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Joined: Oct 2000
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OP
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Hi folks, Having just stumbled across this little beaut, I thought I'd share it with you all. It's an English-American Dictionary, broken down into useful and interesting categories. I know there have been several occasions this sort of reference would have been useful in the past - which is, of course, no guarantee it will be of any use in the future  . As I've said elsewhere, it's bigger on practical than academic value. But it looks pretty accurate at first glance from a Brit/English perspective, despite the author being a Scot   . http://english2american.com/Fisk
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 21
stranger
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stranger
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 21 |
I like this one------> willie n. In the UK, willie is a rather childlike word for penis. The film Free Willie no doubt attracted large optimistic female audiences when it was released over here.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
My first name is William. I never heard of penis association with "willie" until I joined AWADtalk.
But fortunately, my nickname was always "Bill". Now I'm glad of that.
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 475
addict
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addict
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 475 |
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 475
addict
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addict
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 475 |
ps, the old norse word for woman was 'burd'
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 833
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 833 |
Adam, I feel compelled to tell you that when Free Willy was released in Kingston (my town), The Firm was also playing here, and some wag working at the cinema had a little fun with the marquee....fortunately, just the one at the back of the building, but it was still visible to people travelling up or down Queen Street (next street over from main drag). Of course it said.... FREE THE FIRM WILLYsomething about which some of us lasses were even more optimistic....!  Anyone heard that excellent Scottish comic, Billy Connelly (gad I hope I spelled his name rite), going on about why he calls his a willy? very funny! all about "penis" sounding like that horrible place you went to on vacation, where it rained all the time and you got mugged, and "vagina" sounding like a lovely place to go (then he added, "Well, it IS!") - it was very clever and funny - well, for them as appreciates his style of humour. Which I does.  Let us go in peace to love and serve the board.
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
veteran
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OP
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346 |
As to the childish term willy (I've never spelt it "willie", although the plural is "willies") - from way back in the mists:
Mary had a little lamb
She thought it rather silly
She threw it up into the air
And caught it by its
Willy was a watch dog
Sitting on the grass
Along came a bumblebee
Who stung him up his
Ask no questions, tell no lies
Ever seen a Scotsman doing up his
Flies..... That's enough of that! I agree with Billy Connolly (a hero even for many English people) that the biologically correct terms are appalling  . Little boys (of all ages) have willies, men generally have dicks. "Dick" is rude, but not that rude. We're back to seaside postcard humour with that famous English pudding Spotted Dick - note that it's referred to as "Spotted Richard" only by jokers, never by even the most politically correct. Similarly (Bill), there's rarely much, if any, embarrassment attached to men being called Willy or Dick. In that context they're more slightly affectionate diminutives, as in Willy Shakespeare, Dick Turpin and Dick Whittington. Having said which, some of my work colleagues - not me, of course - had an unworthy chuckle at the expense of someone called Dick Long, whose emails presented his name surname first.. Fisk
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
veteran
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OP
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346 |
the old norse word for woman was 'burd' Blinder! For non-Brits, we should point out that it's considered uncouth and sexist to refer to women as birds. So maybe that's just a case of mistaken identity, eh, dody?
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Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 688
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Posts: 688 |
At work, I have become acquainted with a very sweet gentleman. His name? Dick Johnson By the way FishonaBike, I lurve that poem! Is there more? 
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