"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
"michael adams" writes:
|
| Digital dyslexia must put you at a marked disadvantage as a
| mathematician I'd have thought.
|
| You have my deepest sympathy.

You're trolling AGAIN. Please desist. Or at least be a bit more
subtle.

| I posted the following - (to save you wearing your fingers any nearer
| to the bone I should perhaps add that "unassailable Internet authority"
| is intended with tongue firmly in cheek)

You also posted the following. I have included enough references
that you should be able to track the original down. If you read what
you wrote, you will see that you claimed 1589.

Yes, yes. I explained that that was a mistake. In the bit you
snipped.

Anyone can make a mistake.

However the possibly repeated use of a totally meaningless cliché
is more than a simple mistake IMO. Whereas most clichés mean something
to start with, at least.

This is totally unrelated to any possible frisson over the use of
the term "spade" in relation to black Afro Carribeans who in the UK
at least, were perfectly happy with it in the 50's and 60's.
At least the cooler dudes who McInnes hung out with in Notting
Hill, were.

So it only remains for you to explain what you meant to
imply by your the use of phrase -

"We call a spade a spade."

Unless you can describe any circumstance in which anyone could
possibly be offended by the use of the term "spade", I fail to
see the point of stating the blindingly obvious.

Anyone who decided to call a spade a fork, or a spade a rake would
very soon find themselves at a marked disadvantage, I'd have thought.

Wouldn't you ?

This is a serious question. (This being Usenet after all) How did
this phrase gain such currency when it's essentially meaningless.
i.e. people think they know what it means - when on even a cursory
examination, it turns out it means nothing at all.

Or perhaps you can produce some evidence to the contrary ?


michael adams

....

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 9/6/06 16:21, in article , "michael
adams"
wrote:


"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

snip
Who is Victoria Coren? Never heard of her.


She's the daughter of Alan Coren.


Who has been very ill in the South of France, sadly. I hope he's
recovering
because he's one of the funniest writers around.

I didn't know that. I've got loads of his books "Golfing for Cats",
"Cricklewood Diet", "Lady from Stalingrad Mansions", "Bumpf" etc etc.
He also appeared regularly on the "News Quiz" on Radio 4. He also
championed the cause of smoking I believe, against the anti-smoking
zealots, and I hope the two aren't related. i.e. him being a heavy smoker.


michael adams

....

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(email address on website)

On 9/6/06 17:12, in article , "michael adams"
wrote:


"Sacha" wrote in message
...,
snip


Who has been very ill in the South of France, sadly. I hope he's
recovering
because he's one of the funniest writers around.

I didn't know that. I've got loads of his books "Golfing for Cats",
"Cricklewood Diet", "Lady from Stalingrad Mansions", "Bumpf" etc etc.
He also appeared regularly on the "News Quiz" on Radio 4. He also
championed the cause of smoking I believe, against the anti-smoking
zealots, and I hope the two aren't related. i.e. him being a heavy smoker.


His daughter wrote about it recently in one of the Sundays, I think. I'm
not sure that they've found out just what is wrong with him, yet.

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(email address on website)

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 9/6/06 17:12, in article , "michael
adams"
wrote:


"Sacha" wrote in message
...,
snip


Who has been very ill in the South of France, sadly. I hope he's
recovering
because he's one of the funniest writers around.

I didn't know that. I've got loads of his books "Golfing for Cats",
"Cricklewood Diet", "Lady from Stalingrad Mansions", "Bumpf" etc etc.
He also appeared regularly on the "News Quiz" on Radio 4. He also
championed the cause of smoking I believe, against the anti-smoking
zealots, and I hope the two aren't related. i.e. him being a heavy
smoker.


His daughter wrote about it recently in one of the Sundays, I think. I'm
not sure that they've found out just what is wrong with him, yet.


Here's a link to some of his recent "Times" columns for anyone
else who's interested - I assume you've read them already.
Although I didn't myself know that his latest stuff was
archived on the Times site.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,1060,00.html


While doing a quick search of the Beeb "News Quiz" page,
brought up this true story, as read from the papers.
Nothing to do with AC as such, but on topic for the
NewsGroup at least.

quote

Mrs Irene Graham of Thorpe Avenue, Boscombe, delighted the
audience with her reminiscence of the German prisoner of war
who was sent each week to do her garden. He was repatriated
at the end of 1945, she recalled. "He'd always seemed a nice
friendly chap, but when the crocuses came up in the middle
of our lawn in February 1946, they spelt out Heil Hitler".
(Bournemouth Evening Echo)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/comedy/newsquiz_25.shtml

/quote


michael adams





--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(email address on website)

quote

Mrs Irene Graham of Thorpe Avenue, Boscombe, delighted the
audience with her reminiscence of the German prisoner of war
who was sent each week to do her garden. He was repatriated
at the end of 1945, she recalled. "He'd always seemed a nice
friendly chap, but when the crocuses came up in the middle
of our lawn in February 1946, they spelt out Heil Hitler".
(Bournemouth Evening Echo)


my word that Prisoner of War got about :-((

I have seen that article/claim in just about every quarter of the UK :-(((

Mike


--
------------------------------------------------
Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association
www.rnshipmates.co.uk
International Festival of the Sea 28th June - 1st July 2007

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
Chris Bacon writes:
| George.com wrote:
| A question for those who **** on their compost heap.
|
| Please don't be vulgar, George.com.

This is uk.rec.gardening. We call a spade a spade. You may prefer
to call it micturation, but ****ing is something that we all do every
day. And many of us **** on our compost heaps :-)

I sometimes collect it in a bucket if I'm having to get up several times
during the night, then make an early morning trip to the compost heap!

Alan




Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "michael adams" contains these words:

Or is the point that figs, troughs, and spades, are euphemisms for
something else ?

Figs certainly are.

Go on then, enlighten me?

--
Alan

Reply to alan (dot) holmes27 (at) virgin (dot) net



Janet

--
Isle of Arran Open Gardens weekend 21,22,23 July 2006
5 UKP three-day adult ticket (funds go to island charities) buys entry
to 26 private gardens

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "michael adams" contains these words:



You have no choice but to call things figs or troughs or spades.

Or is the point that figs, troughs, and spades, are euphemisms for
something else ?

Fig certainly is ; it was a vulgar term for female sex organ, at least
500 years ago, in Italian, Spanish and English. "I don't give a fig" did
not refer to fruit, and the modesty "fig leaf" on nudes was a double
entendre.

Damn, I just posted an article asking about this before reading the rest of
the posts!(:-(

Alan


Spade = black person.

Janet.


--
Isle of Arran Open Gardens weekend 21,22,23 July 2006
5 UKP three-day adult ticket (funds go to island charities) buys entry
to 26 private gardens

"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
Chris Bacon writes:
| George.com wrote:
| A question for those who **** on their compost heap.
|
| Please don't be vulgar, George.com.

This is uk.rec.gardening. We call a spade a spade. You may prefer
to call it micturation, but ****ing is something that we all do every
day. And many of us **** on our compost heaps :-)

I sometimes collect it in a bucket if I'm having to get up several times
during the night, then make an early morning trip to the compost heap!

Alan


Moving your bed nearer the compost heap or vice versa would help:-)

"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
Chris Bacon writes:
| George.com wrote:
| A question for those who **** on their compost heap.
|
| Please don't be vulgar, George.com.

This is uk.rec.gardening. We call a spade a spade. You may prefer
to call it micturation, but ****ing is something that we all do every
day. And many of us **** on our compost heaps :-)

I sometimes collect it in a bucket if I'm having to get up several times
during the night, then make an early morning trip to the compost heap!

Alan

thanks (I think) for all the information. I have been collecting it in a 2
litres plastic milk bottle and emptying it neat into a plastic compost bin
when full. One thing I have noticed is a few dead worms near the top of the
bin. Either I have been drinking worm killer or maybe the high salt content
is killing them. Wonder if it'd work on snails.

rob