English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

KitFox

12:56 AM

Crimson Dynamo is kinda bad-ass.

"You can't just charge in, guns blazing!"
"You're right. I need bigger guns."

Vitaly

9:27 AM

lesswrong.com/r/discussion/lw/aa1/… Do want!

Cerberus

12:02 PM

@Vitaly That's pretty interesting.

Vitaly

i'm wondering about the side effects though

Cerberus

Yes.

Vitaly

technology like that cannot but have side effects

otherwise evolution would have already utilised constant flow

Cerberus

Yes: otherwise it would be the default configuration for our brain. I mean, it is unlikely that evolution wouldn't have come up with such a simple fix.

Jinx!!

Haha.

If it had been some very complex genetic-virus therapy, it might be an improvement with minimal loss.

Theoretically the loss might be in a function that is useless to modern man; but does such a function exist?

Vitaly

i'm willing to trade about 5 years of my life (assuming average life expectancy) for being always in the flow

RegDwight Ѭſ道

12:15 PM

Шило на мыло

Cerberus

Anything that shortens your life will likely result in slow functional degeneration of the brain until it breaks.

Vitaly

... and assuming that my brain doesn't degenerate, of course :P

Cerberus

Analogy: most older people who die young, say at 70, will also have several disabilities at a much earlier age than people who die at 85.

Vitaly

70 is young?

> As of 2011, the average life expectancy in Russia was 64.3 years for males and 76.1 years for females.

Cerberus

Comparatively young.

Wow, 64?

That is sad.

Any idea what it was in 1990?

Lower seventies?

Vitaly

12:18 PM

> In the late 1950s, the USSR had a higher life expectancy than the United States,[41] but the Soviet Union has lagged behind Western countries in terms of mortality and life expectancy since the late 1960s. The life expectancy was about 70 in 1986,[42] prior to the transition-induced disruption of the healthcare system. The turmoil in the early 1990s caused life expectancy in Russia to steadily decrease while it was steadily increasing in the rest of the world.

Cerberus

Oh, I was right.

Ish.

2

That is sad.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Where is everybody anyway? Is it a public holiday in the US again?

Cerberus

In any case, that probably means that the average Russian 50-y-o is in poorer health than the average American at the same age. Even if you withdraw all medical support instantly.

@RegDwightѬſ道 Perhaps some Give Beads and Mirrors to the Indians Day?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

That was like last week.

Cerberus

Some sports match?

@RegDwightѬſ道 Oh shi....

Missed it again.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

12:20 PM

They can't be giving beads to the Indians that often. They'll be running out of beads. Also, Indians.

Cerberus

And I like beads so much!

@RegDwightѬſ道 Firewater, then?

I will take some firewater.

No problem at all.

> ... but no-one could really explain it to me satisfactorily.

How does this sound to you?

For some reason "satisfactorily" doesn't sound right to me.

Perhaps because it has too many syllables (6)?

The end of a sentence is not up to such a heavy word?

Vitaly

@Reg how do you feel about finally making a recruitment thread? we only have to fill 16 spots after all

and then we'll be able to finally kick all the dead weight

RegDwight Ѭſ道

I don't know. I'm kind of lazy these days. And I really think I will say farewell to the game, or at least take a long break, when I reach level 150, or when we reach faction level 12, whichever comes first.

Vitaly

Level 150, that's at least 100 more days

1/3 of a year

RegDwight Ѭſ道

12:36 PM

I know, I did the math.

Cerberus

@Vit: Do you still enjoy it?

Vitaly

@RegDwightѬſ道 so we still have plenty of time

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Cerberus Well you asked that a month ago. And two months ago. And three months ago. And four months ago. And five months ago. And...

Cerberus

No, I haven't asked for a long time now.

For you, the answer appears to be no; I was wondering about Vit.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Feb 3 at 20:10, by RegDwight Ѭſ道

May 13 '11 at 13:44, by RegDwight

@Cerberus Don't make me search the transcript, because you know I will.

Cerberus

12:38 PM

Hehe. Good luck.

Vitaly

@Cerberus more now that we are actually winning wars (we did 8K, 6.5K and 7K in the last 18 hours)

Cerberus

But in absolute terms? "Very much"? "Somewhat"?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Seven.

Cerberus

@Vitaly Nais.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

And our activity bar was like 80% yesterday, and that with how many? 33 people?

Cerberus

12:40 PM

Wowie.

Managing the faction would actually seem more fun than being a lowly front soldier.

I. e. actually fighting.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

You must be kidding.

Here, you can be leader.

Cerberus

That was just relative.

So I see LoA is back up again, huh?

And I see I am still more loyal than Rob, even though he is twenty levels higher.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Yeah. I wonder how long it'll take them to disband this time.

Cerberus

Or us.

So how content are the new recruits?

Vitaly

IDK. I'm trying to talk more in faction chat to make it look more active.
It's hard!

Cerberus

12:45 PM

Hahahaha.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Cerberus is easily amused.

Cerberus

Winning battles is a piece of cake, of course.

Here you see my starring behaviour.

Vitaly

I don't understand the star.

Cerberus

So I'm pretty easy.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@KitFox is wrong there BTW. The "I think this question is stupid" option is the downvote arrow.

@Vitaly Welcome to the Soviet Union!

Cerberus

12:47 PM

Well, if talking in chat is easier than winning battles and managing the faction, that's funny to me.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

So you must be laughing your ass off at yourself.

Cerberus

@RegDwightѬſ道 I suppose you're right. But I can't take away her star now, can I?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

I don't remember what the threshold is. Just try it.

You will be told if you can't.

Cerberus

I meant "can" socially.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Well just try it. You will be told if you can't.

Cerberus

12:49 PM

Not without some hissing and chicken-stealing.

No, I'd rather not.

Vitaly

Then I'll have to find an equally meaningless message of yours and pin it onto the list for everyone to see.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Dec 20 '11 at 21:13, by RegDwight Ѭſ道

I hold the record for starred messages containing only the word "and".

Apr 16 '11 at 22:03, by RegDwight

And.

Starred twice.

Dec 9 '11 at 20:46, by RegDwight Ѭſ道

And?

Starred thrice.

Cerberus

@Vitaly It was not meaningless at all. And you're doing a good job in faction chat.

@RegDwightѬſ道 Stop your star-begging! I'm not starring that.

@Vit: The problem was that I had to star both of your lines, the one about faction chat and the "it's hard" after it; but that is poor practice, so I decided to star the punchline.

Which, admittedly, is meaningless without the line before.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

There.

Cerberus

Ah!

Better.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

12:56 PM

Now noöne will understand anything when they read this conversation.

Cerberus

Although it is actually funnier in two lines. But NM.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

It still are two lines.

Cerberus

@RegDwightѬſ道 Stop the press!

@RegDwightѬſ道 Oh! OK.

@MrShinyandNew: By the way, if you're looking for a way to make your bread rise more, try stirring. I put in water, salt, sugar, and oil (and no egg for you) first, then stir/shake until thoroughly mixed; lastly add flour and yeast (no stirring, obviously). Today I did it exactly the same way but without the stirring, and it rose far less than normally. So it is really the stirring that does it. With only 350 g of flour it rises almost to the lid, no weird holes or anything.

Vitaly

@Cerberus doesn't it happen because the eggs are stirred?

Cerberus

1:14 PM

@Vitaly Oh, I forgot to mention that I thoroughly broke the yolk (went through it with a knife several times) when I tried not-stirring, to make sure it wasn't specifically the yolk. But that wasn't it. So it may be that it is the egg in general that needs to be spread thoroughly throughout the dough (then it's probably the white that does it); but in any case thorough stirring is required, alas.

Robusto

Mar 7 '11 at 18:22, by Robusto

Who reads your shit?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

I don't care about my shit being read as long as it's getting starred.

Red stars are preferred.

Robusto

@Cerberus So one of our awful Republican presidential wannabes is teeing off on the Netherlands now, claiming that 10% of the population gets euthanized.

@RegDwightѬſ道 I don't do red stars. Or fat chicks.

Cerberus

@Robusto Yup it made the papers here.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Well send your presidential wannabes to the Netherlands. It's a win-win. Either they won't get decimated and people will realize that they've been talking shit, or they will get decimated in which case at least some of them will stop talking shit.

Robusto

1:25 PM

RegDwight Ѭſ道

What is I looking at?

Robusto

@RegDwightѬſ道 Politicians never stop talking shit. It's, like, a universal constant or something.

@RegDwightѬſ道 You don't recognize Jim Morrison? books.google.com/…

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Robusto I do, but I'm looking at something else right now. So guess again.

BTW @Crberus @Matt your question got migrated. So now go answer it.

1

Q: How to denote a larger distance

Suppose I have some measurement with interferometer number 1, let's call the result A, and another measurement with interferometer number 2, let's call that one B. Suppose that always A>B (in some known, fixed coordinate system and units; the numbers can be negative). What the best way to desc...

terminology

Cerberus

In fact about 2–3 % of deaths are by euthanasia. And two independent doctors need to approve. Both need to talk with the patient extensively. There is a waiting time of a few weeks or so in between. Only insufferable and/or incurable suffering makes one eligible.

Robusto

@RegDwightѬſ道 Wow, I didn't realize "I spy" could be so much fun. Thanks, person from another country who made me look at a child's game in a new light!

@Cerberus According to The Economist, the numbers are even lower than that.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

1:28 PM

@Robusto I am not familiar with "I, spy". I am more into adult fiction.

17 hours ago, by RegDwight Ѭſ道

I, Robusto.

Robusto

@Cerberus Me, I would like the option. A "good death" is better than a living agony followed by a bad death.

There are worse things than dying.

Cerberus

@Robusto That is what the most respectable Dutch newspaper says, but I guess it depends on how you measure: perhaps 2–3 % is an estimate including illegal euthanasia.

Robusto

@Cerberus Does that include Death by Chocolate?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

That's Belgium.

Cerberus

@RegDwightѬſ道 With girls in schoolgirl uniforms?

Haha.

Robusto

1:31 PM

Death by chocolate. This one was euthanized.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Cerberus No, with Robustos in nurse uniforms.

Cerberus

@RegDwightѬſ道 Ahh of course.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Cerberus

Wow.

Robusto

Apr 13 '11 at 9:55, by Robusto

Stop staring at my twice.

Cerberus

1:32 PM

How much do you pay for a kg of onions?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Robusto I have long since moved to stare at your sixthce.

Cerberus

It should be around € 0,80 here in supermarkets, while farmers get only € 0,06.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Cerberus It depends. You can get shitty ones at Aldi for I think 49 cent for 2 kilos.

Cerberus

Ah OK, yes, Aldi.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

You can also buy awesome ones, in which case sky is the limit.

Cerberus

1:33 PM

Are the more expensive ones worth it?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

I usually buy those nets with only four huge-ass onions in them. Definitely worth it.

Cerberus

I've never tasted that much of a difference once fried or boiled in a sauce.

Robusto

@RegDwightѬſ道 I never met an onion with a huge ass.

Cerberus

In what kind of dish does the better taste come out?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Cerberus if they are of poor quality, they begin to foul without you noticing. It's just a teeny-tiny sweet stench. You can't get it out of anything. Barf.

@Robusto You are still young.

Cerberus

1:37 PM

@RegDwightѬſ道 Hmm I've never noticed that. Sometimes they rot, but then I just throw them out. They never smell nearly as bad as rotten potato. Man, that is a bad-ass stench.

Robusto

Gotta motor. CU.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

2:02 PM

Any Europeans want to take a look at my travel question?

6

Q: Austria in September

I am planning a trip to Austria in September for myself and my wife (both Canadians). The rough plan is to spend 7-8 days, and we'd like to visit Vienna, Salzburg, and Hallstatt. So far I am thinking we can fly from Toronto to Vienna, stay a few days, take a train to Salzburg, rent a car or tak...

itineraries austria vienna salzburg hallstatt

Cerberus

@MrShinyandNew安宇 I've been to Salzburg and Vienna a year and a half ago.

I wonder, why are you emphasising Salzburg?

There is much more to see in Vienna.

Serio's summary of the main things to visit sounds very good. But I agree with Karlson that you'd be running and hurrying all the time.

I also recommend that you visit the monastery of Melk on the way from Vienna to Salzburg. It is practically en route: you won't lose more than half an hour's travel time by car.

And you can be in and out in 2 hours.

Melk Abbey

Melk Abbey or Stift Melk is an Austrian Benedictine abbey, and one of the world's most famous monastic sites. It is located above the town of Melk on a rocky outcrop overlooking the river Danube in Lower Austria, adjoining the Wachau valley. The abbey was founded in 1089 when Leopold II, Margrave of Austria gave one of his castles to Benedictine monks from Lambach Abbey. A monastic school, the Stiftsgymnasium Melk, was founded in the 12th century, and the monastic library soon became renowned for its extensive manuscript collection. The monastery's scriptorium was also a major site for t...

Oh, and I recommend that you buy your tickets for the musea on line: that usually saves time.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus Good, post it!

Cerberus

Nah.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

We are emphasizing Salzburg because we know of some places to go there and know nothing about Vienna

@Cerberus No, seriously! I can link my wife to your answer but can't really send her to this chat room.

Cerberus

@MrShinyandNew安宇 Okay, well, you could follow Sergio's summary.

Robusto

2:43 PM

0

Q: Can the word "opportunity" be used as a non-countable noun?

Can the word "opportunity" be used as a non-countable noun? Can I say "a lot of opportunity" like in "a lot of exposure" or "a lot of pressure"?

nouns

This has to be gen ref.

Cerberus

2:56 PM

@MrShinyandNew Posted as an answer.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus Thanks

Anonymous

3:20 PM

hello

I have question about words in English language.

What's the different between pants and trouser?

Robusto

@Anonymous Pants and trousers are the same thing. Trousers is a dated way of referring to pants.

Cerberus

It's not so dated in England.

Robusto

@Cerberus England is dated.

Cerberus

In fact, trousers is twice as common.

@Robusto It is glorious and beautiful.

You have none of that.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

In England "pants" is also slang for underwear, I think specifically women's underwear.

And also slang for "bad" as in "I don't like that, it's pants"

RegDwight Ѭſ道

3:26 PM

Mr. Pants.

Cerberus

Haha.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Hey no laughing at Mr Pants. He's got more video games out than you.

Cerberus

Oops. How dare I.

Robusto

Well, in America, at least, we don't use the term "trousers" if we can at all avoid it.

@Cerberus Ah, yes. The tower blocks of South London are glorious and beautiful.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Robusto you misspelled "tower bollocks of South London".

Cerberus

3:28 PM

@Robusto We block them out.

We don't look at what we don't like.

Robusto

@Cerberus Selective perception. You euthanizationalist.

Cerberus

I suppose we could euthanise those buildings...

RegDwight Ѭſ道

0

Q: Plural of Series

In math, we use the term Series a lot and there are many types of Series. How should I coin my sentence when I have 3 different series in mind to talk about. Should I settle down for a less mortal alternative of "list of series" or something like that. Possessive and plural of "Series&quo...

word-usage

Hahahahaha. "This question is not a duplicate." Gold!!!

Robusto

Well, you can't argue with a mathematician.

Cerberus

RegDwight Ѭſ道

3:31 PM

And I won't. I'll just close it.

Cerberus

Oops.

►

Cathrine Tate Show. Pretty great. Typical Northern Ireland culture.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Damnit, of course the very second I close it someone manages to sneak an answer in.

Anonymous

my teacher (American) told me pants mean underwear in English but she not sure and want me to ask people who speak British English :)

Thank you for your help!

Robusto

@Anonymous Your teacher is having you on.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Actually Robusto misspelled "lower bollocks".

"The lower bollocks of South London are glorious and beautiful." Yes. Sounds about right.

Cerberus

3:43 PM

@Anonymous She's probably right to some degree:

google.com/…

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Cerberus of course she is. We discussed just that two minutes ago. Don't you remember anything, ever?

Robusto

Pfft. What part of "nobody in America says 'trousers'" don't you understand.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Anonymous They mean underwear in BRITISH English, definitely not in American or Canadian.

@Robusto Yeah nor Canada.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@MrShinyandNew安宇 Nor Romania.

Robusto

It doesn't mean 'pants' can't refer to underwear. It just means we don't use the word "trousers" ... like, ever. Except in stupid pointless discussions like this one.

Cerberus

3:45 PM

@RegDwightѬſ道 No definitive answer by a Brit was given, so I figured a Google search might be interesting.

Robusto

@Cerberus Yes. When in doubt, produce some meaningless statistics and call it proof.

Cerberus

American is irrelevant to his teacher's statement.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Fact: no true Kazakh says "trousers".

Cerberus

@Robusto It's not statistics. Look at the results. Nearly all about panties or knickers.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

heh "knickers" another word we don't use

Cerberus

3:47 PM

I love it.

Wasn't Reg always saying people were getting their knickers in a knot, or something? Or was it Rob?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

First of all, that was nohat. And Kosmo, too.

Secondly, I wasn't saying that always. Not even seldom.

Cerberus

Oh...and you didn't ape them?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Bubo scandiacus ain't no ape.

Cerberus

I know you, so I'll take all of this as a yes.

Or you would have denied it more vigorously.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

chat.stackexchange.com/search?q=knickers&user=977&room=95

Robusto

3:50 PM

@Cerberus If you're not adducing that search as having statistical significance, what exactly do you mean by using the term "results"? Results of what?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Robusto Oh leave him alone. He's long forgotten about that already.

He doesn't even know what you're talking about anymore.

Cerberus

@Robusto Read a few results. You will see that they are mostly about knickers, not trousers.

Robusto

@Cerberus So fucking what?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

See, now he has to invent stuff.

Cerberus

@Robusto That is evidence that "pants" often means "knickers" in England.

Robusto

3:53 PM

@Cerberus What color is the sky in your world?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Pantone seven.

Cerberus

I knew you would say seven!

Robusto

@RegDwightѬſ道 You mispelled Knickerone seven.

Cerberus

Rob either doesn't understand me or he can't admit I had a point. Whatever.

In fact I think Brits use it for men's underpants too?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Robusto Sorry, I will make sure to notice the time after next.

Robusto

3:54 PM

@Cerberus You can't accept any other possibilities than those two?

Also Trouserone seven.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Toblerone seven?

You have to cut Cerberus at least several slacks, what's with him not wearing any kind of undergarment at all.

Cerberus

@Robusto If you will be so kind as to point them out, I will will gladly consider them.

@RegDwightѬſ道 You know what picture Vitaly is going to post now...

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Of course.

I am surprised that you do.

Cerberus

Even I remember that. In fact the image is vividly imprinted on my retina.

In my retina?

Which is it?

No, on.

Robusto

@Cerberus No you won't. You will go have a few more tokes and forget all about it.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

4:00 PM

Well Vit seems to be asleep.

in War Metal Tyrant, Sep 23 '11 at 13:51, by Vitaly

Vitaly

OK, so you do have 345546 tabs open. I haven't seen you go into the WMT room.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Jun 17 '11 at 12:36, by RegDwight

Tab number 4166624. Note the 666. Easy to remember.

Cerberus

Still nice.

@Robusto Loser.

Vitaly

in War Metal Tyrant, Sep 23 '11 at 13:58, by Cerberus

I'm glad it won't turn up in Google Images, though...

Robusto

@Cerberus At least I don't wear pink flowered knickers.

Vitaly

4:11 PM

in War Metal Tyrant, Sep 23 '11 at 13:58, by Vitaly

@Cerberus — That can be arranged. :PPP

There you go now!

Cerberus

Ahhh...

Oh, well, I have nothing to lose any more.

Robusto

@Cerberus Wrong. You could lose your pink flowered knickers.

And then you'd be just like any other three-headed dog.

Cerberus

No.... clutches them tight

Robusto

@Cerberus Let the record show that Cerberus just gave himself a wedgie.

3

RegDwight Ѭſ道

That would be tab number 51696203 then. Note the 169, easy to remember.

Robusto

4:14 PM

Wedgie

A wedgie occurs when a person's underwear or other garments are wedged between the buttocks. While a wedgie can be created naturally, the term is usually associated with a prank or as a form of bullying. When a person is on the receiving end of a wedgie, his or her underwear is forcibly pulled up by a second person. Wedgies are commonly featured in popular works, either as a form of low comedy or as a behaviour representative of bullying. In such works, briefs are usually the type of underpants that a wedgie is performed upon. Dangers Wedgies, especially when performed on males, can be...

@Cerberus will do anything for a laugh.

Cerberus

@Robusto Yes, we know, thank you.

Robusto

@Cerberus You misspelled "Thank you, sir, may I please have another!"

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Cerberus thanks Rob for a wedgie. Tab number 51696207.

Cerberus

You're all silly.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

You're all a dog.

Cerberus

4:17 PM

Yes, we plural.

Robusto

@Cerberus < clutches chest > Gah! He called us silly! The gauntlet has been thrown down and now we must retaliate with all our forces.

Cerberus

hides in flowered sack

Robusto

tries to get that image out of his head

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Robusto My daughter would ask "The good kind of silly? or the bad kind?"

RegDwight Ѭſ道

So it's sack now, huh? No longer pants?

Robusto

4:18 PM

@RegDwightѬſ道 Oblique jinx.

Cerberus

By the way, you two are ehhm what do you call it what all people do to each other in a small village?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Robusto you misspelled oblique.

Robusto

@RegDwightѬſ道 You misspelled oubliette.

Cerberus

One of my favourite words!

RegDwight Ѭſ道

I always forget how to spell oubliette.

Cerberus

4:20 PM

Its spelling is tortuous.

Robusto

@Cerberus You misspelled wourds.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

N'oubliette jamais, I heard my mother say.

Cerberus

@Robusto That's not a wourd!

Robusto

@Cerberus Favorite => favourite, color => colour, word => wourd. You have to admit it's consistent.

Cerberus

Okay I need to get food.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

4:21 PM

@Robusto counsistent.

Cerberus

@Robusto Ahh in that way.

Robusto

You misspelled fooud.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus fououd

Cerberus

Later!

RegDwight Ѭſ道

You misspelled fououd.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

4:21 PM

@Robusto dammit

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Jinx.

Cerberus

Again, small village, hay, barn.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

This internet is too slow.

Touou slouw.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus what are you talking about?

Cerberus

@MrShinyandNew安宇 Best left unsaid.

Later!

Robusto

4:22 PM

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Houw's that a diet?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@RegDwightѬſ道 Read the fine print?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@MrShinyandNew安宇 I don't understand the word "fine print".

Robusto

@Cerberus Not everyone knows what you wooden-shoe-wearing, cheese-eating, tulip-hoarding, fake-language-inventing Dutch ffolk do in small villages under the cover of darkness (or light).

Cerberus

@Robusto But everyone knows what you people do there!

RegDwight Ѭſ道

4:24 PM

Most importantly, the Dutch actually do write things like "slouw" and "houw", and not in jest.

Cerberus

Houw, yes. Slouw, no.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

You just did, silly.

Robusto

@Cerberus So the Dutch Santa Claus laughs like "Houw houw houw"?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus You misspelled nou

Cerberus

German -alt/-ald = Dutch -oud, usually.

@Robusto He cries.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

4:25 PM

Houwsvrouw.

Robusto

@Cerberus Wow. Someone got a lump of coal in his knickers this year.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Robusto Trousers.

Cerberus

@MrShinyandNew安宇 Yes, we do have nou, which a colloquial (probably related to English) pronunciation of "nu", which means now.

Robusto

@Cerberus So the nousphere means "the here and now" in Cheeseland?

Cerberus

@Robusto Sint Nicolaas actually gives you "the rod" if you've been naughty, and he puts you in a sack and takes you back to Spain.

That is in all children's songs.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

4:27 PM

@Cerberus He gives you his rod?

Cerberus

No, the.

Robusto

@Cerberus Again with the sack.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

sure, the rod

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@MrShinyandNew安宇 Only if you've been naughty.

Cerberus

@Robusto Nou-nou.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

4:27 PM

his rod and sack, eh?

Cerberus

Yup.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

His stiff rod of justice

Cerberus

Roe en zak.

Robusto

Wow, I didn't think ELU chat could get this gay. Seriously.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

24 hours ago, by RegDwight Ѭſ道

That's over 9000 hogs to a head.

@Robusto You started posting reportages from gay parades.

Cerberus

4:28 PM

But roe(de) doesn't have that connotation at all in Dutch. Zak does, which is why children sing their own variations of the traditional song called "de zak van Sinterklaas".

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Cerberus roedbroed med floede?

Robusto

Yeah, it's easy when you make up your own language. Words can mean whatever you want them to mean.

Cerberus

I remember we used to sing a song about the zak van Sinterklaas and how it stinkt.

Well, I'm off. Later!

Robusto

Glad we got you off.

Cerberus

No projection in this chat.

ducks

RegDwight Ѭſ道

4:30 PM

No ducks in this chat.

Robusto

Let the record show that Cerberus is doing it with ducks now.

Cerberus

quack

Robusto

Or maybe he calls them douekkes.

Cerberus

It's eend, of course.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

0

Q: When should I duplicate a letter in a word?

We write: digging, putting, hopping. (with duplicated g,t,& p) We also write: hoping, waiting, picking. (without duplication) What's the rule to follow in spelling?