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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Page 2 of 2 1 2 Re: false friends #2318 07/20/2000 6:54 AM Joined: May 2000 Posts: 37 Newcastle, Australia. screen newbie screen newbie Joined: May 2000 Posts: 37 Newcastle, Australia. I have an English/French one. My father was a motivational business speaker , who was addressing a French audience. As a rousing "go-get-em" type finale he wanted to say "[the people in this company] are the salt of the earth", but couldn't remember the word for "salt" so thought of the principle behind the phrase and decided the word "preservative" would do, so he said "preservatif", and was puzzled by the stunned response it received. It was later explained to him that he has just called the entire group of delagates "the condoms of the world". Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: false friends #2319 07/20/2000 6:33 PM Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 200 william enthusiast william enthusiast Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 200 actually i prefer "condom of the world". i think if we can get over our sex hang ups that will become a standard expression. surely. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: false friends #2320 07/21/2000 12:58 AM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky Jackie Carpal Tunnel Jackie Carpal Tunnel Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky screen, that was hilarious (though not to your dad!)! Glad to see you posting more, Dear! Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: false friends #2321 07/26/2000 5:40 PM Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 7 Combine (East of Dallas) Texas JMike stranger JMike stranger Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 7 Combine (East of Dallas) Texas Wasn't there a problem with President Carter speaking through an interpreter in Poland. He remarked that the US and Poland were alike in their common desire for peace. Apparently the interpreter translated "common desire" as "mutual horniness"... Spider Robinson uses the device to form a type of riddle based on what he calls the "invisible idiot" technique. That was the translation of "out of sight, out of mind." The story is "Involuntary Man's Laughter" in the 3rd Callahan book. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: false friends #2322 08/01/2000 11:09 AM Joined: Aug 2000 Posts: 1 UK dreisenberger stranger dreisenberger stranger Joined: Aug 2000 Posts: 1 UK My favourite ever false friend was one between English and Italian. A train connection in Italian is known as a coincidenza Perfectly logical of course- it's the meaning in English that's crept to mean something else. Does this false friend work in any other latinate languages? Mondschaf Mondschaf Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Page 2 of 2 1 2 Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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