Author Topic: Your Wikipedia find of the week (Read 115353 times)

rogerzilla · « **Reply #400 on:** 03 May, 2016, 07:39:08 pm »

Fanny has always been a favourite of mine.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #401 on:** 04 May, 2016, 01:34:38 pm »

That Buffalo Springfield were named after a make of road roller.

Tim Hall · « **Reply #402 on:** 04 May, 2016, 08:14:37 pm »

Quote from: Kim on 03 May, 2016, 06:08:16 pm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_words_having_different_meanings_in_American_and_British_English:_A%E2%80%93L

What it says on the tin. What it lacks in accuracy it makes up for in scope. Plenty of learn-something-new-every-day fodder there.

Under "beaver" the article refers to "female vagina". Is that tautology or am I about to be educated?

Kim · « **Reply #403 on:** 04 May, 2016, 08:18:59 pm »

Careful, that's the sort of thing that causes TERF wars.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #404 on:** 08 May, 2016, 11:24:18 am »

Today I learned that Wilkinson Sword - yes, the manufacturers of razors, garden tools and, er, swords - also made motorcycles. One does not like to speculate as to the comfort of the saddle.

Palinurus · « **Reply #405 on:** 23 May, 2016, 07:04:11 pm »

Molecules with structures like little guys!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanoputian

Bledlow · « **Reply #406 on:** 24 May, 2016, 10:59:56 am »

Quote from: Tim Hall on 04 May, 2016, 08:14:37 pm

Quote from: Kim on 03 May, 2016, 06:08:16 pm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_words_having_different_meanings_in_American_and_British_English:_A%E2%80%93L

What it says on the tin. What it lacks in accuracy it makes up for in scope. Plenty of learn-something-new-every-day fodder there.
Under "beaver" the article refers to "female vagina". Is that tautology or am I about to be educated?

This person has a vagina, & self-identifies as a man. Hasn't had any surgery to change it, & I understand it's quite often on show in films.

caerau · « **Reply #407 on:** 24 May, 2016, 11:05:02 am »

The penis does not exist in many many species - fish for example. Though I don't know if male fish have a vagina instead...

caerau · « **Reply #408 on:** 24 May, 2016, 11:09:12 am »

I really shouldn't have just tried to google that.

ian · « **Reply #409 on:** 24 May, 2016, 12:24:53 pm »

Men and women have exactly the same parts just anatomically redistributed and re-proportioned. It's quite common for men to retain some vagina (a failure of the Müllerian duct to completely atrophy during pre-natal development).

Peter · « **Reply #410 on:** 27 August, 2016, 01:39:50 am »

Just found two:i

Firstly I am surprised to find I have never been a member of Chic

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chic_%28band%29

Secondly, one of my favourite singers had a son with a name you just couldn't make up. Maybe it's different in America?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patsy_Cline

mark · « **Reply #411 on:** 27 August, 2016, 06:56:06 am »

Quote from: Peter on 27 August, 2016, 01:39:50 am

Secondly, one of my favourite singers had a son with a name you just couldn't make up. Maybe it's different in America?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patsy_Cline

It's different in America, and was probably even more so back then.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #412 on:** 27 August, 2016, 08:05:27 am »

Quote from: Peter on 27 August, 2016, 01:39:50 am

Secondly, one of my favourite singers had a son with a name you just couldn't make up. Maybe it's different in America?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patsy_Cline

I was hoping that he was going to be Ronald D Cline, but that's even better.

Quote from: mark on 27 August, 2016, 06:56:06 am

It's different in America, and was probably even more so back then.

See also Nice Mr Obambi's Assistant Chief of Protocol: Randy Bumgardner.

Peter · « **Reply #413 on:** 29 August, 2016, 12:31:43 am »

mattc · « **Reply #414 on:** 29 August, 2016, 09:03:11 am »

Quote from: mark on 27 August, 2016, 06:56:06 am

Quote from: Peter on 27 August, 2016, 01:39:50 am
Secondly, one of my favourite singers had a son with a name you just couldn't make up. Maybe it's different in America?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patsy_Cline

It's different in America, and was probably even more so back then.

Hang on. Are we saying that
"Allen Randolph Dick (called Randy)" gets all this attention, but
"Cline's daughter, Julie Dick Fudge" gets no mention in this thread?? Referee!

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #415 on:** 29 August, 2016, 12:59:13 pm »

The "Casual Sexism" thread is over there ==>

clarion · « **Reply #416 on:** 30 August, 2016, 01:39:20 pm »

Quote from: Peter on 27 August, 2016, 01:39:50 am

Just found two:i

Firstly I am surprised to find I have never been a member of Chic

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chic_%28band%29

You're more likely to have been in The Fall

Tim Hall · « **Reply #417 on:** 30 August, 2016, 03:30:37 pm »

The village of Edith Weston, wot we visited on the Rutland Expedition at the weekend, is named after Edith of Wessex, Queen of England a long long time ago. She had a brother, Harold Godwinson, who came to an untimely end at Battle.

mattc · « **Reply #418 on:** 30 August, 2016, 06:07:10 pm »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 29 August, 2016, 12:59:13 pm

The "Casual Sexism" thread is over there ==>

Is there a "Childish jokes about suggestive names" thread?

spesh · « **Reply #419 on:** 30 August, 2016, 06:18:50 pm »

Quote from: mattc on 30 August, 2016, 06:07:10 pm

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 29 August, 2016, 12:59:13 pm
The "Casual Sexism" thread is over there ==>
Is there a "Childish jokes about suggestive names" thread?

The nominative determinism thread?

Legs · « **Reply #420 on:** 05 September, 2016, 01:53:16 pm »

That nutmeg is a supposed abortifacient and is highly neurotoxic to dogs.

TimC · « **Reply #421 on:** 05 September, 2016, 04:42:06 pm »

Quote from: Tim Hall on 30 August, 2016, 03:30:37 pm

The village of Edith Weston, wot we visited on the Rutland Expedition at the weekend, is named after Edith of Wessex, Queen of England a long long time ago. She had a brother, Harold Godwinson, who came to an untimely end at Battle.

I discovered Ruddles in the Wheatsheaf there, the day before my first decompression run in the RAF School of Aviation Medicine at RAF North Luffenham, in 1977. Both I and the assembled medics regretted my discovery.

Nuncio · « **Reply #422 on:** 26 October, 2016, 01:47:11 pm »

The 1904 St Louis Olympic Marathon was quite unlike any other.

14 finishers from 32 entrants.
First person to cross the line was taking a lift to the finish after stopping but re-entered after the car broke down.
The winner had to be stopped from having a lie-down during the race by his support team, and was given a couple of strychnine and egg whites, washed down by brandy, to encourage him
A Cuban postman finished in 4th, wearing street clothes with the long trousers cut down.
Despite fierce heat, there were only 2 water stations because the organizer wanted to test the effects of dehydration.
A competitor was forced off course a ile because he was chased by dogs.

More here http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-1904-olympic-marathon-may-have-been-the-strangest-ever-14910747/?no-ist

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #423 on:** 24 November, 2016, 10:08:07 pm »

"Mackerel are superb swimmers."

They're fish, ffs. If they weren't superb swimmers, they'd be complete failures at being fish.

Feanor · « **Reply #424 on:** 24 November, 2016, 10:16:42 pm »

Quote from: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 24 November, 2016, 10:08:07 pm

"Mackerel are superb swimmers."

They're fish, ffs. If they weren't superb swimmers, they'd be complete failures at being fish.

Reminds me of early-year parenthood, where people were obsessed with trivia like what age the toots started walking.

"Ooh, he's walking already, at 10 months! Such a clever little toot!"
"<panic> Our little toot is not walking at 11 months! Wail!"

What a load of tosh.
How many parents sit around look at their 18-yr olds oaves and nattering:

"Ohh, look how well he walks! I bet he was walking at 10 months!"