Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: (OT) How can you live without knowing these things?

I know it's completely OT, but, come on, it's vacation time!!!
Everybody have a nice holiday!
Cinzia
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HOW CAN YOU LIVE WITHOUT KNOWING THESE THINGS?
The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were  Fred and
Wilma Flintstone.
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Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the US Treasury.
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  Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
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Coca-Cola was originally green.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is impossible to lick your elbow.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The state with the highest percentage of people who walk to work:  Alaska
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The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28%  ( now get this...)
The percentage of North America that is  wilderness:  38%
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The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven:  $6,400
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The average number of people airborne over the US any given hour:  61,000
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Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The world's youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910.
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The youngest pope was 11 years old.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Those San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David, Hearts - Charlemagne, Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the
air, the person died in battle.
If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of
wounds received in battle.
If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural
causes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th,  John
Hancock
and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last
signature
wasn't added until 5 years later.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I am." is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hershey's Kisses are called that because the machine that makes them looks
like it's kissing the conveyor belt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. What occurs more often in December than any other month?
A. Conception.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name
requested?
A. Obsession
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you
would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser
printers all have in common?
A. All invented by women.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. There are more collect calls on this day than any other day of  the year?
A. Father's Day
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. What trivia fact about Mel Blanc (voice of Bugs Bunny) is the most
ironic?
A. He was allergic to carrots.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. What is an activity performed by 40% of all people at a party?
A. Snoop in your medicine cabinet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When
you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed  firmer to
sleep on. Hence the phrase "goodnight, sleep tight".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month
after the wedding,
the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could
drink.
Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period
was called
the honey month we know today as honeymoon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old England, when
customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them mind their own pints
and quarts and settle down. It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and
Q's"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim
or handle of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the
whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by
this practice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Scotland, a new game was invented. It was entitled Gentlemen Only Ladies
Forbidden....
and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AND FINALLY....................................................
At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!

 At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!
And now, pray tell us: did your try it too?
---
Xakero

 wrote in message
f3596b57.02081...@posting.google.com...

No, I didn't. I just had a look at my elbow and realized I couldn't do it!
:-)))
Did you? :-)
Cinzia

 :-)))
Ok, but now please take a look at your tongue and reconsider the question
:-))))))))))))))))))
Per quanto OT la lista era molto divertente
Ciao
Giorgio

Ok, but now please take a look at your tongue and reconsider the question
And how could anyone live ignoring icling? This ng is so much fun!
+--
I know you can't speak, I know you can't sign
So cry right here on the dotted line

 Per quanto OT la lista era molto divertente
Arrivata direttamente dagli USA tramite pen-pal. Glad you liked it.
Cinzia
--
Per rispondermi personalmente, togliere "-sendmenocrap" dal mio indirizzo
e-mail.
To reply, please remove "-sendmenocrap" from my e-mail address.

...

I didn't actually try it, but I looked at my elbow perhaps a fraction
of a second longer than you did.
However, last Sunday I saw a baby put the big tow of one of his feet
into his mouth and that evening, after my shower, I tried to see if
was still nimble enough to the same. I wasn't! And that was even
before I had read your elbow story.
---
Xakero

 And now, pray tell us: did your try it too?
    This semiserious question can serve as an introduction for a curious
cultural observation. In Italian, or in some parts of Italy, at least, a
rather popular expression you use when you want to emphasise how lucky a
certain person is sounds more or less like this:
    "Si potrebbe leccare i gomiti (che ha un fidanzato tanto bello, che la
sua insegnante è cosí buona, etc.)"
    In my family, the "lick-your-elbow" expression got me through my
infancy, therefore, when I read that piece of information in the list, I did
not pay much attention to it. Nor did I try to perform such an unnatural
action, of course.
    I beg your pardon, but I do not know whether you are Italian or
Anglo-Saxon. If the latter holds true, your wonder may be easily explained.
    Bye,
           Nicola
--
Multa non quia difficilia sunt non audemus, sed quia non audemus sunt
difficilia (Seneca).
[it, en, ru, es, (fr, pt, la, zh, ar)]

 before I had read your elbow story.
Oh, Xakero, you really are a baby!! :-)))))))))))))


 Oh, Xakero, you really are a baby!! :-)))))))))))))
Thank you! I've not felt so young for a long time :-)
---
Xakero

 Thank you! I've not felt so young for a long time :-)
:-))))
Cinzia