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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467 |
This is a picture I took while in Ireland. http://signsoflife.goose24.org/?sign=24In America when one says "who cares?" it's meant sort of sarcastically, which is obviously (I hope) not the case in Ireland. What perzactly does this mean?
TEd
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692 |
Well I happen to have an Irish name, so I’ll have a go.
‘Who cares?’ Has the same ‘who gives a damn?’ meaning on this side of the Atlantic. The sign is to attract attention and make you think. On the one hand, perhaps drivers who are still being careless are displaying a ‘Who cares’ attitude, on the other hand if you answer the question with the inward thought ‘I do’, then you will drive more carefully after seeing the sign; at least until you are out of Westmeath!
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 79
journeyman
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journeyman
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 79 |
The explanation above is spot-on. There is no regionalism here, just a way of attracting attention by using a phrase that on the face of it is utterly inappropriate (the dominant meaning is a rhetorical way of saying "nobody cares; it is of no importance"), but has a second, literal meaning that is a query or a challenge to the reader.
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Ted, ohmigawd, some of these are priceless! How'd you ever find that site? Oh, never mind, I forgot who I was speaking to. I think the one "next" to yours is just about my favorite (the monolith); I also like the Japan one where there is apparently no way to meet the deadline, and I love the monkey one, esp. the drawings. Must confess that I first interpreted "Signal Turns When Speeding" meant that it must be okay not to signal your turns when you're not speeding!
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