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General discussion

An insight into British humour?

Feb 22, 2004 8:03PM PST

I heard this one on the radio yesterday and laughed out loud:

Q: What is the difference between an airline pilot and a greengrocer (produce store?)?

A: One flies planes and the other sells vegetables.

The thought process runs something like:

Yeah, so? Thinks to oneself, which brings one back to Yeah, so?

After that, you're on your own folks...

Regards
Mo

Discussion is locked

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I don't get it.
Feb 24, 2004 5:55AM PST

Hi Mo,

English humor is WAY too dry for me. Of course I don't understand why you chaps (are British women called Chaps?) drive on the wrong side of the road and insist on adding extra vowels to a word (colour, labour etc.)either. I did enjoy Benny Hill when he was on. Happy

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Re:I don't get it. Take a look at James' post because ...
Feb 24, 2004 7:02AM PST

(James' post today at 12.21) when he says "The fun part is the guessing". With the one I posted, you guess at as many things as you can and the answer is then given to you as the simple, most obvious one that you were trying to look beyond - i.e. you didn't need to bother with all that guessing at all - doh!

Yes, British women are (or were - it's a bit old fashioned now) called Chaps, or sometimes Chapesses, as an honorary title meaning that it was acknowledged that the women present were on equal terms (i.e. as good as) the menfolk present, or, as in "one of the chaps", that a conversation could be held without the woman present tut-tutting at the laddish content.

As for British women driving on the wrong side of the road, we try not to, cos it gets us into trouble with other drivers, so we do Try to drive on the right side of the road, and by that, I mean the left side of course.

This should all be perfectly clear now (as mud? Wink ), or perhaps I should explain further ... LOL

Regards
Mo

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Chapesses?? Somehow it doesn't sound "honorary" to me. ;-)
Feb 24, 2004 10:00AM PST

.
Sound too much like your rear end might be sore! Happy

Too much horse back riding?

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Well, actually, quite the contrary ...
Feb 24, 2004 10:29AM PST

I get what you mean, but as a woman in a man's world, it was a nice way of being of being accepted into the fold. PS I don't recall seeing a horse rider in the City of London since about 1903, but may that's just my memory failing me again. Wink

Regards
Mo

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Nicer would have been Chaps and Ladies. I guess we, at least I, ...
Feb 24, 2004 9:39PM PST

.
from seeing movies and reading books think all English people do a lot 'riding to the hounds' or such.

Like people in other countries think Texas is all cattle, cactus and oil, and everybody wears boots and spurs. Oh, that's right, it is and they do. LOL

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Re:What???
Feb 24, 2004 11:02PM PST

I don't know Rosalie, with all of Mo's "wrong side", "left side", "right side" and your "riding to the hounds" I think we better ship over some Hosses to Mo.

I would not want to ride with him in a car, or drive over there myself. Be like Demolition Derby.

Jest Kidding
George

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What? OK to Rosalie, but Double What? to George ...
Feb 24, 2004 11:22PM PST

Hi "Chaps"

Rosalie, Texas would be no good for me then - my stilletos would get stuck in all that turf churned up by your boots - Tsk! PS This year is meant to look promising for grouse-shooting ...

George, Would you be kind enough to refer to me as "Mrs Him" please? Getting it wrong as to the side of the road is one thing, but getting the wrong side of the genetic marker really is likely to give you a problem if you're around when the Ladies' Club demolition derby next takes place. PS Where are you?

Regards
Mo

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Re:What? OK to Rosalie, but Double What? to George ...
Feb 25, 2004 12:04AM PST

Gee, now I'm ashamed of myself. I see I did do that. You have my deepest apology Mo. I still don't know where I'm at now either. Help somebody. I don't understand English People.
I'll have to blame on the keyboard. I can only type with one finger. The other four mess it up and my left hand is stuck on the Shift button. Never did learn to type.

George,

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Now that I've stopped laughing ...
Feb 25, 2004 12:35AM PST

First, I forgive you (and Oh! tosh! that's another one because you don't need to be forgiven for happily engaging in a dialogue such as this!)

Secondly - back to the drawing board - When I said "Where are you?", I meant "Where are you in the Universe (i.e. I am in the UK) - my apols if you took this to mean where are you brain-wise and I put this poor use of language entirely at my own front door. Please accept my apols and tell me where you are located.

Regards
Mo

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Re:Now that I've stopped laughing ...
Feb 25, 2004 1:10AM PST

No apols necessary Mo. Believe me, most of the time my brain is out in space somewhere. At least my mouth seems to run a lot faster than my Brain. Ask my wife.

I'm from Massachusetts USA. A little farm town near the NH border. I can't ID it for fear The British Light Brigade will attact me.

Have a good day Mo
George

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A little farm town near the NH border, Heh? I have ....
Feb 25, 2004 2:35AM PST

already alerted our contingent over there, who are cunningly disguised as people who spin pizzas in restaurants - but I've given too much away already...

I guess you will know what I mean.

Regards
Mo

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Hehe, you should try
Feb 25, 2004 3:10AM PST

explaining the rules of cricket to him! Wink Devil

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Dale - that really is wicked ...
Feb 25, 2004 3:22AM PST

but he would never forgive us if we threw in the Offside Rule - that really would ***** our pitch... Scary ...

Regards
Mo

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Now
Feb 25, 2004 4:34AM PST

I'm a very forgiving person. You are right though, I've tried to watch a few Cricket matches and the rules escape me. Rugby is not much better - too much violence Happy Golf is just silly - Wear funny clothes, hit a little white ball as hard as you can and then chase it.

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Now you've got me really worried ....
Feb 25, 2004 6:49AM PST

As your post has arrived as a reply to my post, inadvertently or intentionally? Cos the Offside Rule in my post refers to UK football - which is not mentioned anywhere in your post (?). (Football = "US Soccer"? i.e. a bit like golf, but "kicking" a little white ball around and chasing it).

In truth, I don't understand our football Offside Rule either, and that is why I posted it as a joke - i.e. it is recognised here that Nobody understands the rule except the most ardent fans of the sport. I'm glad you are a forgiving person, because I would hate to have to think up a defence for this rule ...

Regards
Mo

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Told you I didn't understand Cricket
Feb 25, 2004 11:47PM PST

So much so that I didn't understand that you switched sports on me. And I mentioned before I didn't get British humor so I missed the joke too. Soccer, Golf and (here's where I anger the US folks Happy ) Basketball make no sense to me. Really tall, grossly overpaid people running around and bouncing a ball. With the way they play today only the last minute is worth watching.Mischief

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As for Baseball ....
Feb 26, 2004 6:25PM PST

It is remarkable - i.e. the height or "tallness" of the basketball players in the major teams.

Someone posted (Dear Someone, please forgive me if I don't search this one back), being a post about tall people with the happy ending about two tall people getting married).

What I wanted to say was that: I recall a landmark operation in the UK maybe 10-15 years ago(?) that a girl was offered, free under our NHS, (and agreed to) an operation (because she was too tall by "normal" standards) to have sections of bone removed, mainly from the shin area IIRC. (Sorry if this sentence is a bit convoluted.)

The point being, that these days, it is more likely that people will be "putting their name down" for operations to add bone (length) Into their shins...

For once, I am gonna try and stay on topic (i.e. Basketball). There was a clip on a "silly out-takes" TV programme that showed the basket against a shield of safety glass, which promptly shattered with the force of a ball being aimed towards the basket. Even I could have worked out that they should have gone to Plan-B when designing the material for the shield ...

Oh well, ours is not to reason why.

Regards
Mo

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Re:Cricket??
Feb 25, 2004 5:33AM PST

Hi Dale
That cricket game? Is that anything like Polo?

I've watched that game, live over here in a town where Gen. Patton was from. I think the Hosses took the worst beating.

George

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Re:Re:Cricket??
Feb 25, 2004 10:14AM PST

Cricket is every cute gal with big eyes and long skinny legs that sing when she rubs her nylons together.

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Re:Re:Re:Cricket??
Feb 25, 2004 10:32AM PST

Hot Dog. I'll go for that game James.

Thought it was one of contests where they race those little bugs on a big table. We call it Bug racing.

No offense to you British Chaps now.
Sorry, better shut my mouth. I'll have the whole Empire down on me.

George

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Re:An insight into British humour?
Feb 29, 2004 4:55PM PST

I've not heard that one, are u sure it wasn't a American radio station? billyfridge 'Brit'