HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: pete@minster.york.ac.uk
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: When the going gets tough...
Date: 28 Aug 92 13:53:41 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of York, England
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5

Vince Gibboni (vince@cadence.com) wrote:
:     
:     BTW, there were a spate of similar phrases on T-shirts and bumper
:     stickers in the US in the early 80's (e.g. "When the going gets 
:     weird, the weird turn pro").

That's Hunter S Thompson. Definitely not a Mork and Mindy type of person...

pete
--
*Peter Fenelon -- Research Associate -- Software Safety Assessment Procedures*
Dept. of Computer Science, University of York, York, Y01 5DD (+44/0)904 433388
EMAIL: pete@minster.york.ac.uk `There's no room for enigmas in built up areas'
From: cbenson@bazooka.amb.org (Christopher Benson)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: QE2/QE II
Summary: First ship QE not first Monarch QE
Date: 2 Sep 92 07:03:38 GMT
Organization: AMB Research Labs, Sunnyvale, CA

In article <7130@bigbird.hri.com.hri.com>, limey@hri.com (Craig Hughes) writes:
> In article <92240.120523U48073@uicvm.uic.edu>, U48073@uicvm.uic.edu (Cole Kendall) writes:
> |> Is the boat the second boat named after QE (ER I)?
> |> Or is there a different orthography for numbering boats and monarchs?
> 

Sorry to intercede so late, and answer the original question, but...
The Ocean Liner Queen Elizabeth was named after the husband of King
George VI (1936? - 1951?), she (the Queen Consort) is now known as
the *Queen Mum*, and is the mother of the reigning monarch.  It was
not named after a 16th century Queen Regnant of Black Adder fame.
I recall the day that the now named QE2 or QE II was actually named.
It was intended to be ambiguous respecting both mother and daughter
who are both still alive nearly 30 years later.  Popular opinion at
the time of the release of the new name (Queen Elizabeth II) matched
Dan Quayle's current USA (and, I hear UK) rating.

Chris Benson, posting from the Good Ship Home.
From: cc@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Chris Cooke)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: U.S./British school grades, was Re: Why I read the Economist
Date: 4 Sep 92 11:24:20 GMT
	<1992Sep3.174615.2919@nas.nasa.gov>
	<1992Sep3.191453.15053@cco.caltech.edu>
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
In-reply-to: miriam@seismo.gps.caltech.edu's message of 3 Sep 92 19:14:53 GMT


   Scottish, in my experience

   nursery
   primary         (4 1/2 to 11)
   secondary       (11 to 16-18)
   college          for further education, can start here at 16
   university/polytechnic (although most of polys changed to
	     universities recently)
		   - 4 years, or more for medicine or architecture

--
	-- Chris. 	cc@dcs.ed.ac.uk   (on Janet, cc@uk.ac.ed.dcs)

		
From: arf@otter.hpl.hp.com (Andrew Farmer)
Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1992 22:33:18 GMT
Subject: Re: Manifesto: New Hope for Unitied Britonnic Nations (DSY)
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Bristol, UK.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british


In soc.culture.british, yadallee@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca (Dave Shariff Yadallee) writes:

>    Don't tell me that Britain is beginning to lose the essence of its
> fundamental essence.  :-(((

	Anyone else remember that crazed general in "Dr. Strangelove"?

	arf
From: sjmz@otter.hpl.hp.com (Stefek Zaba)
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 13:38:59 GMT
Subject: Re: Re: Do I pay VAT & Duty on good bought mail order from US
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Bristol, UK.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british

In soc.culture.british, cockburn@edieng.enet.dec.com (Craig Cockburn) writes
that "Buying direct from the USA" says the duty rate on 'puters is 14%.

It seems that the book (or Craig's quoting) is inaccurate for a category
of things of some little interest to this audience.  Last week I carried
a Mac LC-II over from the US.  Both the Customs & Excise Enquiry line
and the nice chap I paid duty to in the Red Channel agreed on 4.9% for
this machine.

Hence: use the book as a guide, but do phone Customs & Excise for 
confirmation.  (Aside: at the end of my call, they asked me for my 
postcode.  I didn't ask why, but wish I had.  Informed speculation,
anyone?)

Cheers, Stefek
Xref: sparky soc.culture.british:12111 rec.arts.tv.uk:5211 rec.arts.drwho:5756 alt.tv.prisoner:1277
From: pete@minster.york.ac.uk
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,rec.arts.tv.uk,rec.arts.drwho,alt.tv.prisoner
Subject: Re: Americanising of the UK, Now: British TV in North America
Date: 3 Sep 92 12:06:02 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of York, England
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5

Jack (husted@vms.macc.wisc.edu) wrote:
: 
: Now, would someone PLEASE enlighten me as to the origin of the
: phrase GORDON BENNETT used most often by Ace?  I assume he
: must have been infamous to have his name become an epithet.
: An American example is 'Your name is Mudd.'  I would
: appreciate the particulars on GB.
: 

The etymology of that phrase is apparently something like this:

Gordon Bennett (turn of the century newspaper proprietor) was used
as a euphemism for ``Gor Blimey'', which itself is a euphemism for
``God blind me''.

So it's a euphemism for a euphemism!

Pete
--
*Peter Fenelon -- Research Associate -- Software Safety Assessment Procedures*
Dept. of Computer Science, University of York, York, Y01 5DD (+44/0)904 433388
EMAIL: pete@minster.york.ac.uk `There's no room for enigmas in built up areas'
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,rec.travel
From: tls@sscvx1.ssc.gov
Subject: Re: Stansted or Gatwick
Keywords: london traveler
Reply-To: tls@sscvx1.ssc.gov (Tim Short)
Organization: Superconducting Supercollider Laboratory
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 12:29:43 GMT

In article <a5Ch020z1f.E01@JUTS.ccc.amdahl.com>,
czl30@duts.ccc.amdahl.com (Chris Lee) writes:
|> Xref: dscomsa.desy.de soc.culture.british:25047 rec.travel:22173
|> Path:
|>
dscomsa.desy.de!dxcern!mcsun!uunet!charon.amdahl.com!amdahl!JUTS!duts!cz
zl30
|> From: czl30@duts.ccc.amdahl.com (Chris Lee)
|> Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,rec.travel
|> Subject: Re: Stansted or Gatwick
|> Keywords: london traveler
|> Message-ID: <a5Ch020z1f.E01@JUTS.ccc.amdahl.com>
|> Date: 26 Aug 92 23:39:30 GMT
|> References: <191@irsaims.UUCP>
|> <venable.126@faculty.coe.wvu.wvnet.edu>
|> Sender: netnews@ccc.amdahl.com
|> Reply-To: czl30@DUTS.ccc.amdahl.com (Chris Lee)
|> Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA

You should go from Birmingham - you can get a BR train directly there
(Birm Int.) and you don't have to change to a tube...
From: cc@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Chris Cooke)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Queen - Worse than Robert Maxwell ????
Date: 1 Sep 92 12:39:52 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
In-reply-to: neilp@cs.hw.ac.uk's message of 1 Sep 92 09:49:27 GMT

In article <1992Sep1.094927.21892@cs.hw.ac.uk> neilp@cs.hw.ac.uk (Neil Postlethwaite) writes:

   Forbes magazine estimates her personal wealth at #7 billion UK pounds

   Land				52,000 acres
   Jewellery			#40 million UKpounds worth
   Sandringham House		#75 million UKpounds market value
   Balmoral Castle			#40 million UKpounds market value
   Investment Portfolio		#500 million UKpounds (estimated)	

That's less than a billion - where's all the rest?  Maybe the investment
portfolio is a big underestimate - she is specially exempt from stock
exchange rules, after all, which require investors to identify themselves.
Oh, and they have immensely valuable collections of paintings, sculpture,
etc. - that must account for quite a few million.

   Comments anyone .........

Interesting article, but there are a couple of things you didn't mention:

The Queen asked for, and got, exemption from the 1974? Race Discrimination
Act.  She is thus legally allowed to fire, and to refuse to hire, people
solely because they're black.  Word is that very very few of her staff are
black. 

The Queen similarly asked for, and got, exemption from the Sex Discrimination
Act.  She can fire, or refuse to hire, people solely because they're women.
Didn't hear whether she uses this power much or not, but I wouldn't be
surprised.

--
	-- Chris. 	cc@dcs.ed.ac.uk   (on Janet, cc@uk.ac.ed.dcs)

		
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: apm@hpopd.pwd.hp.com (Andrew Merritt)
Subject: Re: Balmoral and beyond
Organization: Hewlett-Packard NSG-PWD, UK.
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1.3 PL5
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 08:36:48 GMT

Ceri Hopkins (cah@cs.bham.ac.uk) wrote:
: >>>>> On 27 Aug 92 16:45:50 GMT, mlo@dcs.qmw.ac.uk (Mike Osborne) said:
: 
: Mike> So if the Queen wants to drive around the West End in her Roller
: Mike> with an Uzi in one hand and a spliff in the other, picking off
: Mike> innocent American tourists whilst having her toes sucked by a
: Mike> Texan financial adviser, she can. She does not have to apply to
: 
: It would be considered "bad form" not to pass the spliff round, of
: course. 
: 
Does one pass it to the left or to the right?
From: jim@cs.strath.ac.uk (Jim Reid)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Water quality - a new money-saver?
Date: 26 Aug 92 17:08:24 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Dept., Strathclyde Univ., Glasgow, Scotland.
In-reply-to: martin.baines@uk.sun.com's message of 26 Aug 92 10:45:53 GMT

In article <17fnd1INNfoa@grapevine.EBay.Sun.COM> martin.baines@uk.sun.com (Martin Baines - Sun UK - SE Manager Cambridge) writes:

   In article 8988@bristol.ac.uk, smee@bristol.ac.uk (Paul Smee) writes:
   >According to several newspapers, the Government is now about to
   >drastically weaken the Government agency which has been responsible for
   >monitoring water quality and industrial discharges.  Under the new
   >scheme, companies will be responsible for monitoring their own
   >discharges, and will be expected to report themselves as in violation
   >if they breach their maximum-allowed-pollutant limits.  Good one, yeah?

   What goes around, comes around. This is exactly what used to happen
   *before* the old water authorities were privatised:

The difference now is that the water companies make hefty donations to
the Conservative party who are then less than enthusiastic about
passing legislation to make these companies provide a decent water
supply. It would be absolutely wrong to assume that these events were
somehow connected....

		Jim
From: srd@ukc.ac.uk (S.R.Davies)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: QE2/QE II
Date: 1 Sep 92 13:55:43 GMT
Reply-To: srd@ukc.ac.uk (S.R.Davies)
Organization: Computing Lab, University of Kent at Canterbury, UK.

In article <1992Aug27.184647.16066@cas.org> jac54@cas.org writes:

>>Is the boat the second boat named after QE (ER I)?
>
>	Indeed it is.  The first one was launched well before
>	Brenda became QEII herself.  It was the fastest thing afloat
>	for many years.  On troop transport work in WWII she
>	disdained a destroyer escort because the blue jobs were
>	too slow to keep up.  All the Queens have been owned by
>	Cunard, I remember when this one was about to be launched
>	that all the betting was on "Queen Victoria"  which reminds
>	me of another story...
>


     ... it reminds me of the one about the two women chatting whilst
 standing at a bus stop in Southampton. One says

     " My husband works for Cunard. "  The other replies

     " My husband works hard too."

 Regards, Steve.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: miriam@seismo.gps.caltech.edu (Miriam Jackson)
Subject: U.S./British school grades, was Re: Why I read the Economist
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 19:14:53 GMT

In article <1992Sep3.174615.2919@nas.nasa.gov> wismith@amelia.nas.nasa.gov (William R. Smith) writes:
>
>Could someone relate the U.S. school grades to British forms?
>
>	U.S.
>
>	pre-school
>	kindergarten	(usually age 5)
>	grades 1 - 6	(usually advancing a grade each year)
>	grades 7 - 8	(also called junior high or middle school)
>	grades 9 - 12	(usually called high school)
>
>	college or university  (designed for 4 years, but now often taking
>			5 years to get a bachelor degree)
>	2 year colleges are often called junior colleges or community colleges
>			students sometimes transfer after junior college
>			to a 4 year college
>
>	beyond 4 year college is graduate school
>
>
>
>William Sburgfort Smith
>Intel, SSD
        British

	nursery
	infants         (4 1/2 to 7)
	juniors         (7 to 11, called 1st to 4th years)
	seniors         (11 to 16, called 1st to 5th years)
	sixth form      (16 to 18, divided into upper and lower sixth)

	college          for further education, can start here at 16
	university/polytechnic (although most of polys changed to
		  universities recently)
			- 3 years, unless you do a sandwich course or take
			a leave of absence.

aThis is what I did; I believe some areas have middle schools which go up
to 13, then you go to the seniors, and other differences.  The nearest
equivalent to saying 2nd graders, 7th graders etc, is to talk about
1st year juniors, 3rd year seniors etc.
The other main difference is that most British kids leave school at 16, although

many of these go on to do further education .

Hope this helps.

       Miriam Jackson.
From: smckinty@sunicnc.France.Sun.COM (Steve McKinty - Sun ICNC)
Newsgroups: uk.misc,soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: UK Phone directories on-line
Date: 26 Aug 1992 08:48:42 GMT
Organization: SunConnect
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: hardy.france.sun.com

In article <1992Aug26.003523.29501@rdg.dec.com>, cockburn@edieng.enet.dec.com (Craig Cockburn) writes:
> >>I don't think so, but BT has an incredibly impressive modem dialup
> >>service called PhoneBase. It costs nothing to subscribe, you just pay
> >>for the calls.
> >>
Any idea of the phone number? That would be useful.
> 
> There's also Electronic Yellow Pages, and that costs _nothing_.
> Not even a dial up fee. Details on every business in the UK at
> your fingertips. I use it quite a lot, it's cheaper than
> directory enquiries!

Unfortunately it is cursed with one of the worst user interfaces for a 
database system that I have ever seen. It works, just about...


Steve
From: rjms@scripps.edu (Russell Mortishire-Smith)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: U.S./British school grades, was Re: Why I read the Economist
Date: 4 Sep 92 15:31:57 GMT
Organization: The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA

Dave Jones writes ...
>>
>Something like 15% of Brits go to University (meaning the old kind of
>University).  Add in Polytechnics (old name) and other "further
>education" institutions granting qualifications lower than a degree, and
>I'd guess about 30% get some kind of education beyond age 18.  Just a
>guess, mind.   Meantime in the US, figures in my desk reference indicate
>that while 57% of students get some kind of education past 18, only
>about 21% go the full four years of a University degree.  The total
>number of "students" in college in 1990 was over 13 million, quite a
>number when you consider a national birth rate of around 3 million a
>year when these students were born.  Obviously it's more than just
>a lot of people doing 4-year degrees.
>
Except that a significant number of those students are from overseas,
up to 20 or 30 % is my guess.

Russell
--
rjms@scripps.edu   |If at first you don't succeed,
		   |so much for skydiving.
Xref: sparky soc.culture.british:12126 rec.arts.tv.uk:5225 rec.arts.drwho:5772 alt.tv.prisoner:1286 alt.usage.english:7145
From: jack@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk (Jack Campin)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,rec.arts.tv.uk,rec.arts.drwho,alt.tv.prisoner,alt.usage.english
Subject: No smegma please, we're American
Date: 3 Sep 92 17:36:56 GMT
Reply-To: jack@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk (Jack Campin)
Followup-To: alt.usage.english
Organization: COMANDOS Project, Glesga Yoonie

husted@vms.macc.wisc.edu (Jack) wrote:
> bcr@cernapo.cern.ch (Bill Riemers) writes...
>> ... what in the hell does "smegma" mean?
> Actually, this is not an unintelligent question asked by someone too lazy
> to look it up in his own dictionary.  'Smegma' can be found in some
> dictionaries (e.g. Random House Collegiate) and not in others (e.g.
> Webster's Collegiate).

Peeve time.  I've noticed a remarkable correlation among net posters
between making pig-ignorant statements about English usage and citing
the Webster's Collegiate as a source... for a start, it seems to be
unique among dictionaries in its market niche in *only* citing usages
from one side of the Atlantic.  This is not a problem with the grown-up
Webster or with smaller British dictionaries.  So why do American college
students go on using this pile of... what's the word...?

...from the equally brainless Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus that comes
with WriteNow for the Mac, asked to find a synonym for "smegma":

	The word was not found in the thesaurus.  Please try another word.
	Suggestions:
	    smidgen, symptom, sometime, smitten, smiting, smoking,
	    smudged, someday, smudging, smuggled, smuggle, smugly

Dead helpful, that.

[ followups to alt.usage.english ]

-- 
--  Jack Campin    room G092, Computing Science Department, Glasgow University,
17 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow G12 8RZ, Scotland   TEL: 041 339 8855 x6854 (work)
INTERNET: jack@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk or via nsfnet-relay.ac.uk    FAX: 041 330 4913
BANG!net: via mcsun and uknet     BITNET: via UKACRL    UUCP: jack@glasgow.uucp
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: jac54@cas.org ()
Subject: Re: QE2/QE II
Organization: Chemical Abstracts Service, Columbus, Ohio
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 18:46:47 GMT

In article <92240.120523U48073@uicvm.uic.edu> Cole Kendall <U48073@uicvm.uic.edu> writes:
>As far as I am aware, the boat that ran aground several weeks ago is
>the QE 2, while the monarch with the problematic daughter-in-law is
>QE II (or ER II).
>
>Is the boat the second boat named after QE (ER I)?

	Indeed it is.  The first one was launched well before
	Brenda became QEII herself.  It was the fastest thing afloat
	for many years.  On troop transport work in WWII she
	disdained a destroyer escort because the blue jobs were
	too slow to keep up.  All the Queens have been owned by
	Cunard, I remember when this one was about to be launched
	that all the betting was on "Queen Victoria"  which reminds
	me of another story...


	Alec Chambers.
From: dam@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk (David Morning)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: QE I (WasWRe: QE2/QE II)
Date: 31 Aug 92 17:12:53 GMT
Organization: Glasgow University Computing Science Dept.

limey@hri.com (Craig Hughes) writes:

>In article <1992Aug31.145813.23224@ttinews.tti.com>, jackson@soldev.tti.com (Dick Jackson) writes:
>|> 
>|> A sticky end is also threatening the QE I which has been a tourist
>|> "attraction" in Long Beach harbour since the late '60s.

>I thought that was the Queen Mary? For some reason, I thought Disney
>owned the old boat now, and as you said, it isn't making money. Time to
>do the old "buy a piece of history" routine; a bit of scrap metal
>mounted on a wooden plaque for 50 bucks.....

The QE1 sank somewhere (Hong Kong maybe?) after a fire many years ago. Early
seventies/late 60s after she had been sold.
It's the Queen Mary in Long Beach.

Dave
--
From: czl30@duts.ccc.amdahl.com (Chris Lee)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Chortle and the Wheelies
Date: 2 Sep 92 02:53:59 GMT
Reply-To: czl30@DUTS.ccc.amdahl.com (Chris Lee)
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA

In article <5984@m1.cs.man.ac.uk> mark-r@spec0.ee.man.ac.uk (Mark Robinson (JO PhD)) writes:
>In article <f3hv02UP1fLB01@JUTS.ccc.amdahl.com> czl30@DUTS.ccc.amdahl.com (Chris Lee) writes:
>>Isn't it actually Chorlton and the Wheelies. I think it was named after
>>the Manchester suburb where the series was made.
>>
>>Chris Lee
>
>Absolutely right Chris, the headquarters of Cosgrove-Hall are
>sited in Chorlton, SW Manchester, near to Sale and Stretford.
>it's not famous for anything except Cosgrove-Hall, Chorlton
>Water Park and the fact that I used to live there.

And the Seymour! everybody's heard of Charlie Peace, the victorian nasty.
He shot a policeman there. I used to live in Sale, and had a lady friend
who lived on Seymour Grove.

For the life of me, I couldn't remember Cosgrove-Hall. Didn't they also
do Dangermouse?

There was a Granada TV comedy called The Cuckoo Waltz, which I think was
set in Chorlton.

I don't remember Chorlton Water Park, but there was Sale Water Park:
the contractors who built the M62 by the Mersey bought a field to
dig up material for the embankment, and instead of removing a layer
from the whole field, they dug a huge hole (contrary to planning
permission). Obviously the hole filled with water, so they applied
for planning permission again, which they didn't get. Eventually it
was granted, and the hole became the water park.

>
>Mark
>mark-r@spec0.ee.man.ac.uk

Chris Lee
From: cc@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Chris Cooke)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: royal family
Date: 26 Aug 92 12:17:58 GMT
Distribution: soc
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
In-reply-to: sp@osf.org's message of 26 Aug 92 09:23:03 GMT

In article <1992Aug26.092303.10549@osf.org> sp@osf.org (Simon Patience) writes:

   In article <199225.895.16341@dosgate>, "richard tanner" <richard.tanner@canrem.com> writes:
   > I agree. The very idea of foisting monarchy on a free people is repugnant 
   > to me. The days of empire are gone. 

   You mean like Spain did a few years back?

No, they had a monarchy foisted upon them by an evil dictator, remember?
They weren't exactly a "free people" at the time.  As it happened, the
monarchy rebelled and became a good anti-evil-dictator measure; if it hadn't
turned out that way, maybe Spain would have become a republic again.
--
	-- Chris. 	cc@dcs.ed.ac.uk   (on Janet, cc@uk.ac.ed.dcs)
From: dbrooks@osf.org (David Brooks)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Dum dee dum...
Date: 2 Sep 92 16:32:13 GMT
Organization: Open Software Foundation

sjmz@otter.hpl.hp.com (Stefek Zaba) writes:
|>  * Peggy Archer's old flame (US airman) turned up unexpectedly: Jack was
|>    none too pleased when he invited himself to stay over the night.

Thank goodness this is radio; I imagine Jack didn't smell too good.

What did they do, piece together bits of tape from old episodes, like they
did the last time Jack died?
-- 
David Brooks					dbrooks@osf.org
Open Software Foundation			uunet!osf.org!dbrooks
141 more days of Bush Presidency!
Xref: sparky soc.culture.british:12175 rec.arts.tv.uk:5248
From: ajay@viz.Berkeley.EDU (Ajay Sreekanth)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,rec.arts.tv.uk
Subject: Re: Americanising of the UK, Now: British TV in North America
Followup-To: alt.usage.english
Date: 4 Sep 1992 20:34:32 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: viz.berkeley.edu

In article <Bu0EHr.2uC@scd.hp.com>, apm@hpopd.pwd.hp.com (Andrew Merritt) writes:
|> Matthew Huntbach (mmh@cs.qmw.ac.uk) wrote:
|> : Attempting in mid-speech to avoid the use of "four-letter" words
|> : gives rise to a similar phenomenon, with exclamations like "oh
|> : sugar" or "oh fudge".
|> 
|> Or even 'for crying out loud'.

[I've redirected the followups to alt.usage.english]
 
Actually, I believe that "for crying out loud" is not a euphimism for 
f*ck, but rather a euphimism for "for Christ's sake".

I'm not exactly sure how this thread evolved into evaluating the accuracy 
of the various definitions of smegma, but for those of you whose interest 
in the afforementioned substance has now been stimulated, I'm sure that if 
you enquire in alt.tasteless, the extremely creative people there will no
doubt have many ideas on how to put it to good use :-)

-Ajay
(ajay@cs.berkeley.edu)

"I don't sing, I don't dance, and I don't like people who do."
                                      - David Letterman
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british