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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Page 5 of 5 1 2 3 4 5 Re: false friends #2318 07/20/00 06:54 AM Joined: May 2000 Posts: 37 Newcastle, Australia. S screen newbie screen newbie S 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 07/20/00 06:33 PM Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 200 W william enthusiast william enthusiast W 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 07/21/00 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 07/26/00 05:40 PM Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 7 Combine (East of Dallas) Texas J JMike stranger JMike stranger J 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 08/01/00 11:09 AM Joined: Aug 2000 Posts: 1 UK D dreisenberger stranger dreisenberger stranger D 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 5 of 5 1 2 3 4 5 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 Forum Statistics Forums16 Topics13,915 Posts229,984 Members9,198 Most Online3,341 Dec 9th, 2011 Newest Members testawad, Bill_L, achz, MAGNVSTALSMA, Burlyfish 9,198 Registered Users Who's Online Now 1 members (wofahulicodoc), 2,116 guests, and 2 robots. Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod Top Posters(30 Days) wofahulicodoc 32 A C Bowden 19 LukeJavan8 3 Top Posters wwh 13,858 Faldage 13,803 Jackie 11,613 wofahulicodoc 10,951 tsuwm 10,542 LukeJavan8 9,953 Buffalo Shrdlu 7,210 AnnaStrophic 6,511 Wordwind 6,296 of troy 5,400

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