Share Your Interesting But Not Very Useful Facts

Share Your Interesting But Not Very Useful Facts

Author
Discussion

Vanden Saab

14,100 posts

74 months

Wednesday 17th May 2023
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You can drink while holding your breath.

SpeckledJim

31,608 posts

253 months

Wednesday 17th May 2023
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Vanden Saab said:
You can drink while holding your breath.
I think that's the only way you can drink, isn't it?

Halmyre

11,204 posts

139 months

Thursday 18th May 2023
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Bannock said:
In a similar vein, the English word "black" comes from the same root word as many words for white in other Indo-European languages, such as "blanc" in French and "bianco" in Spanish. See also "bleach" and "blank" in English. In Proto Indo-European, the root "bla-" just meant something without colour, or shining.

Thereby proving that black is white.

Also, in English, the word "pink" used to refer to the colour we now call yellow, hence the term "dressmaker's pink", which is a form of marking chalk which is yellow in colour.

Edited by Bannock on Tuesday 16th May 15:24
The red jackets worn by huntsman are called 'pinks', after the tailor who originally made them (possibly an urban myth?)

RizzoTheRat

25,167 posts

192 months

Thursday 18th May 2023
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There are 10 species of False Geckos. They are all Geckos.

Cockaigne

2,797 posts

19 months

Thursday 18th May 2023
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A Loofah is a plant.

Doofus

25,822 posts

173 months

Thursday 18th May 2023
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Cockaigne said:
A Loofah is a plant.
What the heck else would it be?

TGCOTF-dewey

5,160 posts

55 months

Thursday 18th May 2023
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98elise said:
AstonZagato said:
Jonquil said:
I beg to differ. You are 'in' a ship, dinghy or ferry because all are vessels.
I know you have to crouch in H.M.S. Victory because I got a sore head from
nutting the deck beams. However, there was no need to crouch aboard the Pride
of Rotterdam or the Queen Mary 2 but I was in them all the same.
"Hi, where are you"
"Oh, I'm in the ferry on the way to France"

That doesn't sound right to me.
Agreed. You are "On board"

I served in the RN and nobody would say "in" a ship, it was "on" a ship.

"I'm on Ark Royal, my mate is on Invincible"

'In" just doesn't work!
I'm in a submarine. You can use both there.

Cockaigne

2,797 posts

19 months

Thursday 18th May 2023
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Doofus said:
What the heck else would it be?
I always thought it was man made.

Halmyre

11,204 posts

139 months

Thursday 18th May 2023
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TGCOTF-dewey said:
98elise said:
AstonZagato said:
Jonquil said:
I beg to differ. You are 'in' a ship, dinghy or ferry because all are vessels.
I know you have to crouch in H.M.S. Victory because I got a sore head from
nutting the deck beams. However, there was no need to crouch aboard the Pride
of Rotterdam or the Queen Mary 2 but I was in them all the same.
"Hi, where are you"
"Oh, I'm in the ferry on the way to France"

That doesn't sound right to me.
Agreed. You are "On board"

I served in the RN and nobody would say "in" a ship, it was "on" a ship.

"I'm on Ark Royal, my mate is on Invincible"

'In" just doesn't work!
I'm in a submarine. You can use both there.
I'd rather be in a submerging submarine than on it, TBH.

Why am I in a car but on a bus?

Italian prepositions are just as bad, if not worse because other things like gender have to be taken into account as well.

AstonZagato

12,704 posts

210 months

Thursday 18th May 2023
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Halmyre said:
Why am I in a car but on a bus?
That was a few pages back: Essentially, as follows:
  • Do you need to crouch to enter and are not really able to move around = "in". In a car, In a helicopter.
  • Do you walk into it and can move around when aboard? = "on". On a bus. On an aeroplane.

98elise

26,617 posts

161 months

Thursday 18th May 2023
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TGCOTF-dewey said:
98elise said:
AstonZagato said:
Jonquil said:
I beg to differ. You are 'in' a ship, dinghy or ferry because all are vessels.
I know you have to crouch in H.M.S. Victory because I got a sore head from
nutting the deck beams. However, there was no need to crouch aboard the Pride
of Rotterdam or the Queen Mary 2 but I was in them all the same.
"Hi, where are you"
"Oh, I'm in the ferry on the way to France"

That doesn't sound right to me.
Agreed. You are "On board"

I served in the RN and nobody would say "in" a ship, it was "on" a ship.

"I'm on Ark Royal, my mate is on Invincible"

'In" just doesn't work!
I'm in a submarine. You can use both there.
If you needed to specifically convey that you were inside then maybe, but for generally being on board then its "on". It's a bit like saying you can be "on" your car. Fine if you are actually sitting on it, but if you mean sitting inside it then it would be very strange.

I can't say I've ever heard anyone refer to being on board as "in".

Kuwahara

845 posts

18 months

Thursday 18th May 2023
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All mirrors are used or second hand…

Vanden Saab

14,100 posts

74 months

Friday 19th May 2023
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SpeckledJim said:
Vanden Saab said:
You can drink while holding your breath.
I think that's the only way you can drink, isn't it?
I knew there would be one, by default people breathe out before they drink but you can breathe in hold your breath and still drink...

SpeckledJim

31,608 posts

253 months

Friday 19th May 2023
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Vanden Saab said:
SpeckledJim said:
Vanden Saab said:
You can drink while holding your breath.
I think that's the only way you can drink, isn't it?
I knew there would be one, by default people breathe out before they drink but you can breathe in hold your breath and still drink...
Is it just me???

Cockaigne

2,797 posts

19 months

Saturday 20th May 2023
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motorways make up 1% of total road network.

bongtom

2,018 posts

83 months

Wednesday 24th May 2023
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Only 1.7% of the Hiroshima bomb material fissioned.

Kyoto was saved partly because of its heritage and party because Henry Stimson (secretary of war) had gone on honeymoon there and liked it!

In WW2 the Tokyo bombings destroyed more buildings and infrastructure than both nuclear bombs.

Enola Gay was the mother of the pilot, the other planes were only named after the event.

talksthetorque

10,815 posts

135 months

Wednesday 24th May 2023
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If you stand at the shore at one end of Loch Ness you can only see approximately 1/8th of its length because of the curvature of the earth.

Penny Whistle

5,783 posts

170 months

Wednesday 24th May 2023
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talksthetorque said:
If you stand at the shore at one end of Loch Ness you can only see approximately 1/8th of its length because of the curvature of the earth it's always raining/snowing/foggy/misty/dark.
FTFY

Ayahuasca

27,427 posts

279 months

Wednesday 24th May 2023
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talksthetorque said:
If you stand at the shore at one end of Loch Ness you can only see approximately 1/8th of its length because of the curvature of the earth.
If you look out from the shore of any large body of water you can only see about 3 miles because of the curvature of the earth.

SpeckledJim

31,608 posts

253 months

Wednesday 24th May 2023
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Ayahuasca said:
talksthetorque said:
If you stand at the shore at one end of Loch Ness you can only see approximately 1/8th of its length because of the curvature of the earth.
If you look out from the shore of any large body of water you can only see about 3 miles because of the curvature of the earth.
Entirely depends on how high above water level you are, and how tall the thing you’re looking at is.