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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2000
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I suppose it couldn't be called "Down Under" in North America. Australia is down but not necessarily under.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Yup, we refer to Australia as "The Land Down Under". It's even in radio ads for The Outback Steakhouse. (I've never
been there, it's always too crowded. I have no idea if there is a genuine connection to Australia, or if the owner just thought it would be a good gimmick.)
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Joined: Jul 2000
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jul 2000
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Australia isn't exactly down under the UK either. If anyone could call it "Down Under" it would be the Chinese or Indonesians.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065 |
I think the down under refers to going through the globe, which from the UK would probably be nearer New Zealand than Australia, rather than further south on a map.
Bingley
Bingley
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981 |
Thanks for the correction.
I think we discussed this a while ago. New Zealand is the antipodes for us in the UK, not Australia. So New Zealand should be "down under" not Australia, then it's such a good term (along with antipodean) - it would be a shame not to use it more widely.
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Joined: May 2000
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member
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member
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 112 |
There used to be a billboard at the entrance to Auckland International Airport with a World Map on it. Difference is that the map shows New Zealand at the TOP, with the rest of the world below. To get the idea, turn a world map (Mercato's projection) upside down. That would make the UK "down under" as far as we are concerned!  Hey - I see I've graduated to "Member" 
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Pooh-Bah
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OP
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981 |
I also like the Peter's projection which certainly puts us Northern Europeans in our place. One of the other threads talks about the victors re-writing history - they also did quite a good job of defining geography to their own advantage. You might need to get out your magnifying glass to find the UK. http://www.webcom.com/~bright/petermap.html
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
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Joined: Sep 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
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(in reference to Rogaine thread under Wordplay, for the benefit of other newcomers)
And I would have thought bottom-dwellers just about describes us all, hunched over a keyboard... but what does that make our antipodean contingent?
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
And I would have thought bottom-dwellers just about describes us all, hunched over a keyboard... but what does that make our antipodean contingent?
Ceiling-clingers?
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