Fun English

[Edward]

Dear Yoyo friends,

Since I can't contribute to the group by attending the wonderful sessions I thought I will do the next best thing... share some fun by posting...

Got this fun mail from a co-worker that I believe will put a smile on your face. Enjoy!

* Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the US Treasury.

* Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.

* Coca-Cola was originally green.

* It is impossible to lick your elbow.

* Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All invented by women.

* In the 1400's a law was set forth that a man was not allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb"

* The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

* The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work:
- Alaska

* The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)
- The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%

* The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400

* The average number of people airborne over the US any given hour:
- 61,000

* Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

* The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.

* The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.

* Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
- Spades - King David
- Hearts - Charlemagne
- Clubs -Alexander, the Great
- Diamonds - Julius Caesar

* 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

* If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in
the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

* Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.

* Q. Half ! of all A Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace

* Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession

* Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand

* Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey

* Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day

* In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."

* It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.

* In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down."

It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"

* Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into
the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill,
they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the
phrase inspired by this practice.


Believe it or not, you can read it.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdgnieg.The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to
rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?


~~~~~~~~~~~AND FINALLY~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ok, be honest now, did you try to lick your elbow?

Edward

[David_Liao]

I never tried to do that, but I really made my dog lick my elbow.

[technobabel]

who do you think we are?
contortionists?

[Edward]

Hi guys,

FYI, 75% of the people reading this article will try to lick their elbows... however there is no statistics on how many dogs lick their owner's elbow after reading this article.

Cheers,

Edward

[Kate]

謝謝Edward提供的文章.

在學語言的過程中,
最難的不是單字也不是文法,而是文化.
而傳遞快速且廣泛的email,應是很好的一個資源.

BTW, 好奇的Kate果然是75%的凡人..

[technobabel]

Even without trying, one should realize that elbow licking is anatomically impossible. The problem seems to be the limited articulation of the neck vertebrate + the shortness of human tongue versus the length of the bone humerus.