Crazy English phrases

[Maciamo]

According to dictionary they mean the same thing. But inflameable is an older term. flammable is just commonly used now. Both meaning substance the can burned or set on fire.

That must be in the States because I would never use "flammable" :bikkuri:

 

[mad pierrot]

I always though it was hamburger because it came from Hamburg, Germany. Not sure it it's true or not, but I whipped this off google in a few seconds:


According to Theodora Fitzgibbon in her book The Food of the Western World - An Encyclopedia of food from North American and Europe:
The originated on the German Hamburg-Amerika line boats, which brought emigrants to America in the 1850s. There was at that time a hamous Hamburg beef which was salted and sometimes slightly smoked, and therefore ideal for keeping on a long sea voyage. As it was hard, it was minced and sometimes stretched with soaked breadcrumbs and chopped onion. It was popular with the Jewish emigrants, who continuted to make Hamburg steaks, as the patties were then called, with fresh meat when they settled in the U.S.
The Origin of Hamburgers and Ketchup, by Prof. Giovanni Ballarini:
The origin of the hamburger is not very clear, but the prevailing version is that at the end of 1800' s, European emigrants reached America on the ships of the Hamburg Lines and were served meat patties quickly cooked on the grill and placed between two pieces of bread.


Anyways....

My favorites:

ATM machine.... uh, doesn't that mean Automatic Teller Machine Machine then?

PIN number.... so, it's Personal Identification Number Number?

:blush:

 

[Mycernius]

If the plural of goose is geese, why isn't the plural of mongoose, mongeese?
:?
Why is Bombay Duck called Bombay Duck, whenit is a fish dish? :? :?

 

[Damicci]

Nice discussion of hamburger lol

"At the drop of a hat"

"Good grief" Isn't grief a bad thing?

 

[Index]

If the plural of goose is geese, why isn't the plural of mongoose, mongeese?
:?
Why is Bombay Duck called Bombay Duck, whenit is a fish dish? :? :?

Because the word for fish in some Indian dialects is daka, so people mistakenly think the dish is duck, ie. Daka Bombay.

 

[Sensuikan San]

LOL! But what are they gonna do if they realize calculators can't do fractions?


nonpareil. I've never seen pareils

... I'm not surprised - it's adjectival ! .... means "similiar"

.... and .... I may be wrong, but I believe that at least one company (Texas Instruments ?) does indeed make a calculator that does fractions ! (Although, if I recall ... it takes a little getting used to, to enable and interpret the display ....) .....it may not be still in production,though.

This is fast becoming a most interesting thread, isn't it ! It may well have started out as a humorous gesture, but in fact it's becoming quite a (serious but fun) discourse on the main difficulties of English as a second language. The incredible number of "irregularities", the homonyms, illogical pronunciation et al .... !

Someone like Lexico is much more qualified than I am to attempt to explain this - but I'll try to give it a shot in the fewest words possible ....

Basically, English isn't a pure language at all - but a (linguistically) modern hybrid of Low German, French, Old Norse, Latin and Greek .... with a sprinkling of Goidelich and Gaelic Celtic thrown in for good measure.

It's the ultimate "pidgin" language !

Thus, the use of certain suffixes and prefixes can differ - depending upon which root language the term comes from. Whole sentences may contain a totally different vocabulary and have identical meaning - depending on wether or not they tend to being "Upper Class" (Norman French roots) or "Lower Class" (Low German roots).

Add to this the even more modern complexity of 'colonial' usage (American, Canadian, Australian/New Zealand, Caribbean, Indian ... ) usage ... and, yes ... you will have a few problems with learning English !

...but the stress is few - we're very tolerant !

We're still sorting it out, ourselves !

Regards,

?W????

 

[Leroy_Brown]

What's the past tense of "forgo"? (to give up; to do without)

Forgoed? Forwent? Forgone?

(I know the answer)

 

[lexico]

What is the past tense of must ? (*motan *must *must: English majors?)
What is the past tense of beware ?
What is the past tense of "would/should/could/might" in the present/future sense ?

When the agent wills it, he will do it;
but when the agent doesn't will it, he shall do it.

 

[Index]

What's the past tense of "forgo"? (to give up; to do without)

Forgoed? Forwent? Forgone?

(I know the answer)

Forwent, according to one dictionary, but forgone is also used as an adjective.

 

[Leroy_Brown]

In
the English language, there are three words that end in "gry".
What is the third?

 

[Index]

In
the English language, there are three words that end in "gry".
What is the third?

angry, hungry and....

 

[Sensuikan San]

What is the past tense of must ? (*motan *must *must: English majors?)
What is the past tense of beware ?

OK Lexico .... I'll have a go .... !

"Must" isn't a verb - it doesn''t have any tenses !

Similiarly "Beware" isn't a true verb, either; it's a corruption or compound of "be aware of". Consequently, when used in the past tense you must use phrases like: "...had to beware of ...." , "...should have been aware of..." , "...ought to have been aware of ..." etc. etc.

(Is there a "smiley" for "I hope I'm right"?....)

Regards,

?W????

 

[mad pierrot]

Damn, what's the third?

 

[Maciamo]

"Must" isn't a verb - it doesn''t have any tenses !

Of course it's a verb ! It's called a modal verb, like "can", "may", "will", "should", etc. The past of "must" is "had to".

What is the past tense of "would/should/could/might" in the present/future sense ?

would do => would have done
should do => should have done
etc.

 

[Maciamo]

Damn, what's the third?

I propose "Lupin" ? :?

In
the English language, there are three words that end in "gry".
What is the third?

Ah ok !

aggry => a kind of variegated glass beads of ancient manufacture

 

[lexico]

If cooked and soaked come from cook and soak, where do wicked and crooked come from ? Wick and crook ?

 

[Index]

In
the English language, there are three words that end in "gry".
What is the third?

Here's an explanation of the third word puzzle.

Do you get it?

 

[Maciamo]

If cooked and soaked come from cook and soak, where does wicked and crooked come from ? Wick and crook ?

My Oxford Dic. says :

wicked => comes from OE wicca (witch)

As for crooked (adj), it obviously comes from crook (noun)

 

[Sensuikan San]

Of course it's a verb ! It's called a modal verb, like "can", "may", "will", "should", etc. The past of "must" is "had to".

Oh deary me ! Egg on my face !

You're quite right - I just don't think of auxiliaries as being verbs, somehow .... Damn! English is hard...! :bluush: :blush:

Regards,

?W????

 

[Sensuikan San]

Here's an explanation of the third word puzzle.

Do you get it?

That kept me awake all last night !

Personally - I think Leroy Brown should be thrashed and thrown out of his cottage for coming up with that one ! :biggrin:

I'm having a bad day, aren't I !

?W????