Room 101

[Real Madron 6]

or when you stop or pull to the side of the road to let an oncoming car through, and they don't wave or flash their lights to say thank you. In an instant they've become my most hated person on the planet.

Couldn't agree more, the motherfuckers. Hangin's too good for 'em!!!

yeah it doesnt take much to lift your hand up for 1 second does it. i even find myself waving thanks to people who have stopped at traffic lights... but maybe im just too nice...

[Captain Oates 21]

or when you stop or pull to the side of the road to let an oncoming car through, and they don't wave or flash their lights to say thank you. In an instant they've become my most hated person on the planet.

Couldn't agree more, the motherfuckers. Hangin's too good for 'em!!!

yeah it doesnt take much to lift your hand up for 1 second does it. i even find myself waving thanks to people who have stopped at traffic lights... but maybe im just too nice...

The practice of waving "thank you" has another side which worries me somewhat. I have often seen small (or not so small) children using pedestrian crossings waving to drivers as they pull up. It's obvious that these kids think they are stopping the traffic as they step confidently out in front of it! Such belief in their own power is probably inappropriate and dangerous in these days of multi-national* drivers (in London, anyway) who don't always know or respect the British Highway Code.

 

*For example, stopping to let people cross at a white stripey crossing in France attracts looks of utter amazement from the pedestrians and some irritation from other drivers.

[Real Madron 6]

something that came to my attention this week... when people called Alex, get called Alec. ie Alec Ferguson, or Alec McLeish. is this a Scottish thing? a Scottish Manager thing. anyway it fcuks me off.

 

rm.

[Windsor 2,233]

something that came to my attention this week... when people called Alex, get called Alec. ie Alec Ferguson, or Alec McLeish. is this a Scottish thing? a Scottish Manager thing. anyway it fcuks me off.

 

rm.

 

Both my grandfathers are called Alexander.

One was called Zander and the other is called Alec.

 

What's so wrong about actually saying Alexander?

[Magere Hein 1,400]

Both my grandfathers are called Alexander.

One was called Zander and the other is called Alec.

 

What's so wrong about actually saying Alexander?

Too many syllables.

 

During the apres-chess drinks at the bar last night I got into a conversation about names and abbreviations of them. The conclusions were that it all depends on the number of syllables in the given name. It goes like this:

 

1 syllable: left alone or a bit appended, as in: Anne -> Annie

2 syllables: left alone or shortened, as in: Peter -> Pete

3 syllables: almost always shortened, as in: Angela -> Angie

4 or more: always shortened, as in: Hippolytes -> Hippo

 

My boyhood friend Lex tried to get Alexander restored later in life. He failed miserably.

 

Family names may or may not be affected. One example is footballer Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, who is normally called 'Lange Jan' in Dutch.

 

regards,

Hein

[Real Madron 6]

hmmm so we tend to change peoples name so its got 2 syllables, unless it already has 2 syllables, then we make them 1..

names are there to be used arent they? i know a guy called Constantine but i dont really shorted that much. i dont even know what i would shorten it to. Consty? Conso? Connizzle?

[Real Madron 6]

The Sheila's Wheels advert.. i kinda like the song, and i take pleasure in singing it quite loudly at random around the house. anyway - the 3 girls in the car arent even driving - no-one has their hands on the wheel. that cant be good for insurance reasons? just cruising around singing and clicking their fingers? and they think they can save a bunch of fivers cos they are safer drivers??

[Cowboy Ronnie 78]

 

 

Family names may or may not be affected. One example is footballer Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, who is normally called 'Lange Jan' in Dutch.

 

regards,

Hein

 

MH - JVoH is of course one of the great footballing names of all time. It's too bad he doesn't have his full surname on his jersey, because then the club shop could charge all the kids who buy replica shirts a fortune in lettering.

 

One question though - why does his name have the English word "of" in the middle of it, if he's Dutch? Shouldn't it be "der" or something?

[Bald rick 9]

 

Family names may or may not be affected. One example is footballer Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, who is normally called 'Lange Jan' in Dutch.

 

regards,

Hein

 

MH - JVoH is of course one of the great footballing names of all time. It's too bad he doesn't have his full surname on his jersey, because then the club shop could charge all the kids who buy replica shirts a fortune in lettering.

 

One question though - why does his name have the English word "of" in the middle of it, if he's Dutch? Shouldn't it be "der" or something?

This should help.

[Paul Bearer 6,099]

It's too bad he doesn't have his full surname on his jersey, because then the club shop could charge all the kids who buy replica shirts a fortune in lettering.

 

Actualy...... he does!

[Handrejka 1,903]

hmmm so we tend to change peoples name so its got 2 syllables, unless it already has 2 syllables, then we make them 1..

names are there to be used arent they? i know a guy called Constantine but i dont really shorted that much. i dont even know what i would shorten it to. Consty? Conso? Connizzle?

 

I taught a lad called Constantine, he used to get called Tino. His brother was called Franzsiskus, he called Franz. I don't why they didn't just name him Franz to start off with.

 

It drives me mad when my mum calls me Ana. If she'd wanted to call me that why not name me that and not Andrea?

[Lard Bazaar 3,799]

hmmm so we tend to change peoples name so its got 2 syllables, unless it already has 2 syllables, then we make them 1..

names are there to be used arent they? i know a guy called Constantine but i dont really shorted that much. i dont even know what i would shorten it to. Consty? Conso? Connizzle?

 

I taught a lad called Constantine, he used to get called Tino. His brother was called Franzsiskus, he called Franz. I don't why they didn't just name him Franz to start off with.

 

It drives me mad when my mum calls me Ana. If she'd wanted to call me that why not name me that and not Andrea?

 

 

I agree. I work in the old people sector, and loads of them have completely different names to what they were born with, for instance they will say 'my name's Dorothy but I'm known as Peg'. Why? Peg is nothing like Dorothy. And a friend of mine has two sons who she calls by their middle names, if she wanted to call them their middle names, why not just make them the first names?

[Windsor 2,233]

hmmm so we tend to change peoples name so its got 2 syllables, unless it already has 2 syllables, then we make them 1..

names are there to be used arent they? i know a guy called Constantine but i dont really shorted that much. i dont even know what i would shorten it to. Consty? Conso? Connizzle?

 

I taught a lad called Constantine, he used to get called Tino. His brother was called Franzsiskus, he called Franz. I don't why they didn't just name him Franz to start off with.

 

It drives me mad when my mum calls me Ana. If she'd wanted to call me that why not name me that and not Andrea?

 

 

I agree. I work in the old people sector, and loads of them have completely different names to what they were born with, for instance they will say 'my name's Dorothy but I'm known as Peg'. Why? Peg is nothing like Dorothy. And a friend of mine has two sons who she calls by their middle names, if she wanted to call them their middle names, why not just make them the first names?

 

My favourite old people's names are from father's who really wanted a son badly but got a daughter.

For example - Williamina and Andrewina (Minnie and Ina). Why?

 

Another one would be Constance (Connie)

[Lard Bazaar 3,799]

hmmm so we tend to change peoples name so its got 2 syllables, unless it already has 2 syllables, then we make them 1..

names are there to be used arent they? i know a guy called Constantine but i dont really shorted that much. i dont even know what i would shorten it to. Consty? Conso? Connizzle?

 

I taught a lad called Constantine, he used to get called Tino. His brother was called Franzsiskus, he called Franz. I don't why they didn't just name him Franz to start off with.

 

It drives me mad when my mum calls me Ana. If she'd wanted to call me that why not name me that and not Andrea?

 

 

I agree. I work in the old people sector, and loads of them have completely different names to what they were born with, for instance they will say 'my name's Dorothy but I'm known as Peg'. Why? Peg is nothing like Dorothy. And a friend of mine has two sons who she calls by their middle names, if she wanted to call them their middle names, why not just make them the first names?

 

My favourite old people's names are from father's who really wanted a son badly but got a daughter.

For example - Williamina and Andrewina (Minnie and Ina). Why?

 

Another one would be Constance (Connie)

 

 

That's a bit like me - my dad's name is Stephen and I got the middle name Stephanie, although I suppose it's not as bad as Andrewina or Nigella. And along those lines, I always cringe at I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here loser Malandra Burrows' name - a mixture of her dad Malcolm and mum Sandra. How vile.

[Magere Hein 1,400]

One question though - why does his name have the English word "of" in the middle of it, if he's Dutch? Shouldn't it be "der" or something?

No, that's Dutch 'of', which translates to English 'or'. It's a family name from the Twente area of the Netherlands, where double-barreled family names aren't unusual. In this case it's a result of an intermarriage of two families in which they couldn't choose one name, so they kept both.

 

English 'of' translates to Dutch 'van', as in Van Nistelrooy.

 

regards,

Hein

[Magere Hein 1,400]

My favourite old people's names are from father's who really wanted a son badly but got a daughter.

For example - Williamina and Andrewina (Minnie and Ina). Why?

 

Another one would be Constance (Connie)

I'm not quite sure that's the only reason such names were given. In my country feminised versions of male names used to be quite normal and haven't gone completely, though they're rarely actually used. Wilhelmina may ring a bell in an international audience and there are still lots of Johannas, Hendrikas and Antonias around. My mother's names beside Anna were Jacoba and Arnolda.

 

regards,

Hendrikus

[CarolAnn 926]

My favourite old people's names are from father's who really wanted a son badly but got a daughter.

For example - Williamina and Andrewina (Minnie and Ina). Why?

 

Another one would be Constance (Connie)

 

That's a bit like me - my dad's name is Stephen and I got the middle name Stephanie, although I suppose it's not as bad as Andrewina or Nigella. And along those lines, I always cringe at I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here loser Malandra Burrows' name - a mixture of her dad Malcolm and mum Sandra. How vile.

 

I can so beat that.

 

My grandfather was Robert Louis. His firstborn is my mother - Roberta Louise.

 

Ironically, my mother has two younger brothers.

[Godot 149]

Smoking in pubs and restaurants. Why are they making us wait until July before it's banned in England when the bans start earlier in Wales and Northern Ireland? My clothes stink of fag ash after being in pubs last night when just a few people were smoking.

[Real Madron 6]

Smoking in pubs and restaurants. Why are they making us wait until July before it's banned in England when the bans start earlier in Wales and Northern Ireland? My clothes stink of fag ash after being in pubs last night when just a few people were smoking.

'they' are giving people who own pubs and restaurants time to adjust by making designated out-door smoking zones and the like, so people dont all congregate in the street and kill themselves. that would give Smoking Kills warnings a whole new meaning.

[Windsor 2,233]

Smoking in pubs and restaurants. Why are they making us wait until July before it's banned in England when the bans start earlier in Wales and Northern Ireland? My clothes stink of fag ash after being in pubs last night when just a few people were smoking.

 

You generally find that potential unpopular legislation is tested everywhere else first before being introduced to England...

[Banshees Scream 110]

Smoking in pubs and restaurants. Why are they making us wait until July before it's banned in England when the bans start earlier in Wales and Northern Ireland? My clothes stink of fag ash after being in pubs last night when just a few people were smoking.

 

I can tolerate the smoking bans in restraunts, but when it comes to bars I don't see the purpose.

[The Pooka 26]

Smoking in pubs and restaurants. Why are they making us wait until July before it's banned in England when the bans start earlier in Wales and Northern Ireland? My clothes stink of fag ash after being in pubs last night when just a few people were smoking.

Agree. Bring on the ban. I have long believed that smokers should wear a bag over their heads as they smoke so that they don't waste a single puff.

[Gunjaman5000 30]

Smoking in pubs and restaurants. Why are they making us wait until July before it's banned in England when the bans start earlier in Wales and Northern Ireland? My clothes stink of fag ash after being in pubs last night when just a few people were smoking.

Agree. Bring on the ban. I have long believed that smokers should wear a bag over their heads as they smoke so that they don't waste a single puff.

We've had the ban here for over two years now. The good pubs provide an outdoor area so all the cool kids can catch a cold and emphysema, while those who are easily annoyed can stay smug and warm inside (I gave up a year ago, I'm on the warm and smug side). It doesn't appear to be an issue anymore at all.

 

Everybody wins for a change!!!

[Cowboy Ronnie 78]

people on crowded tube carriages who use the seat next to them for their bags, then act all surprised when someone who wants to sit down asks them to move them.

[Godot 149]

people on crowded tube carriages who use the seat next to them for their bags, then act all surprised when someone who wants to sit down asks them to move them.

You bet CR, they ought to be vaporised. If there's a choice between a "bagged" seat and an empty one I always ask for the bags to be shifted. It's a kind of punishment.

 

Mind, I understand the mentality. You're kind of willing people to go past to the next space so you can selfishly occupy two seats all to yourself. But shoving your bag and coat there is f*****g rude but most people on trains these days are f*****g rude.

 

The worst ones are those who sit on the outside seat, leaving the inside one vacant with their bag and coat. Some timorous passengers will walk past them, even stand in the isle. I've seen it. The seat hoggers should be given asbos and forced by the guard to wear a card around their necks saying: "I am a selfish bastard".