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Jess Askin
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2005 7:33 am
Post subject: Re: It took 20 yrs but... |
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"Donna Richoux" <trio@euronet.nl> wrote in message
news:1gqayz2.41guvrr98ogdN%trio@euronet.nl...
| Quote: | John Ings <nodamned@spam.org> wrote:
On Wed, 12 Jan 2005 23:04:37 +0000, Django Cat <nospam@please.com
wrote:
I believe the Chrysler Nova story has already been debunked by Spanish
speakers in these hallowed pages.
How about the Esso to Exxon story?
What story was that? Do tell. All I remember is "They looked for a new
name. they thought a double-X was notable and distinctive. They changed
names."
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The one I heard was that they had a computer search for a name that didn't
mean anything offensive in any language. The double X was chosen because no
language uses that combination of letters. |
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Ross Howard
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2005 7:39 am
Post subject: Re: It took 20 yrs but... |
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On 12 Jan 2005 15:34:43 -0800, R H Draney <dadoctah@spamcop.net>
wrought:
| Quote: | John Ings filted:
A friend of mine used to refer to his favorite sandwich bar
as "Fatal Bert's"
It took me some time to realize he was deliberately
mangling "Fat Albert's"
And then there was the famous Scottish actor who appeared on Jeopardy and
insisted on reading one of the category titles as "The Rapists"....r
|
I trusht you don't mean the mosht famoush of Shcottish actorsh. He'd
never make shuch a shtupid mishtake -- he'sh writing hish
autobiography all by himshelf, for Chrisht'sh shake!
--
Ross Howard |
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John Ings
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2005 7:47 am
Post subject: Re: It took 20 yrs but... |
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On 12 Jan 2005 15:34:43 -0800, R H Draney <dadoctah@spamcop.net>
wrote:
Filted? |
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Sara Lorimer
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2005 7:51 am
Post subject: Re: It took 20 yrs but... |
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Adrian Bailey wrote:
| Quote: | "Robt E" <yahoo@robt_englund.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.1c4fa73a5edaaf2b98969e@giganews.nildram.co.uk...
OK, it took 20 years, but today I had a revelation. The fact that it
took 20 yrs is deeply embarring, though . . .
Two decades ago I had a job at the local country club. There is a brand
of golf equipment called "Titleist". Naturally (or not), I pronounced
the name "TIT-lice-st". My manager corrected my pronunciation, saying it
was "TIGHT-list". For twenty years I have thought this was some strange
American aversion to saying the word "tit". It was only today that I
realised that (duh!) it was "Title-ist". Oops! How embarrasing.
Every normal person thinks it's "tit - liced" like you did.
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Once again, I learn just how abnormal I am.
--
Abby Normal |
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Mark Brader
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2005 8:13 am
Post subject: Re: It took 20 yrs but... |
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| Quote: | I believe the Chrysler Nova story has already been debunked ...
How about the Esso to Exxon story?
What story was that? Do tell. All I remember is "They looked for a new
name. they thought a double-X was notable and distinctive. They changed
names."
The one I heard was that they had a computer search for a name that didn't
mean anything offensive in any language. The double X was chosen because no
language uses that combination of letters.
|
Well, what about it? I think the word "offensive" needs to be deleted,
and of course "no language" should be "no language except Maltese", but
otherwise it seems about right.
--
Mark Brader | "It's not in the slightest bit harder to write Fortran
Toronto | or Basic programs in C++ or Smalltalk than it is
msb@vex.net | to write them in C or Pascal." -- Peter da Silva |
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R H Draney
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2005 8:17 am
Post subject: Re: It took 20 yrs but... |
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Michael Hamm filted:
| Quote: |
Today, John Ings <nodamned@spam.org> gosled:
John Ings filted:
Filted?
Indeed.
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How, precisely, does one inde?...r |
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R H Draney
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2005 8:17 am
Post subject: Re: It took 20 yrs but... |
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Steve Hayes filted:
| Quote: |
There was a patent remedy advertised on the radio here a few years ago. GThey
called it "Karl Metz". It was only years later that I discovered that the name
of the product was actually "Calmettes".
It was pronouncing the "l" that confused me, and I'd never have found the
product if I was actually wanting to buy it.
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Nice...for a while, there was a radio ad for something to treat cold sores...but
someone at the ad agency decided the voice had to have "character", so they came
up with some fake blue-collar New Jersey accent to read the copy...if I hadn't
already seen the product's name in print, I might have tried looking for
something called "Oipasin L" instead of "Herpecin L"....
Thankfully, only a few weeks passed before someone decided to re-record it
toning down the phony accent....r |
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lightbulb
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2005 8:17 am
Post subject: Re: It took 20 yrs but... |
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"John Dean" <john-dean@frag.lineone.net> wrote in message
news:cs4i36$aak$1@news7.svr.pol.co.uk...
| Quote: | Michael J Hardy wrote:
Adrian Bailey (dadge@hotmail.com) wrote:
And FWIW, I thought it was tit-liced too until very recently.
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Is that because you had never really paid attention to the spelling? MWCD
has "titlist" as a "title holder." The Titleist company probably added the
"e" to keep people from saying TIT-list.
Mike |
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Steve Hayes
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2005 8:17 am
Post subject: Re: It took 20 yrs but... |
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On Wed, 12 Jan 2005 18:33:39 -0600, "Jess Askin" <dontbother@nospam.net>
wrote:
| Quote: |
"Donna Richoux" <trio@euronet.nl> wrote in message
news:1gqayz2.41guvrr98ogdN%trio@euronet.nl...
John Ings <nodamned@spam.org> wrote:
On Wed, 12 Jan 2005 23:04:37 +0000, Django Cat <nospam@please.com
wrote:
I believe the Chrysler Nova story has already been debunked by Spanish
speakers in these hallowed pages.
How about the Esso to Exxon story?
What story was that? Do tell. All I remember is "They looked for a new
name. they thought a double-X was notable and distinctive. They changed
names."
The one I heard was that they had a computer search for a name that didn't
mean anything offensive in any language. The double X was chosen because no
language uses that combination of letters.
|
Perhaps the computer game Zaxxon was a knock off.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk |
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Steve Hayes
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2005 8:17 am
Post subject: Re: It took 20 yrs but... |
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On Thu, 13 Jan 2005 00:29:46 GMT, Tony Cooper <tony_cooper213@earthlink.net>
wrote:
| Quote: | On Wed, 12 Jan 2005 23:13:26 +0000, "Laura F. Spira"
laura@DRAGONspira.fsbusiness.co.uk> wrote:
Wouldn't you say "knock it off" if you meant desist? "Knock off" round
here means stolen.
"Knock off" round here means a copy of something. A dress that looks
like a Versace, but isn't, is a knock-off.
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Like all these R'olex'es people are wanting to sell me nowadays.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk |
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Steve Hayes
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2005 8:17 am
Post subject: Re: It took 20 yrs but... |
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On Wed, 12 Jan 2005 21:30:07 -0000, Robt E <yahoo@robt_englund.com> wrote:
| Quote: |
OK, it took 20 years, but today I had a revelation. The fact that it
took 20 yrs is deeply embarring, though . . .
Two decades ago I had a job at the local country club. There is a brand
of golf equipment called "Titleist". Naturally (or not), I pronounced
the name "TIT-lice-st". My manager corrected my pronunciation, saying it
was "TIGHT-list". For twenty years I have thought this was some strange
American aversion to saying the word "tit". It was only today that I
realised that (duh!) it was "Title-ist". Oops! How embarrasing.
|
Is it a proper name?
There was a kid in my daughters class named Titlestad, so perhaps Titleist was
the guy who owned the firm that made them.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk |
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Steve Hayes
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2005 8:17 am
Post subject: Re: It took 20 yrs but... |
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On Wed, 12 Jan 2005 23:04:37 +0000, Django Cat <nospam@please.com> wrote:
| Quote: | There was a tale (could be an urban myth) some years back of a
nicotine substitute introduced to help people give up smoking. The
name, Nocoff, was supposed to be pronounced 'No cough', but the
product was withdrawn when consumers insisted on calling it 'knock
off' (AmE 'desist').
|
There was a patent remedy advertised on the radio here a few years ago. GThey
called it "Karl Metz". It was only years later that I discovered that the name
of the product was actually "Calmettes".
It was pronouncing the "l" that confused me, and I'd never have found the
product if I was actually wanting to buy it.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk |
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John Varela
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2005 8:18 am
Post subject: Re: It took 20 yrs but... |
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On Wed, 12 Jan 2005 23:14:39 UTC, John Ings <nodamned@spam.org> wrote:
| Quote: |
A friend of mine used to refer to his favorite sandwich bar
as "Fatal Bert's"
It took me some time to realize he was deliberately
mangling "Fat Albert's"
|
There's a motel in Atlantic City called the Flaming O.
--
John Varela
(Trade "OLD" lamps for "NEW" for email.)
I apologize for munging the address but the spam was too much. |
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Guest
|
| Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2005 8:18 am
Post subject: Re: It took 20 yrs but... |
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On Thu, 13 Jan 2005 01:39:58 +0100, Ross Howard <gguiri@yahoo.com>
wrote:
| Quote: | On 12 Jan 2005 15:34:43 -0800, R H Draney <dadoctah@spamcop.net
wrought:
John Ings filted:
A friend of mine used to refer to his favorite sandwich bar
as "Fatal Bert's"
It took me some time to realize he was deliberately
mangling "Fat Albert's"
And then there was the famous Scottish actor who appeared on Jeopardy and
insisted on reading one of the category titles as "The Rapists"....r
I trusht you don't mean the mosht famoush of Shcottish actorsh. He'd
never make shuch a shtupid mishtake -- he'sh writing hish
autobiography all by himshelf, for Chrisht'sh shake!
|
It's a habit he probably picked up in Hollywood after somebody
explained the difference between various semitic pronunciations and
the significance of the word 'shiboleth'. It would have done him no
harm there to have been represented as member of a lost tribe. |
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Adrian Bailey
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2005 8:18 am
Post subject: Re: It took 20 yrs but... |
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"Donna Richoux" <trio@euronet.nl> wrote in message
news:1gqayz2.41guvrr98ogdN%trio@euronet.nl...
| Quote: | John Ings <nodamned@spam.org> wrote:
On Wed, 12 Jan 2005 23:04:37 +0000, Django Cat <nospam@please.com
wrote:
I believe the Chrysler Nova story has already been debunked by Spanish
speakers in these hallowed pages.
How about the Esso to Exxon story?
What story was that? Do tell. All I remember is "They looked for a new
name. they thought a double-X was notable and distinctive. They changed
names."
Lacks a little dramatic flair.
I vaguely recall the renaming had to do with the different Standard Oil
companies, of which Esso ("S - O") was one.
|
I read a long time ago that they narrowed the new name down to a choice
between Exxon and [insert alternative here] but discovered that the latter
was rude in Japanese. Something like that. Wonder if that's the same as
John's story?
Adrian |
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