Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: Check-mailing

"Radio is the poor man's theater. The price of admission is a few good tubes
and a *check-mailing acquaintance* with the local utility company."
(L'autore scrive nel 1943)
Intuisco che "check-mailing acquaintance" significa che l'azienda elettrica
locale sa che tu paghi regolarmente la bolletta, ma non ho trovato check-mail
da nessuna parte.
Chi ne sa di più? Forse il (carissssssimo! In ogni senso) Sansoni di Frank?
Grazie come sempre
Anna

(L'autore scrive nel 1943)
You won't find check-mailing acquaintance in a dictionary;  the author of
this sentence has created this phrase.  The meaning is "you pay electric
bills/ you have electricity."  This sort of witty phrase (using an elaborate
circumlocution to say something relatively common) is not unknown.  One of
its most famous practicioners was W.C.Fields.  Dickens too does  a lot of
this sort of convoluted phraseology.
Kevin in SF

 wrote in message
9ahvr9$jfb$1...@slb7.atl.mindspring.net...


Thanks a lot, Kevin.
What a consolation! Not my poor old dictionaries' fault, after all. :-)
--
Ciao
Anna

Anna
Prego come sempre. :o)
Avevo detto che non avrei postato per qualche giorno (Il tempo! Il
tempo che fugge! Il mio regno per un po' di tempo!), ma alla richiesta
di una Lady non si sfugge, ahime'.
Ciao
Frank
-----
Muoia Sansoni con tutti i filistei!

 sort of convoluted phraseology.
And hyphenating two words is something often done on a whim to create
a new sense. Sometimes used by ' ' to indicate the same thing.
But those English fellows would have written 'cheque mailing'. ;-)
Cheers,
Loki
-- 
 
              O      __
      ___   /\     / / O  
     /__ \   | \   /  |
    O  /  \ /   \./   |
        |________ |
 
            Loki 

 avere qualche valvola [tubes] e un amico (acquaintance) 
As one who is not 'unacquainted' with power company bills, I must say
I have yet to find a friend, let alone, an acquaintance, who will pay
my bills for me. :-(
acquaintance=> 1. familiarity; 2. someone you know but not as well as
a friend.


 sottoscritto, . :-((
Ehm...
P.

 > sort of convoluted phraseology.
And to think I almost missed this one!
Sir,
Let us be absolutely clear about one thing; Dickens does *not* write
convoluted phraseology! Philistine!
My ire is such I am almost inclined to banish thee, but I shall desist from
so doing for the present time.
(Apologies to Loki for tagging  onto the end of last post, but I seem unable
to retrieve the original Philistine's message- doubtless my computer
empathising with my grief and horror.)
--
I remain, as always, ecc., ecc.,
Bambi
dtb

 Muoia Sansoni con tutti i filistei!
LOL
--
Ciao
Anna

 tono con tutto quanto il contesto.
non potrebbe andare qualcosa di più semplice tipo "e un buon rapporto
con la compagnia elettrica"? (al posto di "rapporto" bisognerebbe
trovare qualcosa di meglio, però...)
elena

dtb
Dear Friend,  one who signs a letter  "I remain, as always, ecc., ecc."
should think twice before expressing opinions on English prose.

should think twice before expressing opinions on English prose.
Good God. I wouldn't want to be you, right now (or probably any other
time for that matter.) You'll never know what hit you.
-- 
Isa
Work like you don't need money,
Love like you've never been hurt,
And dance like no one's watching
http://web.tiscalinet.it/alfabeto_auschwitz/


uhu
Is all the first line already sold out? I'd like to enjoy the performance
from a good seat :))))

time for that matter.) You'll never know what hit you.
Gee, it's time to polish that rusty armour; the Queens are about to
call me.
Frank-KIRA

Frank-KIRA
La regina e' in pericolo! Debbo intervenire in suo soccorso.
Vado subito a fare la ceretta a quell'armatura pelosa.
Frank-KIHA

 Gee, it's time to polish that rusty armour
Puah!
L'ultimo che lo fece subě un destino alquanto tristo!
Ruscalla!
Il suo nome era Il Cavaliere dalla Trista Figura!
Ruscalla: memento.
P.

 wrote in message
9aklmq$1qd$1...@nntp9.atl.mindspring.net...

Dear Kevin,
the author of the original phrase that gave birth to this thread is Groucho
Marx. It is really the case to say, then, that your guess about W.C. Fields
is close, but no cigar :-))
Now, coming to the parallelism between W.C. Fields and Charles Dickens, I
feel that you should substantiate a little your interesting statement,
before judging the ability of others to evaluate English prose. Not that I
am this great Dickens or W.C. Fields expert,  but, since you come to compare
the language of a writer  (that happens to be Dickens) with the language of
a comedian (that is not Shakespeare), I think that the burden of giving
reasons relies on you.
I apologize in advance if I took too seriously your opinions.
Ciao
Giorgio

 reasons relies on you.
I notice you didn't demand any substantiation of the charge of "Philistine."
This seems to me, Giorgio, to be a baiting post, not in the spirit of sharing
knowledge. My suggestion to Kevin is to ignore it and to continue to offer us
his intelligent posts on topics of substance.
Ciao,
Ron
USA, and not a member of Il Regno Nostro.

 USA, and not a member of Il Regno Nostro.
Grazie per aver finalmente chiarito il punto che ti sta a cuore, Ron, ma qui
nessuno ha intenzione di fare del mobbing con il paravento dell'Illuminated
Realm. Soprattutto nei confronti di Kevin O' Donnell, che non sei l'unico ad
apprezzare, contrariamente alle apparenze.
Ciao
Giorgio
-- 
Posted from [151.88.109.57] 
via Mailgate.ORG Server - 
http://www.Mailgate.ORG

 nessuno ha intenzione di fare del mobbing
Meno male che sei così innocente. Speriamo che tutti qui scelgano sempre la
verità sopra le alleanze.
Ciao,
Ron
USA

 should think twice before expressing opinions on English prose.
Dear Kevin, would you please be so kind as to explain the above statement? Is
it the "ecc., ecc." you are referring to?
As for me, I always appreciate it when Bambi expresses opinions on English
prose, because I like *her* prose and her sense of humour very much. But my
mother tongue is Italian, so maybe I should think twice too...
Btw I wonder if "ecc." is an English or an Italian abbreviation? Shouldn't it
be "etc."?
--
Ciao
Anna

 doubtless my computer empathising with my grief and horror.)
dai pure.  (hope I got that right.)


 accompaniments can be taken for granted.
Hope Bambi isn't bothered if I've quoted the above paragraph out of its
original context.
You may find the whole article here:
 
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=bambi+ecc+etc
Max                           

 Meno male che sei cosě innocente.
They never got me for the right offense (W.C. Fields)


 original context.
Secondo me hai fatto benissimo.
Grazie, e chiedo scusa a Bambi per la mia memoria corta (distrazione, in
realtà).
--
Ciao
Anna

 realtà).
Dearest LiW Anna,
One is *so* gratified to realise one  is not the only to suffer from a short
memory.
You've brightened up my day no end.
Thank you.
--
I remain, as always,
Bambi
dtb

 Max
Dear Max,
We are not bothered at all, and are indeed most grateful for having saved us
the business of trying to find it or worse, having to remember the exact
reasons and respond to Lady Ann
With heartfelt thanks,
--
I remain, as always,
Bambi
dtb

 reasons and respond to Lady Ann
To be honest, I too did not recall exactly when and if you did ever
explain that. But I thought that if you ever had done that, then you must
probably have written "ecc" and "etc" within the same message. That's why
it took me just few seconds to recover the forequoted posting on
groups.google.com
.
Memory is probably one of the very few things whose shortage the Net can
really make up for. :)
I remain now, as always, your most humble and obedient servant,
Max

 should think twice before expressing opinions on English prose.
Dear Kevin,
Alas, I have not yet the good fortune to be able to call you 'Friend' with
the same amount of confidence and ease that you have shown. If the gods are
kind, it may well be that in the fullness of time this situation will
change.
It is to be hoped (at least by the undersigned) that you did not
fail to discern the tone of 'mock' horror used in my response. I have a
nagging feeling however, that in this I might be mistaken. It would not be
the first time, and doubtless neither will it be the last.
Judging from the length of this thread, it would appear that others have
also taken my response in the wrong vein.
You are possibly  unacquainted with certain characteristics which are
considered in some ways the trademark, if you will, of this news group.
There is a specific 'why' to my signature which dates back to the beginnings
of the group, and it is intended to be exactly as you have interpreted.
A deliberate tongue in cheek mockery of affected style. Should you require a
more detailed explanation, Max M has graciously posted under this same
thread a full detailing of its significance. Being old and doddery as is
also well known, I cannot remember precisely how long we have had the good
fortune to have you among us and partake of The Illuminated Realm's repartee
and banter. To be sure it is not to everyone's taste. To be equally sure,
there are others who find it enjoyable.
I expressed an opinion on the writings of a gentleman
considered by others far more qualified than myself, to be among the masters
of English prose. It is an opinion I believe I am entitled to hold.  I fail
to see how my 'signature' on the newsgroup diminishes my right to so do as
your response would seem to imply.
In any event, my response to your previous post was meant purely in jest.
Should I have missed the mark in my attempt at humour, I can but apologise.
I certainly had no intention of causing dissent  within the Realm.
Hoping this will be received in the spirit in which it is intended,


 of English prose.
You also you expressed a slur on the sophistication of a poster by calling him a
Philistine. It seems only natural to me that he might say something back to you.
Especially since he was only saying that Dicken's phraseology was convoluted,
which is true. I understand you don't agree. Regarding the opinion of others,
that still doesn't mean that he isn't also a master of English Prose.
Ciao,
Ron
USA

>From: "Anna Martini" 
annCia...@tin.it
 

Scusate se arrivo sempre con l'ultimo treno!  Dov'e' il post originale?  Non
sono riuscita a trovarlo e ho dovuto citare il post di Anna.
Comunque questa e' la mia risposta:
Caro Kavin,
ma sei pazzo?  Ma che cosa ti e' saltato in mente di dire?  Figurati se Bambi
non conosce la differenza tra ecc e etc.  Ma scusa un attimo...hai letto
qualcuno dei suoi post?  Ti do un compitino:  vai su 
deja.com
 e cerca i suoi
posts, leggili tutti e poi torna qui e sappimi dire....ok????  Vediamo se dopo
averli letti tutti cambi idea.
ciao
arianna
Translation:
Dear Kevin,
I have VERY VERY strong doubts about Bambi's unawareness of the difference
between ecc and etc.  I feel that perhaps it would be useful to you to got back
and read a few  more of her posts before giving an opinion. Thank you for your
attention.
bye
arianna

 news group. [snip]
Dear Bambi,
Not to mention the characteristics of your prose style. Have you
perchance read any books by Elizabeth Peters? Specifically her ones
about Amelia Peabody in Egypt? I think you would find a kindred soul
in style. :-)
For my own part, mi piace mixing languages. Whether it makes sense to
gli altri, é un altra matter.   :-)))) 
Cheers,
Loki

 by calling him a Philistine.
Hey, now you're slandering the poor old Philistines. tsk. 
(and I don't mean to imply that Kevin is worse than a Philistine,
just that Philistines have been slandered for millenia.) 
Better get that logic chip verified before the first commercial
release of the Rons.  ;-)
Cheers,
Loki

 in style. :-)
Dear Loki,
The gap in my education would seem to be great. I have not had occasion to
read any works by the abovementioned author, but if we are talking kindred
souls with regards to style, I shall make haste to remedy such a gap. I
thank you for pointing out the author and shall let you know what I think
of her once I have succeeded in locating and reading one of her books.
What can you tell me about her- if anything?
--
I remain, as always,
Bambi
dtb

 tell me about her- if anything?
Ms Peters is/was an Egyptologist who discovered the joy of authoring
murder mysteries. I daresay there is even a web page of her books. An
American I believe, however, Amelia and hubby are  dtb's  too. One
title I remember is: "The camel died at noon."
Cheers,
Loki


 really make up for. :)
It is said of professors -- though I think unfairly -- that they have
a bad memory. No professor myself, I tend to agree with whoever said
that he refuses to commit to memory anything he can readily look up.
--
Xakero
 Sapere aude!  (Horace, Epistulae)

 murder mysteries.
Now you got me curious, too, so much so that I looked for her works on
Amazon and, lo and behold, found 122 titles. It shall take me a while
to read all her books, that is if I like the fist two I am ordering
now. Make that four, to save on shipping and handling.




Wow, that many! Our library has only a dozen or so. (but they're free
to read ) She writes in different styles. It's the Amelia Peabody
ones that have a Bambi-like turn of phrase and wit. :-)
I hope you like them if you're ordering four.
cheers,
Loki

 I hope you like them if you're ordering four.
Some may be listed twice (paperback and hard cover). I clicked to
order the oldest novels, going back to 1984, I believe. The latest are
being published this year, so the author, Elizabeth Peters, still
seems to among us.
Got Amazon's confirmation today and these are the titles I should be
getting in a couple of weeks' time:
The Murders of Richard III
The Curse of the Pharaohs
Crocodile on the Sandbank
The Seventh Sinner
Naked Once More
The Last Camel Died at Noon
The Jackal's Head
The Copenhagen Connection
I see that it turned out to be eight books by the time I finished
clicking around, but then I've always loved reading whodunits (Minette
Walter's books were the last I read). I'm already booked on two
11-hour flights in May, and some longish motoring journeys (not me at
at the wheel), where some of these books will come in handy. At least
one is a Peabody story, from what I remember seeing while browsing the
Amazon catalog.


 handy. 
Just what is it you do that entails long flights? 
cheers,
Loki

 Just what is it you do that entails long flights?
Gallivanting, mostly (Northern hemisphere only so far, so a junket to
NZ isn't in the cards). Putting in my two cents' worth here and there
(some might call it consulting), enjoying enormously what I'm doing
and making a decent living out of it. That's after I took early
retirement a few years ago and after a while got bored just sitting at
home looking after my investments, which I soon figured out do much
better if I leave them alone.


retirement a few years ago
Ha! There you are. A 
dot.com
 millionaire!
-- 
Isa
Work like you don't need money,
Love like you've never been hurt,
And dance like no one's watching
http://web.tiscalinet.it/alfabeto_auschwitz/

 Ha! There you are. A 
dot.com
 millionaire! -- 
nah, can't be - he's still got money for trips. :-)


> Ha! There you are. A 
dot.com
 millionaire!
Or an ex-president of the United States ? :-))
Giorgio

 Ha! There you are. A 
dot.com
 millionaire!
Not quite. Did it without the dot.


 Or an ex-president of the United States ? :-))
Didn't the last one leave office with millions of dollars of debts for
lawyers' fees? Or so they say.
