Simple things you never knew...
Discussion
Chozza said:
bernhund said:
I'm 50 and just two years ago I found out that Good King Wenceless didn't last look out on the feast of Stephen and that his name was Wenceslas!
I'm 47 and I found this out ages ago...... Er 21:38 today Pirates and the reason they have the eyepatch.
It wasn't something learnt in school. in movies/TV you was always given the impression that they lost their eye in a fight, much like how some lose a hand or a leg.
But it wasn't until watching mythbusters (i think) afew years back that i realized it was so that they was to be able to see better in low light when going down into the ship, and not have to stand down there in the dark and allow their eyes to adjust.
It wasn't something learnt in school. in movies/TV you was always given the impression that they lost their eye in a fight, much like how some lose a hand or a leg.
But it wasn't until watching mythbusters (i think) afew years back that i realized it was so that they was to be able to see better in low light when going down into the ship, and not have to stand down there in the dark and allow their eyes to adjust.
ambuletz said:
Pirates and the reason they have the eyepatch.
It wasn't something learnt in school. in movies/TV you was always given the impression that they lost their eye in a fight, much like how some lose a hand or a leg.
But it wasn't until watching mythbusters (i think) afew years back that i realized it was so that they was to be able to see better in low light when going down into the ship, and not have to stand down there in the dark and allow their eyes to adjust.
Does this mean they deliberately put an eye out to induce visual compensation? I thought it happened when a seagull shat in their eye on their first day with a hook. It wasn't something learnt in school. in movies/TV you was always given the impression that they lost their eye in a fight, much like how some lose a hand or a leg.
But it wasn't until watching mythbusters (i think) afew years back that i realized it was so that they was to be able to see better in low light when going down into the ship, and not have to stand down there in the dark and allow their eyes to adjust.
Dr Jekyll said:
aclivity said:
Dr Jekyll said:
I only just discovered that banknotes aren't legal tender in Scotland.
Bank notes aren't legal tender anywhere in the UK.According to this Bank of England notes are legal tender in England and Wales.
Useless fact I found out recently is that calories are a metric measurement. A calorie is the energy needed to heat 1ml of water up by 1c, which is 4.2 Joules.
davhill said:
Like those who pronounce 'tongue' as 'tung'. When did they last settle down on a chaise lung?
Oddly, IME, they never say, 'tung and groove' when discussing woodwork.
Err..."tung" is the correct way to pronounce it.Oddly, IME, they never say, 'tung and groove' when discussing woodwork.
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/tongue?s=t
48k said:
davhill said:
Like those who pronounce 'tongue' as 'tung'. When did they last settle down on a chaise lung?
Oddly, IME, they never say, 'tung and groove' when discussing woodwork.
Err..."tung" is the correct way to pronounce it.Oddly, IME, they never say, 'tung and groove' when discussing woodwork.
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/tongue?s=t
k at them if they did. 
Rostfritt said:
Legal tender is a silly term which doesn't mean what most people think it means. You can take whatever you like in payment, but you can refuse something that isn't legal tender to settle a debt.
Useless fact I found out recently is that calories are a metric measurement. A calorie is the energy needed to heat 1ml of water up by 1c, which is 4.2 Joules.
Calories in food are actually kilocalories. Therefore, I assume, sufficient energy to heat a litre (1kg) of water through one centigrade degree. Dunno about Joules...Useless fact I found out recently is that calories are a metric measurement. A calorie is the energy needed to heat 1ml of water up by 1c, which is 4.2 Joules.
Until last week my wife did not know that rear view mirrors in cars have a "some tw*t behind me has their headlights on full" setting that you can click in to so that you are no longer dazzled.
For the whole of her driving life she has been actually moving the mirror so that - in her words - she can reflect the light back at the driver behind her to dazzle him / her instead!
So I leaned two things. First, and most obviously, she did not know about the mirror setting. Second, and more worryingly, her natural default was to try to blind the other driver, rather than simply avoid being dazzled herself. She is from Glasgow though, so it is probably just retaliatory instinct.
TD
davhill said:
Never mind. I say 'tong' while some say 'tung'. Always have, always will. I simply say it the way it's spelt.
Good luck getting to grips with the English language then! 
Out of interest, where are you from? I've never heard anyone pronounce tongue as anything other than "tung".
Kermit power said:
davhill said:
Never mind. I say 'tong' while some say 'tung'. Always have, always will. I simply say it the way it's spelt.
Good luck getting to grips with the English language then! Out of interest, where are you from? I've never heard anyone pronounce tongue as anything other than "tung".
The English language is full of weird and wonderful obscure pronunciations, that don't seem to follow any set way.
Kermit power said:
Good luck getting to grips with the English language then!
Out of interest, where are you from? I've never heard anyone pronounce tongue as anything other than "tung".
New Mills, Derbyshire, born and bred. As I mentioned elsewhere, flowers go in a vase, which I pronounce 'vaws', not varrs. Out of interest, where are you from? I've never heard anyone pronounce tongue as anything other than "tung".
davhill said:
Kermit power said:
Good luck getting to grips with the English language then!
Out of interest, where are you from? I've never heard anyone pronounce tongue as anything other than "tung".
New Mills, Derbyshire, born and bred. As I mentioned elsewhere, flowers go in a vase, which I pronounce 'vaws', not varrs. Out of interest, where are you from? I've never heard anyone pronounce tongue as anything other than "tung".
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