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Carpal Tunnel
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Today is Black Friday in the USofA.
Black Mondays have both been economically bad. The first was Monday, 28 October 1929 when the New York stock market crashed. The second was Monday, 19 October 1987, when the same market crashed again.
In contrast, Black Friday -- the day after Thanksgiving -- is one of the busiest shopping days of the year, and sometimes marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. It is called black not becuase it signals something economically bad but because, on this day, some businesses are said to move out of the red and into the black in terms of profitability.
Some of us observe Black Friday as Buy Nothing Day in reaction to the excessive and conspicuous consumption celebrated otherwise.
How odd that "black" should mean bad in connection with Mondays and good in connection with Friday.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Black Monday = bad
Black Friday = good
Not so surprising, really, when you think about it. Did you ever hear someone say "Thank God it's Monday!" ?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Actually I say it every Monday morning during the school yer when the school bus appears at the other end of Fort Street.
TEd
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Yes, "in the black", one of the rare times "black" has a postive connotation in connection with anything, adjectively speaking.
See "black eye," "black mark," "black list," etc. for contrast.
Any other positive "black" semantics out there we may be missing?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Quote:
Any other positive "black" semantics out there we may be missing?
It's NZ's national colour, and NZers will be feeling very chuffed with the boys in black after an expected win in Rugby Union, and a stunning surprise victory in Rugby League overnight. There are plenty of postive "black" phrases up here.
Last edited by sjmaxq; 11/26/05 11:22 PM.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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It seems to me that humour noir or black humor is neither good nor bad, but different, juxtaposing elements which evoke laughter with elements which are grim, sad, somber, depressing, or pathetic.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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and Blackie is a nice name for a puppy.
formerly known as etaoin...
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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At the risk of stealing Ron O's task (and since he seems preoccupied with google just now!) p'raps I should point out the fact that to many people of African heritage the phrase is intrinsically positive?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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And Boston Blackie, 'tho he started out a safecracker and a jewel thief, turned out to be a pretty nice fella in the end.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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>At the risk of stealing Ron O's task..
oh, I think I've mostly relinquished that task to the masses (all thirty-seven of you); but my work being done in that regard, what you've got left is mostly joe bfstplk, more's the pity.
-joe (bathetic) bfstplk
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