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#5485 08/24/00 12:45 AM
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Carpal Tunnel
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Gosharootie, Tsuwm, how do you find these things??

Ohmigawd: the poopie pen???


#5486 08/24/00 01:13 AM
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Carpal Tunnel
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>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
#5487 08/24/00 03:40 AM
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#5488 08/24/00 11:57 AM
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>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.


#5489 08/24/00 12:04 PM
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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"


#5490 09/02/00 02:11 AM
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birder, worder, hedonist
#5491 09/02/00 08:24 PM
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My solicitor: 'Bull and Bull'


#5492 09/03/00 09:03 AM
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Come to think of it, the obvious examples are lead women in James Bond plots...


#5493 09/04/00 08:59 AM
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I just think it's jolly lucky that "Mr Antenna" grew up to be someone who sells, installs and adjusts antennae for a living.....


#5494 09/04/00 10:44 AM
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<lead women in James Bond plots>

they're the ones with the 'heavy roles', are they, Bridget?


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