#18890
02/14/2001 2:05 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,773
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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Posts: 1,773 |
I just spent the better part of the last two evenings watching the Westminster Kennel Club dog show (so named because the club used to meet at the Westminster Hotel), a fascinating exhibition of dogs and people. The announcers informed me of many interesting aspects of canine breeds and histories, including:
-> griffons are dogs with lionesque faces
-> terriers are ground dogs (from terra)
-> spaniels originated in Spain; making English Spaniels = English Spanish dogs
-> not surprisingly, the dog known in the US as the cocker spaniel is the American Cocker in England, and the dog known as the cocker spaniel in England is the English Cocker here. The "cocker" name comes from the dog's ability with birds.
-> "corgi" is dog in Welsh; making corgi dogs = dog dogs
-> Australian shepherds originated in the US, not Australia (what do you call them in Australia?)
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#18891
02/14/2001 5:25 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Dear Sparteye: Where did Border Collies get the first half of the name? They are great if they have animals (sheep) to boss around, but get into mischief if they do not. We let one run free to keep coyotes away, and it chased cats at nursing home up fire-escape onto roof, then could not go back down ladder, howled until night watchman got him down.Watchman was not amused.
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#18892
02/14/2001 6:24 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,773
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,773 |
Border collies were developed in Britain, and according to American Heritage, were "from the border country of England and Scotland." Hmmm. Unlike as to other categories of words, the derivation of dog names usually seems to be the obvious.
Hyper and intense, they are. They are tremendous workers, and they often win obedience and agility competitions. I believe the remark last night was, terrific for a farm, terrible for an apartment.
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#18893
02/14/2001 9:08 PM
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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It amazes me when people buy or adopt border collies and then wonder why they love to chase cars! It's hard wired into their genes ... they're herding them! To me the most important thing said at the Westminster Show (and they say it over and over) is that before you adopt or buy a dog, RESEARCH THE BREED. It's easy to do. Attend a dog show, in particular a "benched" show which means the people have to stay in the holding area with their dogs throughout the show so you have plenty of opportunity to talk to them. People love to talk about what they know about. (Witness this Board!  ) The other thing that's easy is to visit your local library as any good sized library will have the American Kennel Club (AKC) book of dogs which is huge and has more dogs pictured and described than you can believe exist! Put Westminster Kennel Club in your search engine and up come more links than you can throw a stick at!  or try this : http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/ wow
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#18894
02/14/2001 11:05 PM
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 347
enthusiast
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enthusiast
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Sparteye comments: Australian shepherds originated in the US, not Australia (what do you call them in Australia?)
We apparently also call them Australian Shepherds here, although I'd never heard of them before today. The website of my state canine association has the following information: While there are many theories as to the origin of the Australian Shepherd, the breed as we know it today, developed exclusively in the United States. The Australian Shepherd was given its name because of the association with Basque Sheepherders who came to the United States from Australia in the 1800's.For further information: http://www.vca.org.au/breeds/standards/standard.cfm?breed_id=13
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#18895
02/15/2001 1:55 AM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 328
enthusiast
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enthusiast
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Posts: 328 |
Basque Sheepherders who came to the United States from Australia in the 1800'sI wonder why Basques came to Australia and the US... I was under the impression that the Basque people are intensely loyal to their homeland and language. Was there some sort of persecution going on? Why choose Australia when you're originally from France/Spain? Why am I asking all of these questions?
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#18896
02/15/2001 6:34 AM
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,146
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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We have a Keeshond - the second one we have had - named "Saffie". short for "Saffron". Don't ask. Anyway, the origins of the name are well-known and if you're a teensy-weensy bit interested, you should look at http://www.sirius.com/~hbp/Kees/origin.txtSaffie is a clever dog and is in the process of developing her own website. You can view this, if you wish, at http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/david.kinraid
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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#18897
02/15/2001 7:22 AM
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 460
addict
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addict
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Posts: 460 |
There was a lovely story this morning on our ABC when the announcer sent a cheerio to a listener with a dog called Dash. It turns out that when announcers give the CD number of the item played as [xxx dash xxx], the dog assumes he's being addressed.
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#18898
02/15/2001 8:45 AM
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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Posts: 1,981 |
>It turns out that when announcers give the CD number of the item played as [xxx dash xxx], the dog assumes he's being addressed.
It could be also tricky when they give out the station's web address if you had a dog called .
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#18899
02/15/2001 10:31 AM
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 140
member
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member
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what do you call them in Australia? As far as I know we don't call them anything in Australia. They seem to be an American breed which look a bit like our Kelpie. This message from an exceptionally refined Australian Cattle Dog lusy 
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#18900
02/15/2001 11:48 AM
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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an exceptionally refined Australian Cattle Dog
der lusy,
i'm glad to know yer a cattle dog. now i know i don't hav
to wory.
luv,
maggie the magic rabit
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#18901
02/15/2001 1:22 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
old hand
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old hand
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Here's another one...
The town where the ferry from the mainland arrives in Newfoundland is called Port-aux-Basques (Port-a-BASK, of course, not really pronounced French-ly). Spain had a big fishing presence in Newfoundland in its early days. I believe there's also a Spaniard's Bay.
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#18902
02/15/2001 2:19 PM
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027
old hand
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old hand
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refined..dog
Reminds me of the story of the woman who sat in a movie theater with her dog upright on the seat beside her. At the end another lady walked up to her and said admiringly: Your dog is real intelligent, he seems to have liked the movie.
The proud owner replied: you should have seen him after he read the book!
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#18903
02/15/2001 5:41 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,773
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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Wow, you speak wisely in admonishing folk to research their dog breeds first. I can strongly recommend a book, "The Right Dog for You," by Daniel Tortora, which includes assessments of the life style and personality of both dog and owner to help the reader choose the appropriate breed. I used the book to choose our dog, a Newfie.
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#18904
02/15/2001 5:49 PM
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,757
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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sat in a movie theater with her dog Well spotted, Werner
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#18905
02/15/2001 7:30 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Unfortunately the AKC dogs are handsome, but the brains have been bred out of too many, and congenital hips,etc, bred in. I have had many mutts with so much brains and personality that I did not regret their homeliness. Sadly today, even in the country you can get into trouble if dog is not kept on chain. And it is close to cruelty to keep a dog in the city.
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#18906
02/15/2001 8:54 PM
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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wwh, must disagree ... bad health and bad dispositions are generally the fault of careless breeders. The AKC is a registry and has no enforcement capability. (I await correction from the Dog People if I am misinfomed)
Dealing with reputable breeders is best if you want a purebred dog. The AKC book gives the conformation and disposition of the various breed which can be a great help even when adopting a mutt! I have owned purebreds and mixed breeds and loved them all. My son has two Labs, one purebred and one a Lab-Damation mix and guess which one has a mind of his own! The Lab-Dal mix of course!
Good shelters have counselors who can be a huge help when you are considering adoption of a mix breed dog.
Shouldn't this dog talk be in AnnaS's great idea : "Recipes& other non-language topics" thread in Miscellany?
wow
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#18907
02/15/2001 11:14 PM
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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sat in a movie theater with her dog
mav notes: Well spotted, Werner
Was it a Dalmatian?
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#18908
02/15/2001 11:22 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 157
member
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Can I assume Schnauzzers are named for their schauzz - nose?
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#18909
02/15/2001 11:29 PM
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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High Priestess wow, Though your point is well taken, I figger Sparteye started this thread with an eye to language. What to do when dogs roam? Recipes is getting too long, anyway  ... I've half a mind [no-comment-from-the-peanut-gallery emoticon] to go over to Miscellany and start a whole bunch of topics that have seen sub-thread lives here, so each can have its due. But must first finish War & Peace in the original, da-nyet?
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#18910
02/19/2001 3:58 PM
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 130
member
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member
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Posts: 130 |
As a pug owner I always wondered where the name came from. The sources I've read mostly say "etymology uncertain". I've always thought that they were named in the West for their mushed in face. Pug from pug-faced, as in the face of a pugilist or boxer. Anyone?
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#18911
02/20/2001 5:14 AM
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I don't know where the name came from, but I believe pug-faced as a description came from the name of the dog rather than the other way round.
Bingley
Bingley
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#18912
02/20/2001 3:26 PM
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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why has no one mentioned the poor dachshund -- a half-a-dog short and a dog-and-a-half long?
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#18913
02/20/2001 6:19 PM
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 544
addict
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I wonder why Basques came to Australia and the US
As I understand it, the Basques are world-renowned sheep-herders (sounds better than a shepherd of such renown, somehow) and there are Basque communities all over the world, who either still herd sheep, or got their start in an area in that line of work. I've seen Basque restaurants in the high Nevada desert, and been surprised to see them, until I learned that there used to be lots of sheep ranching in the area.
The town where the ferry from the mainland arrives in Newfoundland is called Port-aux-Basques
I read recently that the Basques were the first Europeans to discover the rich cod-fishing grounds off of Newfoundland, and maintained a quasi-monopoly on that supply, by keeping the location a secret, for decades. I learned this in a oddly fascinating book entitled Cod: the Fish that Changed the World. It's worth reading, if for no other reason than to see people's reactions when they see you're reading a book about such an obscure subject.
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#18914
02/20/2001 6:49 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
old hand
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old hand
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people's reactions when they see you're reading a book about such an obscure subject.In Newfoundland it is not at all an obscure subject. Since people first started coming here from Europe, the entire economy was based on cod. There's a "famous" postage stamp featuring a drawing of a codfish and the line "Newfoundland currency" or something like that. Even in the New England states it was a huge part of the economy (isn't there a Cape Cod?). (Being in oceanography and all, I can't help but know this stuff...)
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#18915
02/20/2001 7:01 PM
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 544
addict
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addict
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Even in the New England states it was a huge part of the economy (isn't there a Cape Cod?)
There is in fact a Cape Cod in Massachusetts, and in the main assembly room of the Mass. State House, there is a golden cod mounted on the wall.
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#18916
02/20/2001 11:41 PM
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
Carpal Tunnel
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There is in fact a Cape Cod in Massachusetts, and in the main assembly room of the Mass. State House, there is a golden cod mounted on the wall.
And a grasshopper is the finial atop Faneuil Hall -- the Cradle of American Liberty and headquarters of The Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts.
Just for fun here is a toast popular for years with the immigrant population because it slyly poked fun at the power structure of the early 20th Century.
Raise your glasses!
"Here's to the City of Boston,
The home of the bean and the cod,
Where the Lowell's speak only to Cabots,
And the Cabots speak only to God."
wow
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#18917
02/20/2001 11:44 PM
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
Carpal Tunnel
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>The AKC is a registry and has no enforcement capability. (I await correction from the Dog People if I am misinfomed)
I know this isn't word related, but I'll relate it anyway. When I was about 12, my parents bred and sold boxer puppies. Basically an at home puppy mill. They had a bitch that threw white boxers, which I thought were kind of pretty. Whenever my parents put an ad in the paper that said white boxer puppies, a day or so later an ad would appear directly below warning people that the AKC did not register white boxers and saying that they should be destroyed. My mother had an attorney contact them after the third time, making noises about restraint of trade, but they kept right on doing it.
TEd
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#18918
02/20/2001 11:44 PM
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Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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And there is a sacred weather vane of a cod over the State House.
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#18919
02/20/2001 11:45 PM
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Posts: 3,467
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Was it a Dalmatian?
of Faust
TEd
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#18920
02/20/2001 11:48 PM
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Posts: 3,467
Carpal Tunnel
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>I wonder why Basques came to Australia and the US...
Originally they were only exporting them to Canada, but they didn't want to put all their Basques in one exit.
TEd
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#18921
02/20/2001 11:58 PM
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,409
Carpal Tunnel
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Originally they were only exporting them to Canada, but they didn't want to put all their Basques in one exit.
Thanks, Ted. I was tempted to indulge in a little punning in this thread, but your masterful efforts deserve pride of place. I had to mull it over, but in the end I was too coy to flounder around trying to usurp your rightful position as sole punster.
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#18922
02/21/2001 3:22 AM
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 819
old hand
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old hand
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Thanks, Ted. I was tempted to indulge in a little punning in this thread, but your masterful efforts deserve pride of place. I had
to mull it over, but in the end I was too coy to flounder around trying to usurp your rightful position as sole punster.
Oh, come on, Max, toss out a few puns, just for the halibut! And don't forget about those city-dwelling Basque sheep dogs, the hounds of the Basque villes.
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#18923
02/21/2001 3:54 AM
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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holy mackerel! do you have no sense of chum, sirs, at long last?! my whole sole grieves at the moist rich smelt.
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#18924
02/21/2001 5:58 AM
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 819
old hand
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old hand
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holy mackerel! do you have no sense of chum, sirs, at long last?! my whole sole grieves at the moist rich smelt.
Did you get that from a Salmon Rushdie novel, or am I fishing for sources? BTW, I used to think I was fish poop, because people used to call me a bass turd.
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#18925
02/21/2001 10:08 AM
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,146
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Welcome back Max. Alluding to your post, does this mean that you don't consider yourself to be a cod-piece?
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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#18926
02/21/2001 2:15 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,773
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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Posts: 1,773 |
In reply to:
Was it a Dalmatian?
of Faust
TEd, trying to save our soles, preaches hellfire and dalmatians.
And he said unto them, "Bad dogs, NO! NO!
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#18927
02/21/2001 6:22 PM
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Sparteye wrote : And he said unto them, "Bad dogs, NO! NO!
And they looked at him with wide, innocent gazes and thereby telepathed the thoughts : "Who? Us? What? Why we aren't doing anything! Are you feeling bad? Don't be mad. You know we love you. Let us give you kisses."
wow
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#18928
02/21/2001 6:49 PM
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,409
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Thanks for the welcome, CapK, my absence was forced upon me by a combination of technical woes and a welcome return to gainful employment. I am no codpiece, but I might be the hero of Cross's novel, The Cod Boy. The way this thread is going to the dogs smells distinctly fishy, so much so that I see lycanthropy as a real possibility. Having finally worked that pun into a post, I'm done.
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#18929
02/21/2001 6:58 PM
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Max Q said : I'm done.
YOU'RE Dunne?
For heaven's sake, write to your poor ol' Mother in Ireland!
wow
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