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Eating lunch with my sons and our German Exchange student, after I had paid the bill, the German son said, "I think that next time I will have to revenge" I said, "I think you mean 'reciprocate!!' After I explained the difference, he said "well it still means the same, so I choose revenge, because we did not learn the word reciprocate, and I will never remember it" Thinking about this---he is right!!!????
enthusiast
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Pooh-Bah
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I didn't realise that "bill" was used in the US. I thought that "check" was more common, are the different terms used regionally or just interchangeably?
The UK usage is exclusively "bill", never "check", although I also like the slang term "damage".
I remember an Italian friend calling it the "dolorosa", which is also true!
To pay we never write checks, only ever cheques.
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In reply to:
revenge/reciprocate
No, of course he isn't right. They don't mean quite the same thing. Reciprocate has meanings fairly close to revenge, but it also has others not so close. What does he think a reciprocating engine does? This is the peculiarity of the English language -- it has an enormous number of words, many of which mean exactly, or almost exactly the same as another, but more often with not quite the same, the differences in meaning often being very subtle.
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Carpal Tunnel
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BYB asked What does he think a reciprocating engine does?Whatever, mine had its revenge on me last week by blowing up. Well, it was the auto trans, but near enough. The car stopped. 
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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Carpal Tunnel
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The common useage (in this 'hood) is "check", and when you get it, especially at the corner "ham 'n egger" or "greasy diner", they tear a sheet out of thier pad and it says "CHECK No.(insert # here)" right at the top. I always say "bill", or comment to a "check" request with "They pay you to eat here?"  . BYB - Is there a difference between a reciprocating engine and an internal combustion engine? Isn't that the idea behind having pistons in the first place?
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I use bill and check interchangably for resturaunts. I might be slightly more likely to say bill, but my husband usually says check, so it balances out. In a store or through mail it's a bill, never a check.
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Carpal Tunnel
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No no, a check is one of those little pointy marks you put beside an item on a list to say you counted it. Awad system won’t let me write one in to show you  A cheque is what you pay a bill with if you are not using cash and usually, the cheque... ...is in the mail  .
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Carpal Tunnel
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Mais non, ma cherie. The little pointy thing to signify "correct" or "done that" is called a tick.
Bingley
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The Indonesian for parking fee is retribusi parkir .
Bingley
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I beg to differ Bingley mon chou, you tick something off a list with a check mark. Hmmm, do you call it a tick mark over on your side of the ocean? That could explain it.
A tick is a multi-legged insect that attaches itself to a dog, cat or deer and harangues the hell out of 'em.
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>Is there a difference between a reciprocating engine and an internal combustion engine?
Yes. All reciprocating engines (the type found in most automobiles, whether they are gasoline or diesel) are internal combustion engines. But not all internal combustion engines are reciprocating. The other type of IC engine is called the Wankel engine after its inventor. It was used quite a bit in Mazdas, though I don't know if it still is. The Wankel has a rotating triangular piston that pulls in a gas-air mixture, compresses it, blows it up, then gets rid of the exhaust (the same four cycles that a book I cherished when I was six or so referred to as "suck, squeeze, pop, fooey.")
By the by, external combustion engines are those in which the fuel is burned in the open air -- steam engines mostly.
TEd
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I sketch a tick mark in the air with my finger to indicate to the waitron unit that I want my bill.
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I sketch a tick mark in the air with my finger to indicate to the waitron unit that I want my bill.
I, on the other hand, being the classy dame that i am, mime signing the bill. The implication being (in the days before credit card) that I had a "house account" which allowed me to sign the bill and be billed privately. Please don't call me a snob before you look the word up in the OED!  wow
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old hand
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What about "tab"? (As in "Waiter, I'll have the tab now").
Thought this was a US'ism as well? I've used it and they seem to know what I'm talking about over 'ere.
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What about "tab"?
In my experience (on both sides of the bar), tab usually applies when one (or more) is at a bar/pub and plans to order a series of drinks. Rather than paying for each one as it arrives, one starts a tab, which is paid when one can (or should) drink no more.
I spent a fair bit of time waiting tables in the Northeast of USA and don't recall hearing "tab" to mean "check" - although the meaning would have been clear.
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Our tree frog notes: tab usually applies when one (or more) is at a bar/pub and plans to order a series of drinks.
I concur. I also agree that it would be understood in related contexts although probably not primarily used that way. If you're a regular the bartender might ask you if you want to "run a tab" after serving you your first drink. If you indicate that you will be eating before or while ordering the first drink it will probably be assumed that you will get a check for the entire amount when you are done, which may correspond to the finishing of the meal. The bartender would ask you if you'd like anything else after clearing the dishes. This is all assuming that you are eating at the bar, which is not common if you are in a group but not that rare if you are alone.
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I think that next time I will have to revenge" I said, "I think you mean 'reciprocate!!' Hi bikermom - great handle  You were quite right to correct the German - revenge and reciprocate have very different meanings, and very different roots. There's the idea of avenging built into revenge, which ain't ever going to be nice, whereas if you reciprocate in a negative sense then it's fairly immediate retaliation rather than something you plot for years and exact with relish and an evil chuckle. [evil grin emoticon] Fisk
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journeyman
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Thanks. I ride bikes of all kinds but I do not go fishing----and I love to eat fish of most kinds.
You gave me the most excellent explanation of all. All I knew was that revenge is used in a mean way and to reciprocate in a most positive ways. And yes, revenge usually has been planned for quite some time.
By the way, I still can't figure out how to do all those extra things with a post!!! Any helpful clues!!!!!!
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Carpal Tunnel
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>Any helpful clues!!!!!!
FAQ... upper right on menu... all is revealed.
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In reply to:
you tick something off a list with a check mark. Hmmm, do you call it a tick mark over on your side of the ocean?
Just a tick, not a tick mark.
Bingley
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Pooh-Bah
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A well-travelled American gentleman of our acquaintance has an interesting way of asking for the bill which works all over the world.
He makes a square with the index fingers and thumbs of both hands and says "mitzu" with authority. For some reason, possibly owing to his generally distinguished air, it always works. As far as he knows mitzu does not mean bill in any known language but it sounds like the kind of word that could mean bill if one only knew the language.
We've tried it with some success but we need to work on the "looking sufficiently distinguished" bit!
PS I've marked the two boxes below this reply with a "tick".
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journeyman
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Thanks, tsuwm.  I experimented a bit and I figured it out---so I deleted my first stupid reply to you. I can't believe it worked so easy. Thanks a million!
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Thanks CK. I am sorry your reciprocating engine had its revenge on you. And now this German student would like to reciprocate with you about your Hobbit post and your Lord of the Rings post. Is this OK, CK???? He is doing a report for Senior English.
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Thanks to all at AWAD TALK for quickly answering my question of revenge vs reciprocate. I never imagined that this question would result in so much learning and feedback. AWAD TALK, computer and school should be a must in all schools. Thanks Worldwide Teachers!
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Thanks BYB for your wonderful reply to my first real post. Your answer not only boosted my self-esteem but also generated and reciprocated tons of great feedback.
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Is the square made thumb to thumb and forefinger to forefinger or thumb to forefinger and forefinger to thumb?
And
Is it oriented with one side parallel to the floor or with the sides diagonally oriented to the floor?
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Pooh-Bah
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>how to make the square
The gentleman in question made something rectangular(ish) with forefingers touching and the thumbs arranged in a decisive, yet gentile way, not touching as in an art nouveau motif. The orientation was diagonal, the little finger or pinkie slightly curled, so that the waitron would appreciate the calibre of the customer.
I'm so pleased at your concern, Faldage, are you considering making use of this method? I could fit you in for a formal training session sometime on my next world tour.
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addict
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The gentleman in question made something rectangular(ish) with forefingers touching and the thumbs arranged in a decisive, yet gentile way,
Not entirely sure what this would look like.
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Jo comments "I'm so pleased at your concern, Faldage, are you considering making use of this method? I could fit you in for a formal training session sometime on my next world tour."
Thank you, Jo, that would be nice. And to Hyla regarding the concern about the use of the phrase "gentile way" I would suggest that he was being careful not to make the hand gesture look like the Mogen Dovid which would imply that he thought that the food served was substandard (i.e., not kosher)
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In reply to:
The gentleman in question made something rectangular(ish) with forefingers touching and the thumbs arranged in a decisive, yet gentile way,
Not entirely sure what this would look like.
As the moyel said, it means the waitron probably isn't going to get a tip.
TEd
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Carpal Tunnel
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Many gentiles fail to be genteel.
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addict
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Faldage wrote: And to Hyla regarding the concern about the use of the phrase "gentile way" I would suggest that he was being careful not to make the hand gesture look like the Mogen Dovid which would imply that he thought that the food served was substandard (i.e., not kosher).
I really thought "gentile" in the original was a typographical error, and that the word intended was "gentle." I was going to make a joke about it, but inspiration eluded me. Now I'm a mite bemused.
Is there really a hand gesture to indicate that food is not kosher or otherwise substandard? That's meshugganah!
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Très juste wwh. Genteel it should be.
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Pooh-Bah
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OK You got me.
Serves me right for posting and running. You go away for a few hours and ... chaos.
As you all guessed, I meant genteel, so I was wrong, wrong, wrong!
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veteran
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I ride bikes of all kinds but I do not go fishing----and I love to eat fish of most kindsWell, bm, you'd better make sure you don't go cycling into any lakes, or the fish may well be obliged to reciprocate on behalf of their lost relatives. [evil grin] Or would this be revenge?? Damn!
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journeyman
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"the fish may well be obliged to reciprocate on behalf of their lost relatives. " Yes, fb, this would be a classic, full-blown case of revenge----maybe that is why sharks attack people???!!! enthusiast
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