word for that part of the genitalia. Trombone is the formal/official
word for paper clip, as well as trombone. I know, it's all about
context. I guess it just caught me by surprise. And the equivalent
situation probably causes confusion in every language where it
occurs. "I passed the bar today." The legal one or the one in your
neighborhood? Say you are walking down the street with a small
child. You say, "I live in this block." The child is confused--he
doesn't see any blocks, and he doesn't understand how you could live
in one anyway. Aren't blocks those things in his toy chest with
pictures on them? A foreigner once asked me if it is confusing in
English that Turkey the country and turkey the bird were the same
word. I told him it wasn't, but he thought it was funny.
--- In [email protected], "Robin Eastman"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> It's true that most of the Robins I've met are female, but it's
still
> not a name you can assume anything about. In England, I think,
Robin
> is almost always a man's name. Here it can be either.
>
> Actually, though, I think balls and trombone are more similar,
since a
> paperclip is called a trombone because of its shape, not randomly.
> Likewise, balls.
>
> On 4/26/06, Ellen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > I think your name is more gender-ambiguous/neutral in Canada and
> > 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"
> > <eastmro@> 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 <ttlsccr@> 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
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
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