217 Lemurs
May 2012
74 posts
Collective Nouns
Somewhere in conversation today the puzzling question of the collective noun for academics came up. There were so many tongue-in-cheek suggestions “cabal” or “mess” perhaps. A quick search turned up a much more obvious and rather mundane answer - a “faculty”. Sort of obvious when you think about it.
There were some others from the My Universal Facts blog (which has potentially the worst navigation of a website that I’ve seen in a very long time). The site claims that it has verified all of the entries on the list - which suggests that the collective wisdom of the English speaking world permanently has its tongue in cheek.
A goring of butchers - clever, a decanter of deans - worryingly accurate, a sneer of butlers - really?
Wadded Up Paper Company →
origamiboulder.com
Origami Boulder could well be my new most favourite ecommerce site. With logic like…
“Origami, is Japanese art of folding paper. Boulder is round rock. Origami Boulder is wadded up paper! You understand now, dumbo? Then hurry up and buy wadded paper! You see picture at top of site don’t you?”
How can you go wrong.
Even better there are options for your wadded up paper…
Q: What is the Performance Art option?
A: This brand new innovation in Origami Boulder wadded paper art! You buy Performance Art option. Then artist wad up artwork create custom for you, and throw directly into waste basket. You just paid for custom performance art! You receive email describe performance. If wish, write name or other small message in comment box and artist say, “This art made for _____” when perform.
VERY IMPORTANT. You not get anything in mail when you order Performance Art option. Artist truly create artwork and throw in wastebasket and email when finished. You pay for this art performance, not physical art that come in mail.
And all of that for only $3.
Of course there are also the Letters from Dumb Dumbs to take in.
“You put the burger on the bun and THEN the gherkins - or onions - before the cheese. The cheese still melts but it holds in the onions and there is less spillage.”
—Practical culinary advice from Emmerdale. It seems obvious when you say it but I’d certainly never thought of it…
“Pano o toktok long radio o niuspepa blong mekem se ol man oli wantem pem samting”
—
The Bislama for ‘advertisement’ - more literally “The noticeboard or talk on the radio or newspaper that makes someone pay [for] something”. That is a rough translation as ‘samting’ could also refer to genitals.
You got to appreciate the directness of Bislama and the comprehensive cataloguing of everyday life that the “New Bislama Dictionary” offers.
“Golter-yeded gawpsheet: Old English insult recorded in Elizabeth Mary Wright’s “Rustic Speech and Folklore”. Its original meaning has been lost but it has a mavellous ring to it.”
—An entry from Paul Dickson’s “A connoisseur’s collections of old and new, weird and wonderful, useful and outlandish words” - originally published in 1982.
“You know Summer is approaching in Manchester when young women think they are Corinne Bailey Ray and young men think they are the Incredible Hulk.”
—
Australia by Song →
australiabysong.com.au
A rather specialist cataloguing of a variety of songs that reference Australia in general, or specific states or cities or towns. There does seem to be heavy preference to older folk style songs - but this is potentially a reflection of the fact that dub step doesn’t tend to reference geography.
