Dave Osborne wrote:
On 29/01/2010 23:03, John Rumm wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
The Natural Philosopher wrote:
John wrote:
Have you noticed the increase of the word "Solutions" on company
names. Examples spotted today:

Washroom Solutions = Bog cleaning contractor

Transport Solutions = Van Hire

Mobility Solutions = Supplier of Mobility Scooters

Office Solutions = Furniture


10% solutions, your local smack dealer.

7% solution - Sherlock Holmes


Problems finding a sexual partner? Never mind, the solution is in
hand...

OK, I'll bite. Chloroform? Rohypnol?, Ketamine?

I though Ketamine was a horse tranquiliser?


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On 30/01/2010 18:05, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Dave Osborne wrote:
On 29/01/2010 23:03, John Rumm wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
The Natural Philosopher wrote:
John wrote:
Have you noticed the increase of the word "Solutions" on company
names. Examples spotted today:

Washroom Solutions = Bog cleaning contractor

Transport Solutions = Van Hire

Mobility Solutions = Supplier of Mobility Scooters

Office Solutions = Furniture


10% solutions, your local smack dealer.

7% solution - Sherlock Holmes


Problems finding a sexual partner? Never mind, the solution is in
hand...

OK, I'll bite. Chloroform? Rohypnol?, Ketamine?

I though Ketamine was a horse tranquiliser?


That as well. Whackypedia has the gen.

John Rumm
wibbled on Saturday 30 January 2010 17:41

Tim Watts wrote:
PeterC
wibbled on Saturday 30 January 2010 08:19

On Sat, 30 Jan 2010 01:09:50 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

if a teenager is feeling particularly good, would they claim to be
"well well"?
Use of "they" for one person :-

Our English teacher told us (and he wasn't an idiot) that "they" was
acceptable in the singular where gender could not be assumed.

As I don't have a better solution (ha) I'm going to keep using the term.
cf "he/she did blah"- horrible.

I was under the impression that the correct address in those
circumstance was simply "he" - in reference to the generic species "man"
as opposed to the specific gender. The he/she stuff just being pc bull
to keep poorly educated feminists happy ;-)

There is a reasonable definition and discussion he


http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/cham...rceid=Mozilla-
search


http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/cham...hey&title=21st

does list the "they" case, albeit as a colloquialism. I still prefer it.

"If a nurse is on duty, then he should wash his hands" just sounds wrong.

"If a nurse is on duty, then she should wash her hands" also sounds wrong as
there are plenty of male nurses and "she" has never been used in a gender
neutral way.

--
Tim Watts

Managers, politicians and environmentalists: Nature's carbon buffer.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember F news@nowhere saying something
like:

On 30/01/2010 13:31 Steve Firth wrote:

wrote:

"Like" - sprinkled into every sentence by those under 30

That's like just so old?

init

Random.

The Medway Handyman wrote:
Frank Erskine wrote:

"Train station" rather than "railway station".

That one drives me mad as well.

and me.

--
djc

Dave Osborne wrote:

Steve Firth wrote:
Dave Osborne wrote:

Problems finding a sexual partner? Never mind, the solution is in
hand...

OK, I'll bite. Chloroform?

Point of order, that's a solvent, not a solution.



I refer you to Merck Index, Eighth Edition, 1968

"One ml [of chloroform] dissolves in about 200ml of water at 25° [C]."

so what?

The Medway Handyman wrote:
Andy Champ wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
If a black rapper is greeting a prostitute, would he say "yo
ho"


The phrase may be older than you think. Having heard rumours of the
predilections of sailors in the past is this why pirates used to say
"Yo ho ho, and a bottle of rum"?

I thought it was rum, bum & backy?


Rum, sodomy and the lash.

in 257347 20100130 105624 Tim Watts wrote:
PeterC
wibbled on Saturday 30 January 2010 08:19

On Sat, 30 Jan 2010 01:09:50 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

if a teenager is feeling particularly good, would they claim to be
"well well"?

Use of "they" for one person :-

Our English teacher told us (and he wasn't an idiot) that "they" was
acceptable in the singular where gender could not be assumed.

As I don't have a better solution (ha) I'm going to keep using the term. cf
"he/she did blah"- horrible.

Even if the sex of the person is known?

On Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:41:01 +0000, Tim Watts wrote:

John Rumm
wibbled on Saturday 30 January 2010 17:41

Tim Watts wrote:
PeterC
wibbled on Saturday 30 January 2010 08:19

On Sat, 30 Jan 2010 01:09:50 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

if a teenager is feeling particularly good, would they claim to be
"well well"?
Use of "they" for one person :-

Our English teacher told us (and he wasn't an idiot) that "they" was
acceptable in the singular where gender could not be assumed.

As I don't have a better solution (ha) I'm going to keep using the term.
cf "he/she did blah"- horrible.

I was under the impression that the correct address in those
circumstance was simply "he" - in reference to the generic species "man"
as opposed to the specific gender. The he/she stuff just being pc bull
to keep poorly educated feminists happy ;-)

There is a reasonable definition and discussion he

http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/cham...rceid=Mozilla-
search

http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/cham...hey&title=21st

does list the "they" case, albeit as a colloquialism. I still prefer it.

"If a nurse is on duty, then he should wash his hands" just sounds wrong.

"If a nurse is on duty, then she should wash her hands" also sounds wrong as
there are plenty of male nurses and "she" has never been used in a gender
neutral way.

I just use "it".
--
Peter.
2x4 - thick plank; 4x4 - two of 'em.

On Sun, 31 Jan 2010 07:59:28 GMT, Bob Martin wrote:

in 257347 20100130 105624 Tim Watts wrote:
PeterC
wibbled on Saturday 30 January 2010 08:19

On Sat, 30 Jan 2010 01:09:50 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

if a teenager is feeling particularly good, would they claim to be
"well well"?

Use of "they" for one person :-

Our English teacher told us (and he wasn't an idiot) that "they" was
acceptable in the singular where gender could not be assumed.

As I don't have a better solution (ha) I'm going to keep using the term. cf
"he/she did blah"- horrible.

Even if the sex of the person is known?

Oh boy! That /really/ annoys me: 'the actress...they' (and e.g.
'spokesperson' when the gender of the said 'person' is obvious).
--
Peter.
2x4 - thick plank; 4x4 - two of 'em.

On Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:00:14 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

"Train station" rather than "railway station".

That one drives me mad as well.

AOL - but, sadly, it's logical. Just what we're used to.
--
Peter.
2x4 - thick plank; 4x4 - two of 'em.

On Sat, 30 Jan 2010 11:22:18 +0000, Dave Osborne wrote:

On 30/01/2010 08:18, PeterC wrote:
On Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:13:44 +0000, Tim Streater wrote:



Also '12 am to 12 pm' for 00:00h - 12:00h,

12 a.m. is midnight and 12 p.m. is mid-day in my book (and for most
people, I suspect), so that works for me.

or, as for something in a
village hall nearby: "Open from 12 pm to 10 pm", so 22 hours!

Which is 10 hours, not 22 hours if you take 12 p.m. as midday. ;-)

I wouldn't, of course. 12h post-meridiem is, by definition, midnight, so
that makes 22 hours open. 00:00h - 22:00h would be the same.

There is an infinitesimal difference in time between 24:00h and 00:00h, but
there's a major difference in real life - the date!

Quote from the National Physical Laboratory:

"There are no standards established for the meaning of 12 a.m. and 12
p.m. It is often said that 12 a.m. Monday is midnight on Monday morning
and 12 p.m. is mid-day. This puts all the times beginning with 12 and
ending with a.m. in the same one-hour block, similarly with those ending
with p.m. It can also be argued that by the time you have seen a clock
showing 12:00 at mid-day it is already post meridiem, and similarly at
midnight it is already ante meridiem. Times in the first hour of the day
are sometimes given as, for example, 00:47 a.m., with 00:00 a.m.
corresponding to midnight, but with a time twelve hours later given as
12:47 p.m."

Quote from National Maritime Museum.

"Is noon 12 a.m. or 12 p.m.?

12 noon is neither a.m. nor p.m.

To avoid confusion, the correct designation for 12 o'clock is 12 noon or
12 midnight. Alternatively, the 24-hour clock system may be used.

The abbreviation a.m. stands for ante-meridiem (before the Sun has
crossed the line) and p.m. for post-meridiem (after the Sun has crossed
the line). At 12 noon, the Sun is at its highest point in the sky and
directly over the meridian. It is therefore neither 'ante-' nor 'post-'."


--
Peter.
2x4 - thick plank; 4x4 - two of 'em.

On Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:18:14 +0000, geoff wrote:

In message , PeterC
writes
On Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:13:44 +0000, Tim Streater wrote:

Cue reference to "open all hours" and Arkwright's treacle toffee...

How about "foot pedal" or "2am in the morning" (not to be confused with
2am in the afternoon).

Or "bored of"?

The list is endless.

"Open all day" on a pub that's open 12:00h - 23:00h

Also '12 am to 12 pm' for 00:00h - 12:00h, or, as for something in a
village hall nearby: "Open from 12 pm to 10 pm", so 22 hours!

Err ...

can't be

there is no such thing as 12am or 12pm

Precisely

If things get on your tits - make sure it's the right tit not the left
one

Indeed, but I'm just quoting the sign. Anyway, I rode on and leftit behind.
--
Peter.
2x4 - thick plank; 4x4 - two of 'em.

On Sun, 31 Jan 2010 09:24:26 +0000, PeterC
wrote:

On Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:00:14 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

"Train station" rather than "railway station".

That one drives me mad as well.

AOL - but, sadly, it's logical. Just what we're used to.

The English language isn't logical.

Nor is, say, French, where every noun is masculine or feminine.

--
Frank Erskine

Bob Martin
wibbled on Sunday 31 January 2010 07:59

in 257347 20100130 105624 Tim Watts wrote:
PeterC
wibbled on Saturday 30 January 2010 08:19

On Sat, 30 Jan 2010 01:09:50 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

if a teenager is feeling particularly good, would they claim to be
"well well"?

Use of "they" for one person :-

Our English teacher told us (and he wasn't an idiot) that "they" was
acceptable in the singular where gender could not be assumed.

As I don't have a better solution (ha) I'm going to keep using the term.
cf "he/she did blah"- horrible.

Even if the sex of the person is known?

Obviously, no ;-

--
Tim Watts

Managers, politicians and environmentalists: Nature's carbon buffer.

Frank Erskine :
On Sun, 31 Jan 2010 09:24:26 +0000, PeterC
wrote:

On Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:00:14 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

"Train station" rather than "railway station".

That one drives me mad as well.

AOL - but, sadly, it's logical. Just what we're used to.

The English language isn't logical.

True, but where there's an easy choice between logical and illogical, as
in this case, my vote goes to the logical, even if it is Foreign.

Train station it is.

--
Mike Barnes

PeterC wrote:
On Sun, 31 Jan 2010 07:59:28 GMT, Bob Martin wrote:

in 257347 20100130 105624 Tim Watts wrote:
PeterC
wibbled on Saturday 30 January 2010 08:19

On Sat, 30 Jan 2010 01:09:50 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

if a teenager is feeling particularly good, would they claim to be
"well well"?

Use of "they" for one person :-

Our English teacher told us (and he wasn't an idiot) that "they" was
acceptable in the singular where gender could not be assumed.

As I don't have a better solution (ha) I'm going to keep using the
term. cf "he/she did blah"- horrible.

Even if the sex of the person is known?

Oh boy! That /really/ annoys me: 'the actress...they' (and e.g.
'spokesperson' when the gender of the said 'person' is obvious).

Manageress!



--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

Dave Osborne wrote:
On 30/01/2010 18:05, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Dave Osborne wrote:
On 29/01/2010 23:03, John Rumm wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
The Natural Philosopher wrote:
John wrote:
Have you noticed the increase of the word "Solutions" on company
names. Examples spotted today:

Washroom Solutions = Bog cleaning contractor

Transport Solutions = Van Hire

Mobility Solutions = Supplier of Mobility Scooters

Office Solutions = Furniture


10% solutions, your local smack dealer.

7% solution - Sherlock Holmes


Problems finding a sexual partner? Never mind, the solution is in
hand...

OK, I'll bite. Chloroform? Rohypnol?, Ketamine?

I though Ketamine was a horse tranquiliser?


That as well. Whackypedia has the gen.

Bloody hell! Spoke to my daughter about it. She can't administer it after
all her training - and people use it as a recretional drug!


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On 31/01/2010 09:23 PeterC wrote:

(and e.g.
'spokesperson' when the gender of the said 'person' is obvious).

Harriet Harperson?

--
F

On Sun, 31 Jan 2010 12:48:23 +0000, F news@nowhere wrote:
On 31/01/2010 09:23 PeterC wrote:

(and e.g.
'spokesperson' when the gender of the said 'person' is obvious).

Harriet Harperson?


Harriet Harridan.

On Sun, 31 Jan 2010 11:03:35 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

Even if the sex of the person is known?

Oh boy! That /really/ annoys me: 'the actress...they' (and e.g.
'spokesperson' when the gender of the said 'person' is obvious).

Manageress!

In the early '80s my girlfriend chaired some big committees (college with
several thousand students being one of them) and she was always Chairman.

She said that a manageress was a woman who couldn't manage - this from a
woman who could stop a high street when in cycling shorts (and also
defeated Norman Tebbit on a point of principle).
--
Peter.
2x4 - thick plank; 4x4 - two of 'em.

The Natural Philosopher wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
Andy Champ wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
If a black rapper is greeting a prostitute, would he say "yo
ho"


The phrase may be older than you think. Having heard rumours of the
predilections of sailors in the past is this why pirates used to say
"Yo ho ho, and a bottle of rum"?

I thought it was rum, bum & backy?


Rum, sodomy and the lash.

That's the Royal Navy, not pirates.

Andy

Andy Champ wrote:
The Natural Philosopher wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
Andy Champ wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
If a black rapper is greeting a prostitute, would he say "yo
ho"


The phrase may be older than you think. Having heard rumours of the
predilections of sailors in the past is this why pirates used to say
"Yo ho ho, and a bottle of rum"?

I thought it was rum, bum & backy?


Rum, sodomy and the lash.

That's the Royal Navy, not pirates.


merely the disciplined and legalised form, I assure you ;-)


Andy

In message
Bruce wrote:

I recall "EXEL Logistics" back in the late 1980s, and nobody knew what
on earth it meant. There was a subtle clue in the fact that the
company owned vans that were used to deliver things. ;-)

There's a van near here advertising whoarewe.com

Well, if they don't know who they are why should I care?

Until now I've deliberately avoided looking at their website. Having
just done so, I'm no wiser :-)

Barry
--
If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?

"Barry Smith" wrote in message
...
In message
Bruce wrote:

I recall "EXEL Logistics" back in the late 1980s, and nobody knew what
on earth it meant. There was a subtle clue in the fact that the
company owned vans that were used to deliver things. ;-)

There's a van near here advertising whoarewe.com

Well, if they don't know who they are why should I care?

Until now I've deliberately avoided looking at their website. Having
just done so, I'm no wiser :-)

Their aviation sideline sounds a bit like MJN Airlines.

On 31/01/2010 10:04, Mike Barnes wrote:
Frank :
On Sun, 31 Jan 2010 09:24:26 +0000, PeterC
wrote:

On Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:00:14 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

"Train station" rather than "railway station".

That one drives me mad as well.

AOL - but, sadly, it's logical. Just what we're used to.

The English language isn't logical.

True, but where there's an easy choice between logical and illogical, as
in this case, my vote goes to the logical, even if it is Foreign.

Train station it is.

Bugger that, Huston.

--
Tim

"That excessive bail ought not to be required, nor excessive fines
imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted"

Bill of Rights 1689