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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Gosharootie, Tsuwm, how do you find these things??
Ohmigawd: the poopie pen???
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467 |
>I would cite Thomas Crapper, inventor of the flush toilet, as an example, but the euphemism for defecation came from his name
The OED says crap comes from a Dutch word krappe. "The word has taken the sense of 'dirt, filth' and 'grease of a millstone.'"
TEd
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,409
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,409 |
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204 |
>I had always assumed Thomas Crapper himself to be a myth
Neither myth nor inventor (or post Minoan re-inventor) of the flush water closet. There had been a number of attempts. of varying succes, to provide water-carried sanitation before Crapper. He is well known because he perfected a flush system invented by others, which was further refined over the nineteenth century. The main problems that beset Crapper's system was that it used an inordinate amount of water, in a time when water supplies to cities were not very good, and the valve was prone to stick, which meant that even more water was used.
If you really want to find out all about it, read WRIGHT, Lawrence, (1960) "Clean and Decent: the fascinating history of the bathroom and watercloset" Routledge. A very well written and interesting book which will tell you all about the debate over whether earth closets or water closets were best.
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204 |
My own best examples of nominative determinism are a funeral director who used to have his showroom on Buckingham Palace Road, London. His name was D'Eath
Also, in the town where I was brung up, was a sanitery engineer (plumber to you) called "W.C.Drain"
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Joined: Aug 2000
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stranger
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stranger
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 1 |
birder, worder, hedonist
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 5
stranger
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stranger
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 5 |
My solicitor: 'Bull and Bull'
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Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 444
addict
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OP
addict
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 444 |
Come to think of it, the obvious examples are lead women in James Bond plots...
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 167
member
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member
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 167 |
I just think it's jolly lucky that "Mr Antenna" grew up to be someone who sells, installs and adjusts antennae for a living.....
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 460
addict
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addict
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 460 |
<lead women in James Bond plots>
they're the ones with the 'heavy roles', are they, Bridget?
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