters include Dennis the Menace, Minnie the Minx, The Bash Street Kids, The Numskulls, Roger...

Færd

Hehe.

BladorthinTheGrey

6:18 PM

Did you have Rupert Bear?

Færd

Me? I guess not.

BladorthinTheGrey

Another thing your damned revolution deprived you of ;)

Færd

Well, I'm not the Yankee here!

But perhaps so!

BladorthinTheGrey

Kids storybooks written almost exclusively in rhyming couplets

Færd

We got our own revolutionary deprivations.

Nice. I liked those as a kid.

BladorthinTheGrey

6:21 PM

Which revolting colony are you from then? :D

Færd

Iran.

BladorthinTheGrey

Oh, less of a colony then

Færd

That actually comes close.

BladorthinTheGrey

Which country colonised Iran?

Færd

But not exactly a colony, yes.

BladorthinTheGrey

6:22 PM

Other than perhaps Alexandrian Macedonia

MetaEd

@Mitch Me too. And I have a few hours to work on the delivery before I go home and make my gf's eyes roll.

Færd

@BladorthinTheGrey The British held strong sway over Iran for a long time.

But we weren't exactly colonized by any of the powers. This was a contested land.

BladorthinTheGrey

I thought that was more towards Afghanistan but fair enough

Classic take the opium and sell it on to other countries

Færd

Heh. Whereabouts do you live?

BladorthinTheGrey

UK

Sid

6:25 PM

Wasn't it the British who were hell-bent on addressing Iran as Persia?

BladorthinTheGrey

East Anglia region

Færd

@Sid Um I'm not sure.

@BladorthinTheGrey Cool.

BladorthinTheGrey

private-eye.co.uk/covers/cover-1463

Færd

Persia is not an inclusive term now. I would avoid that in favor of Iran.

BladorthinTheGrey

Most of Europe prefered to use Persia before WW2

Basically because that's what the ancients called it

Færd

6:27 PM

In European literature, yes.

But we've been calling it Iran for millennia now.

BladorthinTheGrey

Why, if you don't mind me asking, isn't Persia favoured?

Færd

Whatever. I'd just like to use the term that makes more people identify with my as their countryman.

Well, it's a bit tricky to define what Persia exactly is.

I would say it has old historical connotations.

BladorthinTheGrey

Because it hasnt been a country for years?

Færd

Plus a vestige of ethnicity.

Jingoists use it to get off on the lost glory of their land.

BladorthinTheGrey

Ah I see

Færd

6:31 PM

Those who don't want to include Arab/Kurdish/Turk/etc as their countrymen, use it.

BladorthinTheGrey

Like people in Russia looking longingly at Ukriane

Færd

Along with many others who use it to sound more prestigious.

I just prefer Iran.

BladorthinTheGrey

Yeah according to Wikipedia the etymology is literally just 'Imperial Iran'

Færd

@BladorthinTheGrey Is there a common name for Russia + Ukraine?

BladorthinTheGrey

USSR?

Russian Empire?

Færd

6:33 PM

Ah haha

BladorthinTheGrey

The Fatherland?

Sid

If the world suddenly decided to decrease the number of countries, then, those countries will merge.

BladorthinTheGrey

@sid

Sid

Russia+Ukraine+Other slavic countries=Soviet Union back to its full glory.

BladorthinTheGrey

@Sid That sounds like chaos

Would you unite all of the Hispanic world?

Sid

6:35 PM

America+Canada+Greenland= The Holy ~~Britannian~~ American Empire

@BladorthinTheGrey I guess. Okay, that will definitely be chaos

BladorthinTheGrey

That's the problem with historical border issues, you never know when to draw the line

e.g. Gibraltat

*Gibraltar

Sid

Of course, all this will is just speculation and you hope that never happens..

BladorthinTheGrey

Idk, I can certainly see arguments for return of land

I mean Gaza strip has a different historical context to Gibraltar but it's the same principle

Færd

Except there are willfully-neglected UN resolutions about that.

Sid

No one cares about the UN, these days.

Færd

6:41 PM

Old ones. And suggestions for new ones have been rejected out of hand by those who have the power.

They just want expansion, it seems.

BladorthinTheGrey

What did the UK want?

We took land to control a shipping channel

Pure mercantilist expansionim

Færd

Well, then they went out of their way with generosity and bestowed the land to this and that.

They promised it to two separate peoples or states, if I recall correctly.

BladorthinTheGrey

Yeah, although I'm not sure the concept of 'bestowing' land is a good one when we just took it in the first place

Færd

Good point.

bu.edu/mzank/Jerusalem/p/period7-1-1.htm

Mitch

@MetaEd anticipation!

@BladorthinTheGrey 'Persia' is totally a Western word, inherited from the Greeks. Why would the Iranians use a foreign term for themselves?

@BladorthinTheGrey Poor Venezuela would be left out.

Just because

CowperKettle

7:02 PM

Uktus Hills, Yekaterinburg, Russia

Mitch

@Færd In the US, 'Persian' is kind of euphemism for 'Iranian'. If you say 'Iranian' people are like 'wow, evil empire and stuff, you don't look totally evil' But if you say 'Persian' they say 'Oh, how nice, like the cats and the carpet'

CowperKettle

There is still some snow there )))

May the 21st, for God's sake

Good night all (0:

Feeds

9:52 PM

0

Q: What is a word for something being simultaneously known and permissible?

Given the following sentence: "The issue is known and we are okay with it." As in, it is still recognized as an issue, but perhaps it's noncritical. Is there a way to combine both those two cases into a sentence that follows "The issue is [new word]."?

single-word-requests

Faheem Mitha

@Færd I use the term Persian some of the time, because I actually like the historical connotations. So modern day Iranians don't identify themselves as Persians?

choster

11:37 PM

Many of the people I know in the U.S. who refer to themselves as Persian do so to distinguish their ethnic identity from their national one.

Sometimes this is out of concern for the negative image the post-1979 government has among Americans, but I think in many cases it is more because they themselves either opposed the 1979 Revolution or supported the overthrow of the shah but opposed the government that followed him.

Suren

11:49 PM

Is it correct to say "X is signal which is detected from under the first condition". I feel like that "which" should be changed to "that".

Transcript for

English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…