| Sysop: | Amessyroom |
|---|---|
| Location: | Fayetteville, NC |
| Users: | 23 |
| Nodes: | 6 (0 / 6) |
| Uptime: | 50:07:55 |
| Calls: | 583 |
| Files: | 1,138 |
| Messages: | 111,308 |
One Saturday morning we were having breakfast in a local 'greasy spoon'
caff. There was a noisy and friendly family at the next table. The
husband/father went up to the counter for another tea, or some such.
The wife called out "Ninnis can you get....." . I turned to his wife
and asked if his name was Nicholas, which is was.
I had not heard that word ("Ninnis") for many decades. I had only heard
it within my one family and then only until I and my siblings could
pronounce my name. I wonder how often a Nicholas, when a child, has
been called "Ninnis".
My brother reminded me that we used to call the rind on cooked bacon, "swords".
My son used to have trouble pronouncing 'l' at the beginning of a word,
as in "Cover my yegs please Daddy" at bedtime. So within the family
'legs' are 'yegs'. Oddly he never had problems with his own name,
Nicholas.
His (not a native English speaker) mother had a problem with his middle
name, which she often pronounced "Hendry".
On Wed, 13 Aug 2025 13:32:41 +0100
"Nicholas D. Richards" <nicholas@salmiron.com> wrote:
One Saturday morning we were having breakfast in a local 'greasy spoon'
caff. There was a noisy and friendly family at the next table. The
They still exist?
husband/father went up to the counter for another tea, or some such.
The wife called out "Ninnis can you get....." . I turned to his wife
and asked if his name was Nicholas, which is was.
I had not heard that word ("Ninnis") for many decades. I had only heard
it within my one family and then only until I and my siblings could
pronounce my name. I wonder how often a Nicholas, when a child, has
been called "Ninnis".
My brother reminded me that we used to call the rind on cooked bacon,
"swords".
My son used to have trouble pronouncing 'l' at the beginning of a word,
as in "Cover my yegs please Daddy" at bedtime. So within the family
'legs' are 'yegs'. Oddly he never had problems with his own name,
Nicholas.
His (not a native English speaker) mother had a problem with his middle
name, which she often pronounced "Hendry".
My family only had 2 words that were special to us (kids) that I recall -
my sister was told that a neighbour's pony was called "Simon", so it
became a generic name. My father instilled in us the name "puffin billy"
for the vacuum cleaner (hoover). It was decades before I found out why.
On 13/08/2025 17:06, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote:
On Wed, 13 Aug 2025 13:32:41 +0100It was steam powered?
"Nicholas D. Richards" <nicholas@salmiron.com> wrote:
One Saturday morning we were having breakfast in a local 'greasy spoon'
caff. There was a noisy and friendly family at the next table. The
They still exist?
husband/father went up to the counter for another tea, or some such.
The wife called out "Ninnis can you get....." . I turned to his wife
and asked if his name was Nicholas, which is was.
I had not heard that word ("Ninnis") for many decades. I had only heard >>> it within my one family and then only until I and my siblings could
pronounce my name. I wonder how often a Nicholas, when a child, has
been called "Ninnis".
My brother reminded me that we used to call the rind on cooked bacon,
"swords".
My son used to have trouble pronouncing 'l' at the beginning of a word,
as in "Cover my yegs please Daddy" at bedtime. So within the family
'legs' are 'yegs'. Oddly he never had problems with his own name,
Nicholas.
His (not a native English speaker) mother had a problem with his middle
name, which she often pronounced "Hendry".
My family only had 2 words that were special to us (kids) that I recall -
my sister was told that a neighbour's pony was called "Simon", so it
became a generic name. My father instilled in us the name "puffin billy"
for the vacuum cleaner (hoover). It was decades before I found out why.
Chris
On Wed, 13 Aug 2025 13:32:41 +0100
"Nicholas D. Richards" <nicholas@salmiron.com> wrote:
One Saturday morning we were having breakfast in a local 'greasy spoon'
caff. There was a noisy and friendly family at the next table. The
They still exist?
My father instilled in us the name "puffin billy"
for the vacuum cleaner (hoover). It was decades before I found out why.
Kerr-Mudd, John said:
My father instilled in us the name "puffin billy"
for the vacuum cleaner (hoover). It was decades before I found out why.
It ate fish ?
On 2025-08-23, Andy Burns wrote:
Simon wrote:
I thought puffin billy was a train
Not a horse-drawn vacuum cleaner?
How would a horse hold the pencil?
On Sat, 23 Aug 2025 15:36:55 -0000 (UTC), Simon <SimonJ@eu.invalid> wrote:
On 2025-08-23, Andy Burns wrote:
Simon wrote:
I thought puffin billy was a train
Not a horse-drawn vacuum cleaner?
How would a horse hold the pencil?
A vet visits a stable to look at a sick horse, wanting to
take note about the patient, he reches behind his ear and pulls
out a thermometer and exclaims "Oh no! Some arsehole has my
pencil!"
A vet visits a stable to look at a sick horse, wanting to
take note about the patient, he reches behind his ear and pulls
out a thermometer and exclaims "Oh no! Some arsehole has my
pencil!"
I am hoping he didn't lick the tip before he noticed :-)
On 2025-08-24, Julian Macassey wrote:
On Sat, 23 Aug 2025 15:36:55 -0000 (UTC), Simon <SimonJ@eu.invalid> wrote: >>> On 2025-08-23, Andy Burns wrote:
Simon wrote:
I thought puffin billy was a train
Not a horse-drawn vacuum cleaner?
How would a horse hold the pencil?
A vet visits a stable to look at a sick horse, wanting to
take note about the patient, he reches behind his ear and pulls
out a thermometer and exclaims "Oh no! Some arsehole has my
pencil!"
I am hoping he didn't lick the tip before he noticed :-)
A vet visits a stable to look at a sick horse, wanting to
take note about the patient, he reches behind his ear and pulls
out a thermometer and exclaims "Oh no! Some arsehole has my
pencil!"
I am hoping he didn't lick the tip before he noticed :-)
I have never known the reason for the licking of pencils :-\
(you can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead)
In article <slrn10alvib.beet.SimonJ@silex.localdomain>, Simon
<SimonJ@eu.invalid> on Sun, 24 Aug 2025 at 11:58:03 awoke Nicholas from
his slumbers and wrote
On 2025-08-24, Julian Macassey wrote:
On Sat, 23 Aug 2025 15:36:55 -0000 (UTC), Simon <SimonJ@eu.invalid> wrote: >>>> On 2025-08-23, Andy Burns wrote:
Simon wrote:
I thought puffin billy was a train
Not a horse-drawn vacuum cleaner?
How would a horse hold the pencil?
A vet visits a stable to look at a sick horse, wanting to
take note about the patient, he reches behind his ear and pulls
out a thermometer and exclaims "Oh no! Some arsehole has my
pencil!"
I am hoping he didn't lick the tip before he noticed :-)
I can understand why you might lick the tip of your own thermometer, but
I have never understood why you would lick the tip of a pencil (yes I
know people do). You would never know which nefr ubyr has licked it
before you.
On 2025-08-24, Abandoned Trolley wrote:
I have never known the reason for the licking of pencils :-\
(you can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead)
I never did it but it was so common when I was in school, maybe someone here can
enlighten us. :-)
On 24/08/2025 22:18, Simon wrote:
On 2025-08-24, Abandoned Trolley wrote:
Supposedly, it makes the mption of the pencil on the paper smoother dueI have never known the reason for the licking of pencils :-\
(you can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead)
I never did it but it was so common when I was in school, maybe someone here can
enlighten us. :-)
to the lubrication.
I suspect the placebo effect may be involved.
A vet visits a stable to look at a sick horse, wanting to
take note about the patient, he reches behind his ear and
pulls out a thermometer and exclaims "Oh no! Some
arsehole has my pencil!"
I am hoping he didn't lick the tip before he noticed :-)
I have never known the reason for the licking of pencils :-\
On Sun, 24 Aug 2025 16:37:41 +0100, Abandoned Trolley <that.bloke@microsoft.com> wrote:
A vet visits a stable to look at a sick horse, wanting to
take note about the patient, he reches behind his ear and
pulls out a thermometer and exclaims "Oh no! Some
arsehole has my pencil!"
I am hoping he didn't lick the tip before he noticed :-)
I have never known the reason for the licking of pencils :-\
Explained here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copying_pencil
If you moistened and indelible pencil, the dye would
transfer to the paper.
Indelible pencils were popular with people working
outdoors.
Then L|iszl|| B|!r|| came along and finally made them
obselete.
On 26/08/2025 10:39, Julian Macassey wrote:
On Sun, 24 Aug 2025 16:37:41 +0100, Abandoned Trolley
<that.bloke@microsoft.com> wrote:
A vet visits a stable to look at a sick horse, wanting to
take note about the patient, he reches behind his ear and
pulls out a thermometer and exclaims "Oh no! Some
arsehole has my pencil!"
I am hoping he didn't lick the tip before he noticed :-)
I have never known the reason for the licking of pencils :-\
Explained here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copying_pencil
If you moistened and indelible pencil, the dye would
transfer to the paper.
Indelible pencils were popular with people working
outdoors.
Then L|iszl|| B|!r|| came along and finally made them
obselete.
so .... no sensible reason for ever licking a non indelible pencil ?
On 26/08/2025 10:39, Julian Macassey wrote:
On Sun, 24 Aug 2025 16:37:41 +0100, Abandoned Trolley
<that.bloke@microsoft.com> wrote:
Explained here:
A vet visits a stable to look at a sick horse, wanting to
take note about the patient, he reches behind his ear and
pulls out a thermometer and exclaims "Oh no! Some
arsehole has my pencil!"
I am hoping he didn't lick the tip before he noticed :-)
I have never known the reason for the licking of pencils :-\
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copying_pencil
If you moistened and indelible pencil, the dye would
transfer to the paper.
Indelible pencils were popular with people working
outdoors.
Then Lbszl< B0r< came along and finally made them
obselete.
so .... no sensible reason for ever licking a non indelible pencil ?
In message <108mcah$gvph$1@dont-email.me>, Abandoned Trolley
<that.bloke@microsoft.com> writes
On 26/08/2025 10:39, Julian Macassey wrote:
On Sun, 24 Aug 2025 16:37:41 +0100, Abandoned Trolley
<that.bloke@microsoft.com> wrote:
Explained here:
A vet visits a stable to look at a sick horse, wanting to
take note about the patient, he reches behind his ear and
pulls out a thermometer and exclaims "Oh no! Some
arsehole has my pencil!"
I am hoping he didn't lick the tip before he noticed :-)
I have never known the reason for the licking of pencils :-\
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copying_pencil
If you moistened and indelible pencil, the dye would
transfer to the paper.
Indelible pencils were popular with people working
outdoors.
Then L|iszl|| B|!r|| came along and finally made them
obselete.
so .... no sensible reason for ever licking a non indelible pencil ?
I read it as inedible
B