English 101 (for Americans)

[flyday58]

Well, since y'all got me being picky on the subject of precise language...

That symbol is the Caduceus, icon of Mercury/Hermes (Roman/Greek), the messenger of the gods, guide of the dead and protector of merchants, shepherds, gamblers, liars, and thieves. It symbolises commerce and negotiation, exchange and reciprocity and just about anything else involving balance. In alchemy it represents all four base elements, make and female, good and evil and loads of other stuff.

Because of the above and because it was also used on a Gary Numan album cover, it is thus tattoed in flick-shading on my left shoulder. Hence the avatar.

It has naff-all to do with medicine or medical practice - That is the Rod Of Asclepius, a staff with a single snake and no wings. The misuse of one over t'other is mostly regarded as historical confusion, but is always being debated by some academic or other.

Sorry... something about mobile phones?

They'd be somewhere around Wanker. Same results, caused by lack of attention. They think they're doing fine, not realising they haven't a clue what's happening. One moment's distraction and SMASH... dead schoolchildren and bikers all over the road. Will likely complain that the *other* party should have been watching where they were going... but will shit themselves when you square up to them and demand they put their money where their (about to be smashed in) mouth is.

Thanks for that. My icon is just plain old Jeremy Clarkson. Cos, you know, I'm a fan of a show about real cars, not the schlop offered up to auto buyers this side of the Atlantic.

On about, as in "that's what I'm on about". Amerikaners will just stare blankly the first time you say this to them. Mo-bile is mo-bull here, except that everyone calls it a cell, or cellphone. And filtering will definitely get you shot from the saddle as Statians absolutely hate anyone getting a leg up on them. And as you know, we ALL carry firearms, movies don't lie.

Mind the gap. A show about Terry Thomas? We also had a short-lived show over here called Max Headroom. And the Robin Williams golf bit is hilarious because in some places in The South ( such as where I live...) the patios is much the same. Can't understand the neighbors at all most of the time. And they're my corn bin.