Comedic "things you would ban": minor things that irritate you

[Cowley]

I 'enforced' this once on a XC service a couple of months ago, by politely asking the gentleman in question if he had a set of headphones he could use, rather than broadcasting his conversation down the carriage in my direction. His solution was surprising yet effective:

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Reminds me of Father Jack’s sleep box.

 

[Jimini]

Reminds me of Father Jack’s sleep box.

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I'd forgotten about that!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

What's the Icelandic for "My brain hurts" ?

According to Google Translate: Heilinn minn er sár

 

[nlogax]

People who bring their stinky food into enclosed spaces. Special shoutout to the passenger next to me who bought her Pret tuna and egg Niçoise salad onto the flight down from Edinburgh last night. Cheers for that, we all appreciated it.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

According to Google Translate: Heilinn minn er sár

= "My brain is sore!"

Wonder if the phrase for being hungover is similar?!

 

[duncanp]

People who bring their stinky food into enclosed spaces. Special shoutout to the passenger next to me who bought her Pret tuna and egg Niçoise salad onto the flight down from Edinburgh last night. Cheers for that, we all appreciated it.

I don't know why people bother with food on short haul flights. (ie. those with a flight time of less than two hours)

It is not as if you are going to starve to death if you wait until after you have landed.

 

[Calthrop]

People who bring their stinky food into enclosed spaces. Special shoutout to the passenger next to me who bought her Pret tuna and egg Niçoise salad onto the flight down from Edinburgh last night. Cheers for that, we all appreciated it.

Not meaning to come across as "snotty"; but I confess to being glad that I have a poor sense of smell. I feel that this spares me a good deal of misery in life.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Apr 2022 ==

According to Google Translate: Heilinn minn er sár

I tried to look up "thank you" in Icelandic; but it's got in it, funny letters wot we don't have in our version of the alphabet ...

 

[jfollows]

I tried to look up "thank you" in Icelandic; but it's got in it, funny letters wot we don't have in our version of the alphabet ...

"takk" will probably do .... I did a week's course in Icelandic in Ísafjörður as part of a holiday in 2013 which was fun, I can't say I remember much of it or use it, but as a way of getting "into" the culture I totally recommend it!

 

[43172]

I tried to look up "thank you" in Icelandic; but it's got in it, funny letters wot we don't have in our version of the alphabet ...

Þakka þér fyrir is thank you in Icelandic, though it contains weird letters.

Can we also ban machines that don't give you an option on wanting a receipt and print one by default. I can imagine the majority of people would rather if the machine gave an option to print one or not, and would also cut on the amount of paper and ink used

 

[scotrail158713]

Can we also ban machines that don't give you an option on wanting a receipt and print one by default. I can imagine the majority of people would rather if the machine gave an option to print one or not, and would also cut on the amount of paper and ink used

Agreed. I often do want a receipt however there are times when I may pop into e.g. Tesco for a pint of milk, and to be honest I don't really need one just for that. Can I also bring up the ridiculous length of some receipts - often only for one or two items? I should say Lidl are much better for this though. Their receipts for a shop of approximately 10 items can be smaller than one from Asda or Tesco for 1-2 items.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Agreed. I often do want a receipt however there are times when I may pop into e.g. Tesco for a pint of milk, and to be honest I don't really need one just for that. Can I also bring up the ridiculous length of some receipts - often only for one or two items? I should say Lidl are much better for this though. Their receipts for a shop of approximately 10 items can be smaller than one from Asda or Tesco for 1-2 items.

Of my local-ish stores, the only one that doesn't ask you if you want a receipt is the Tesco Express located in one of the rougher parts of Bletchley. This is no doubt so the security guard can ask to see it if suspecting theft, and knowing the area (around Melrose Tower) I suspect he needs to do this several times a day. The others ask if you want one or not.

 

[Lucan]

Can we also ban machines that don't give you an option on wanting a receipt and print one by default.

I always take a receipt but agree there should always be the choice between a receipt or not. What is annoying is that some people seem to request a receipt at ATMs (you don't get one unless you deliberately press the button for it) but then chuck it on the ground.

 

[nlogax]

Not meaning to come across as "snotty"; but I confess to being glad that I have a poor sense of smell. I feel that this spares me a good deal of misery in life.

Even my post-Covid (lack of) sense of smell wasn't enough to defend against this experience. You are indeed lucky.

 

[adrock1976]

Þakka þér fyrir is thank you in Icelandic, though it contains weird letters.

Can we also ban machines that don't give you an option on wanting a receipt and print one by default. I can imagine the majority of people would rather if the machine gave an option to print one or not, and would also cut on the amount of paper and ink used

If having declined a receipt, what would you do if a security guard stops you from leaving the store and wants to check the items in your bag?

I always request a receipt to avoid any potential hassle.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If having declined a receipt, what would you do if a security guard stops you from leaving the store and wants to check the items in your bag?

I always request a receipt to avoid any potential hassle.

If it did happen, they would go back to the till you paid at and pull up the transaction details there.

 

[PeterY]

I always take a receipt but agree there should always be the choice between a receipt or not. What is annoying is that some people seem to request a receipt at ATMs (you don't get one unless you deliberately press the button for it) but then chuck it on the ground.

I always take my receipt. The main reason is, if I need to go into another shop, that sells the same item.

 

[Gloster]

I always take my receipt. The main reason is, if I need to go into another shop, that sells the same item.

And also if you happen to resemble a local light-fingered person who staff, including security, habitually stop. They may quickly realise that you are not that person, but some are reluctant to back down and admit they made a mistake.

 

[nw1]

Þakka þér fyrir is thank you in Icelandic, though it contains weird letters.

Can we also ban machines that don't give you an option on wanting a receipt and print one by default. I can imagine the majority of people would rather if the machine gave an option to print one or not, and would also cut on the amount of paper and ink used

Is it right that þ is equivalent to "th"? Rather like Greek theta?
And I think we used to use it in English a long time ago, with the letter name "thorn"?

And is ð equivalent Greek delta I wonder?

I have to admit I wasn't aware Icelandic used additional letters.

 

[Ediswan]

I have to admit I wasn't aware Icelandic used additional letters.

I was interested to see that in 1973 they abolished the letter Z (in favour of S), but Z still appears in places. You still sometimes see Æ in English (dipthong AE).

 

[Gloster]

Is it right that þ is equivalent to "th"? Rather like Greek theta?
And I think we used to use it in English a long time ago, with the letter name "thorn"?

And is ð equivalent Greek delta I wonder?

I have to admit I wasn't aware Icelandic used additional letters.

Dredging back over thirty years to when I studied Old Norse is of limited use as I didn’t really understand it then and have forgotten most of what I did understand. I can’t do the symbol, but thorn is basically the same as th: it was used in Old English. The ‘d with a stroke’ (known as Eth) is also (I think) a variation of th. Both are letters are from the Germanic/Old Norse family and any connection to Greek is either coincidental or due to modern simplification. (This is a case where my brain hurts. It is only the second time I can remember using what I ‘learnt’: the first was when I could pronounce the name of Eyjafjallajökull, the volcano that went pop in 2010.)

 

[jfollows]

They're both "th" sounds, the ð is like the "th" in "weather" in English whereas the þ is like the "th" in "think", which are slightly different sounds in English and also in Icelandic.

Put another way, ð is "voiceless alveolar non-sibilant fricative" whereas þ is "voiced alveolar non-sibilant fricative" which is to say that the difference is that one of them is "voiced" whereas one isn't, in other word the voicebox vibrates for one of them and not for the other ..... not sure that helps though ....

In general, if English speakers treat them both as "th" then all will be well, the position of the sound in the word will make enough of a difference without having to think about it.

 

[Pinza-C55]

The problem is that some people are "offended" if you use the term "Christian name".

So you would think that "First Name " and "Second Name" or "Surname" would be sufficient.

Oh no.

Some cultures put the "Family Name" (ie. surname) first, and the "Christian" name second, ie. "Bloggs Joe" rather than "Joe Bloggs."

So to avoid "offending" anyone, some organisations use "Family Name" for surname, and "Given Name" for Christian Name.

Talk about treading on eggshells.

If you had changed your Christian name could you be pedantic and reply that you didn't have a Given Name ?

 

[Calthrop]

I'm maybe at a loose end: but -- re 29/4's posts above, about Icelandic: gentlemen, I'm impressed at your linguistic and orthographic learning. Concerning various languages' odd ways with the Roman alphabet: I'm rather taken with the Hawaiian language's using the fewest letters, out of all the languages in the world which employ the Roman alphabet. With Hawaiian, it's twelve letters (five vowels, seven consonants); plus two "punctuation marks" -- one of those, looking essentially like the apostrophe.

ETA: I've just noticed that I mentioned this matter of the Hawaiian alphabet, on "General Discussion" twenty-odd pages back. I really ought to get out more ...

 

[krus_aragon]

British ones tend to either follow that pattern (e.g. Williams and Jones are further corruptions of those)

Even moreso, the likes of Bevan, Bowen, Parry, Pritchard are literally derived from ap/ab ('son of') Evan, Owen, Harry, Richard, etc.

 

[Techniquest]

Related to a topic I've not long read elsewhere on the forum, I'll keep it brief to ensure the 'comedic' feel stays but I could go on much more:

I'd ban sarcasm. The world would be a far greater place without it

 

[py_megapixel]

I would like to ban suitcases which are pushed along upright and sideways, rather than by tilting them and pulling them behind. I don't know why, it just irritates me.

 

[Techniquest]

I would like to ban suitcases which are pushed along upright and sideways, rather than by tilting them and pulling them behind. I don't know why, it just irritates me.

I do that sometimes, but usually more when I'm in a queue. When walking the case is almost guaranteed to be getting dragged along behind me!

 

[Richard Scott]

I would like to ban suitcases which are pushed along upright and sideways, rather than by tilting them and pulling them behind. I don't know why, it just irritates me.

The answer is it's easier. The suitcase I have has a short handle so keeps catching my feet so easier to wheel it on all four wheels. For some reason it takes less effort on four wheels too.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Related to a topic I've not long read elsewhere on the forum, I'll keep it brief to ensure the 'comedic' feel stays but I could go on much more:

I'd ban sarcasm. The world would be a far greater place without it

But this being the internet... I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 May 2022 ==

I would like to ban suitcases which are pushed along upright and sideways, rather than by tilting them and pulling them behind. I don't know why, it just irritates me.

I'd ban the ones that are dragged behind you. Especially if you decide to drag it through Leeds Station at rush hour. Those things are an absolute nightmare in a crowd as they're below your field of vision and end up being a trip hazard. The people dragging them seem oblivious to the chaos they leave in their wake!

 

[Ediswan]

I'd ban the ones that are dragged behind you. Especially if you decide to drag it through Leeds Station at rush hour. Those things are an absolute nightmare in a crowd as they're below your field of vision and end up being a trip hazard. The people dragging them seem oblivious to the chaos they leave in their wake!

I used to occasionally drag a large black Peli case of test equipment through Liverpool Street in the rush hour. My colleague did notice a few near misses. So the case was decorated with reflective yellow tape. That seemed to improve the situation. Latterly, where time allowed, we took to sending and returning it by courier. Black was the only colour available in the required size.