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#20514 02/27/01 08:20 PM
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Some years ago I was being served by a shop assistant whose T-shirt had tiny (about 5 point) writing just above her left breast. As my eyesight was quite keen, I was able to read it with no more than a namaste-like inclining of the head. The text read "Nosy bugger, ain't ya?" It was absolutely correct, and that same nosiness leads me to issue a new challenge.
Many who post here have been able to divine a new poster's sex from the content of his or her posts, without any assistance from the poster's chosen handle. I propose taking such divination to a new level.
Satin has mentioned having a sibling here. This led me to wonder if there were any other family connections on the Board, and whether such could be discerned purely by reading posts. I challenge those who are gifted at discerning a poster's sex to try and figure out who satin's sibling is. I am not suggesting that any guesses be posted, as the information is clearly private and should stay that way. Rather than poster X saying, "I think satin's sibling is Y", I suggest that any poster who tries this challenge detail the elements looked for as evidence of familial ties. This could include shared idioms or cultural references. I stress that I am proposing this purely as an academic exercise in liguistic detection, an extension of the sort of detection that discerns a person's sex from what they post. I must also add that I will not be attempting this challenge myself, as I am totally lacking in the skills needed. Having been guilty of several mistaken assumptions already, I am simply throwing down a gaunlet for those more empathic than I.


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a shop assistant whose T-shirt had tiny (about 5 point) writing just above her left breast

If you don't want people reading your T shirt don't have anything on it to read.


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Faldage suggested If you don't want people reading your T shirt don't have anything on it to read.

Absolutely. I once had a T-shirt speciaaly made with the only top half of the words, SHARE AND ENJOY. No one ever commented on it, or understood the reference enough to be insulted by it. That was very disappointing for me.



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Methinks the lady protested too much and insincerely.Reminds me of the dirty look I got from a bimbo who had a bathing suit with a pattern cut through the bra,who glared at me, apparently thinking I was trying to see her nipples. And nosy bugger sounds suggestive of a really revolting erotic activity.


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since the topic seems to have moved immediatly to t-shirts (there are so many good ones-- but i never wear them, since i hate to think i could , or the outside world could, be reduced to a "quip"

Still, my daugher has a black one, that looks like it has a Name tag on it the (US) standard red border with white center , and the top border says: Hello, my name is...
in the write in field is "Queen of the Fuckin Universe" it was alway one of my favorites.. (and reflected my daughters attitude.. after all, the world started when she was born..)


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Methinks the lady protested too much and insincerely

Perhaps it's because bugger is used more affectionately here, but, whatever the reason, I read the slogan as a good-natured jibe, and am sure that's what was intended. Had I been sufficently brave, I would have laughed aloud and complimented her on it, instead of smiling quietly to myself.


#20520 02/27/01 08:57 PM
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Rather than poster X saying, "I think satin's sibling is Y", I
suggest that any poster who tries this challenge detail the elements looked for as evidence of familial ties. This
could include shared idioms or cultural references.


I have to admit to being confused a bit, max (he digressed, futilely attempting to return to the challenge) -- just how are we to "detail the elements" without, in effect, posting a guess as to identity??


#20521 02/27/01 09:09 PM
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I have to admit to being confused a bit, max (he digressed, futilely attempting to return to the challenge) -- just how are we to "detail the elements" without, in effect, posting a guess as to identity??

I was bit muddled when I wrote that, which certainly did not help. What I should have said was that those who accept the challenge could post something like "when I made my guess, I looked for things like ...". This way, they could train the less discerning among us by showing us what sort of things we should be looking for. Giving specific examples could be done from one's own experience. As an exampe of what I mean, I and all my paternal cousins refer to our common grandfather as Father, a learned family idiosyncracy that is quite distinctive. Were I to attempt the challenge, I could cite my own family's idiom as a "names have been changed" example of the sort of thing I was trying to find. I suspect that all I have done is make my murky post much murkier. Sorry.


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I once had a T-shirt speciaaly made with the only top half of the words, SHARE AND ENJOY.

I'd considered doing this by private message, to save the "" factor, but i'll just come out and admit it: I don't get it. please explain??


#20523 02/27/01 11:45 PM
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That may be a little hard to do right now MaxieQ. Hasn't Satin posted only some four or five posts.

I must admit her "I have a sibling" post made me wonder. Rightly or wrongly, this is what I thought...

I assume she is a young lady because men rarely use such feminine titles.
I assume she is young because she uses the word sibling. All the older people I know would have said, "my brother/sister is also on the board."
I also assume the sex of her sibling by the use of that word and will not go into more detail because then you'll know who I mean.
There are not a whole lot of young people on board.

I may be way out in left field. Maybe Satin will let me know in a private e-mail.


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