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Joined: Jun 2006
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This weeks words are not what they seem.The word 'firmament' struck me as real odd.What's firm about the firmament?
In the comic strips "Asterix and Obelix" by Goscinny the little tribe in Gaule that is invincible thanks to the magic potion of their druid has only one fear: that heaven will fall on their heads.
Looking up the word in both Webster and Etymology Dictionary I found that our ancestors understood the firmament as a solid sphere on which sun moon and stars were projected.
Did they think the flat disc that the earth was supposed to be was supporting this sphere? They must have been afraid then it might collaps one day. We use "universe" now and know the firmament is not solid at all. Yet we still use that word. Words do not outdate easy, even when thay are incorrect?

The hippopotamus, my favorite animal because of his very cute ears in is called " Nilehorse" in Dutch. Absolute nonsense because they live in many other rivers exept the Nile. Yet no one ever proposed to give him, ears and all a better name.

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Just one tweak of the above. The Gauls worried that the sky might fall on their heads tomorrow, but since tomorrow never comes there's nothing really to worry about.

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Thank you Faldage, for this kind reassurance, but one little thing still troubles my mind: How come Tomorrow Never Dies when tomorrow never comes?
( Sorry,I know there are better movies to look at but I never can resist a Bond. )

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stranger
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Maybe it is because "There is always tomorrow..." (ha,ha,ha)

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Quote:

Maybe it is because "There is always tomorrow..." (ha,ha,ha)




Well, Kuruja, no way to be sure about that and there´s two ways to look at it.
1. In order to be able to die tomorrow first has to be there.
2. Something that never comes , in this case tomorrow, can never die.

I´m still wondering what Faldages no doubt very high class philosofical remark tomorrow never comes meant.

I know, I´m sure about it , but forget where, there is a culture where people use the same word for yesterday and tomorrow. Just one word for everything that is not today.

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> tomorrow never comes

it's always now, no?


formerly known as etaoin...
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It is.

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addict
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Quote:

>it's always now, no?




As the White Queen says:
The rule is, jam to-morrow and jam yesterday -- but never jam to-day.
...
It's jam every OTHER day: to-day isn't any OTHER day, you know.

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Quote:



As the White Queen says:
The rule is, jam to-morrow and jam yesterday -- but never jam to-day.
...
It's jam every OTHER day: to-day isn't any OTHER day, you know.




////////

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Sounds like it should mean

You misunderstand. What was intended by that remark was instead a sense of permanence and solidity


dalehileman
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