On my header it does mention ‘The Odd Verbal Ramble.’ Odder than this they don’t come'…..Yet!
Today it is drizzling snow or whatever snow does when it comes in little wet bits. We were out for well over an hour but failed to get the lens cap off.
I’ll resort to a ramble.
Yesterday on Radio Four…. In the UK, Radio Four is top. Radio One is for children, Radio Two is for Daily Mail readers……Radio Four is for those that can understand words of more than two syllables….. I couldn’t hazard a guess who Radio Three is for.
We are in something of a limbo in Britain. The last election was indecisive so we have a ConLib coalition. Yesterday, James Naughtie a presenter on Radio Four…………aptly named……………Introduced our Culture Secretary as Jeremy Queynte. his name is Jeremy Hunt………….It happens. Transposition of the ‘C’ for culture and the ‘H’ for hunt is easily done. Well it is when your name is Naughtie or Spooner.
At least Jeremy Hunt can take encouragement from the fact that it was a mistake. Wherever one goes in this queyntry Cameron our esteemed Prime Minister is regarded as a Stupid Queynte.
Queynte. ……That is how Chaucer spelt it……… but he couldn’t spell anything if his life depended on it….as fourteen year olds reading The Canterbury Tales we made the poor wee teachers life a misery. She was trying to teach us how language and usage evolves but at the same time making us express ourselves using grammar that was forty years in the past……. Please Miss what is a queynte?…..We all got ‘A’s.’
What I find amusing…………….everything as it happens……………is the shock and horror at the use of the word Cunt………. Why is it such a bad word? Women, in my experience hate it but have scant regard for calling me a Plonker.There is no word for the opposite of chauvinist…………Chauvinist, I was always taught meant love of cuntry. I am old. Chauvinist is now anyone who isn't homosexual or feminist. Or disagrees with either
Have fun ………….Sticks and stones will break your bones but words will never hurt you…………..Unless you are guilty.
No pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Adrian.
ReplyDeleteI read about that 'slip of the tongue', (I love a bit of innuendo), and I thought it hilarious.
Some people take life far too seriously.
It's only a word, after all.
I've no doubt the followers of the late Mary Whitehouse will have had great delight complaining to Aunty Beeb. Nothing like the odd Freudian slip (sorry, Spoonerism) to brighten up politics.
ReplyDeleteI was going to try and think up some really clever response (being a Radio 3 listener!) but being the unimaginative bugger that I am I thought I'd just tell you that the leader of our (NZ) Labour Party a few days ago referred not to his current Shadow Finance Minister as intended but called him by the name of a minister in the cabinet 18 years ago and no longer even in Parliament. Now that really is a slip of something other than just the tongue. Mind you our PM, John Key, and David Cameron could be almost interchangeable in many ways and no-one would notice.
ReplyDeleteAnd, like many countries, NZ works with a coalition government all the time. One could argue that it's a lot more democratic than rule by a leader of one party which had the support of a minority of the electorate but a majority of seats in parliament (2005 election Tony Blair was supported by a party with 55% of the seats in Parliament and 35% of the popular vote ie about 23% of the electorate - democracy?)
Funny stuff Adrian. You seem to have lost 50% of your followers.
ReplyDeleteYou're an apprentice at the ramble, Adrian. But you still win prizes for humour.
ReplyDeleteBob, don't even suggest pictures.....go find your own there are specialist sites on the web featuring little else......So I'm told.
ReplyDeleteKeith, it is one of the oldest swear words, odd how the papers try and avoid using it. Odd how I did as well. Yes it is only a word.
John, I would go for Freudian. It is funny. I dread to think of the pressure on Mr Naughtie. Wonder he wasn't tongue tied.
GB, it was only as I was writing this that I realised I had never knowingly listened to Radio three. I will rectify this immediately, or spooner!
Perhaps we should get together and swap leaders from around the world for three months at a time. I suspect few would notice.
Trevor, kept me amused for a while on Monday morning and again on Tuesday. The paper couldn't resist reporting it at length but difficult to write about something without saying what one is writing about.
Still 93 followers but of course in reality only ten......sorry five now.
Pauline, blame the weather if it hadn't been cold, damp and misty then I would have had some photos.
Bob, I misled you you will find a picture under the header on the left....
ReplyDeleteThat is so funny Adrian.
ReplyDelete