From: gtoal@gem.stack.urc.tue.nl (Graham Toal)
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.words-l
Subject: Re: Gleanings (39)
Date: 13 Apr 92 22:32:17 GMT
Reply-To: gtoal@stack.urc.tue.nl
Organization: MCGV Stack, Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands

In article <WORDS-L%92041305233221@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU> TANAKA%JPNSUT20.bitnet@VTVM2.CC.VT.EDU (Akio Tanaka) writes:
> 1) TeX/KAN (Don R.)

TeX is Don Knuth's system for TeXnical typesetting.  There is also JTeX
which you might find useful yourself.

> 6) T pass (Rita)

A season ticket - or a coin-like token - for the Boston underground, known
as the 'T'.  Forget what the T stands for - *isn't* tube though, I remember that much.

> 7) Testicular Self Examination (Scott)

Since the words are self-explanatory, I guess it must be the
concept which isn't known in Japan.  In the US & Europe, just as
women are encouraged to examine their breats for cancerous lumps,
so are men encouraged to examine their balls.  You get leaflets
explaining what to do every time you visit your doctor...

>11) GEAC Advance Library System (Dan)

One of the more common Library access programs.  We even have
it over here.

>13) From Baggage to Zuse (Chris S.)

You make these mistakes on purpose, don't you?  It's not as if
you *heard* the postings on words-l...

Actually, *I* didn't understand why he said 'Babbage to Zeuse' rather
than the more obvious 'Ada to Zeuse'.

Zeuse, by the way, invented/built the first electrical (*not* electronic)
computer.  Some time in the late 30s I think.

>21) Erin Go Bragh/Braghless (Barbara)

Erin go braugh, I heard recently from Leather Mamma, means "Free Ireland" -
the slogan of the Irish terrorists & murderers who are supported unthinkingly
by third-generation Irish in the US.   Erin go braughless was a pun on
'go bra-less', but you wouldn't be expected to get that since it
only works because of the US pronunciation of both vowels.

>24) Fnord (Adam H.)

A mock-conspiracy put about by Robert Anton Wilson, which says that
the forces of evil put the word 'fnord' into various publications such as daily
newspapers.  This word is supposed to not register consciously, but fnord
register in your subconscious and cause you to become irritated and nervous.

>27) James Anderton (Graham)

The Chief of Greater Manchester police until last year; he went off his
rocker in the job - heard messages from God.  His famous quotation
was that "Homosexuals were drowning in a cess-pit of their own making";
he was also rather keen on flogging... Makes you wonder...

>28) 'Friends of Fernando Poo' (Graham)

A secret society (related to the Illuminati of Robert Anton Wilson,
mentioned above) run by a guy called "FoFP" in Edinburgh.  Our
secret charter is to spread conspiracy rumours and make those people
who are prone to paranoia even more paranoid :-)  The only membership
qualifications of The Friends are knowing of our existence
and purpose.  I have a rather cool 'eye-in-the-pyramid' t-shirt
from the society.  (See a US dollar for the design...)

>31) Comminglings (Steve K.)

Co-minglings.  I think you misparsed what he said.

>32) Gredanken expreriment (Graham)

Gedanken experiment.  A thought experiment - particularly one
which is impossible by its very nature to carry out in practise.

>33) POP2 (Graham)

A very famous programming language invented by Robin Popplestone, who
was my tutor when I did AI.  Embodied all the good bits of Lisp, ML, Pascal,
Algol and a few others.  Neatest feature was syntax-directed macros which
let you redefine the syntax of the language at runtime :-)  Treated input
stream as an infinite list - which you could prepend items to.  Well 
ahead of its time.  Bore several descendants such as Wonderpop, Poplog
and Pop11.  Pop is a true genius.  remind me to tell you about
Pantechnicon some day.  (Not today - too long a story)

>36) Archtung Fingerpokers (Graham)

There is a mock-german notice pinned to the wall of 90% of commercial
computer rooms, which begins "Achtung alle lookenpeepers und fingerpokers"
or something like that.  I suppose it might be mildly amusing the first time
you see it, but it soon takes on all the charm of the IBM mouse balls notice.

>41) 'Peccavi' joke (Graham)

A Victorian UL - it is said that Sir Charles Napier reported the
taking of Sindh in Pakistan to Queen Victoria by sending her a
message reading "Peccavi" - Latin for "I have sinned".

>43) Gordon Liddy (Judith)

An american neo-fascist who worked with Tricky Dicky.  Someone
to be avoided in dark alleyways.