England than in the US. I don't know many guys in the US named Robin.
But I don't think balls is the same situation--they are kinda sorta
related, aren't they? Trunk is more like it.
--- In [email protected], "Robin Eastman"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> Think of every bad pun you've ever heard. From "My uncle, the juggler,
> likes to play with his balls" to "What did the elephant have in his
trunk?"
> I think English might win the confusing multiple definitions
competition.
> You know this, it's just that nothing was coming to mind.
>
> Great, I begin posting today and must come off like a know-it-all.
I think
> I'll go play with my balls now (and due to my gender ambigous name that
> sounds really bad).
>
> On 4/26/06, James <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >
> > Could there possibly be a more perfidious language than English?
> > There are something like 10 vastly different definitions
> > of "flight". It must be easier to learn Cantonese as a foreign
> > language.
> >
> > --- In [email protected], "Ellen"
> > <ellengoodman6@> wrote:
> > >
> > > yeah I know, bad example--I guess I meant if someone said to
> > someone
> > > else, "do you have any trombones at your house?" It isn't
> > immediately
> > > obvious if they mean paper clips or musical instruments. I know,
> > you
> > > can usually figure it out from the context, but still--I don't
> > think
> > > English has too many words spelled and pronounced exactly the same
> > > that mean completely different things. English is so weird that
> > I'm
> > > sure it does, but usually if someone asks me if I have any
> > something
> > > or other with no context they could only be asking for 1 thing.
> > Aha--
> > > here's a situation--you ask your band director if he has any
> > > trombones. You might mean paper clips to hold your music
> > together,
> > > or you might mean the instrument.
> > >
> > > --- In [email protected], "Kate Jones"
> > > <eutrpist@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > --- In [email protected], "Ellen"
> > <ellengoodman6@>
> > > > wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > I recently learned that the French word for paper clip is
> > > trombone,
> > > > > presumably because they look like little trombones. The paper
> > > clip
> > > > > boxes at work are in both French and English, presumably
> > because
> > > the
> > > > > company sells to Canada. The French word for trombone is also
> > > > > trombone, according to all the online translation websites.
> > Can
> > > > anyone
> > > > > tell me if this isn't really as confusing as it sounds, or
> > does
> > > > context
> > > > > take care of it? I can imagine going to a store and asking if
> > > they
> > > > > have any trombones and getting paper clips instead of the
> > musical
> > > > > instrument or vice versa. Must make for some interesting
> > > situations.
> > > > >
> > > > There are words in English like that, too, (although I'm
> > > blanking).
> > > > I'm sure that if you walk into a music store you get a different
> > > > answer than if you walk into an office supply store.
> > > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
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