Pedro

Just to lower the tone of the site: I don't know the true origin of the use of hump for annoyed/frustrated but it might come from the rugby players version of the Eton Boating Song which includes the verse: The sexual life of the camel, Is stranger than any can tell. At the height of the mating season, It tries to bugger the Sphinx. But the Sphinx's posterior orifice, Is blocked by the sands of the Nile, Which accounts for the hump on the camel, And Sphinx's inscrutable smile. Just to confuse matters 'humping' means something else- more associated with releasing frustrations!

I worry that the U.S. electorate will take their turn to stick the finger up at the political elite and the chattering classes and vote for Trump and damn the consequences. Our elites thought they were being clever calling the Brexit Vote, and proved they aren't clever at all. Our electorate put two fingers up to our lot, and the difference in the collective psyche in the U.S. is such that they could find it easier to raise the one! However the global consequences of electing Trump could make Brexit seem a stroll round the garden - not even a walk in the park.

I am relieved to say I got 10/10 for the two British English quizzes. I managed a better than expected 8/10 for US terms after guessing a couple, but how do you get 'jumper' for an apron? My result for 'Strine' was a woeful 5/10. I expected to do better and even the five included a few guesses. Canadian ? a better than expected 7/10 - mainly courtesy of Gee's 'tutorials'.

Des, Thank goodness you have come through your recent horrific experiences relatively unscathed and are able to tell us about it. Thanks to your story, I now understand this must be what happened to our next door neighbour. She was about 80 and suffered from osteoporosis, and about five years ago fell down stairs and had to go for an operation. We visited her in hospital and she was telling us the walls were moving and the decor had been changed while she was asleep (it had apparently been like an Indian restaurant) and the staff were trying to kill her. She wouldn't even let them fetch her water from the cooler. It had to be from the tap where she could see what they were up to. She passed us (illegible) notes to give to her solicitor. We had guessed it was probably the anaesthetic making her even more difficult than usual- even if you agreed with her POV she would still argue with you if she had had a glass or two- but it was extreme even for her. Not being relatives, we couldn't really discuss her case with the staff, but if we had known about the possible side effects of oxycodone we would have said more. She did seem to be coming round after a bit, but died unexpectedly about ten days later after developing some complication. I forget what the complication was but if it involved more opiate painkillers and she had another reaction, I can imagine her body deciding the only way to cope was to shut down. Bruin -About six months before he died, my partner was given Tramadol as a painkiller. He said they made him feel worse than the pain and he kept vomiting after meals. He put them on the fire.

Heel mooi ! Dank U wel, Dude.

I was going to post on this topic until I realised it was going to be a long rambling rant. Suffice to say that I am embarrassed for my country (or what will be left of it when the dust settles) over the whole sorry pass that our political class have brought it to. Somehow the national football (soccer) squad made up of some of the most expensive players in the world losing to Iceland sort of sums it up.

When I read Graeme & Merkin's postings a little bell rang in my head announcing that rare thing: the arrival of a thought. Not being particularly 'sportif' my sample size is necessarily small, but in that limited experience I think that sports changing facilities are almost always open plan , although gender segregated, with one exception - swimming, where modesty cubicles for changing are common. I can't say for sure if this is true for both publicly provided facilities and private ones (hotels etc) but I think so. So if it is not acceptable for swimming, why are open plan change rooms acceptable for other sports? Having said that the Sports Psychologists will no doubt tell us there are good reasons for communal changing, especially for team games. Edwardian educationalists probably also thought them character building.

Cuba's Dancing Triplets : Dude, thanks for finding that and sharing it with us. Hopefully we will see more of them in the future. Good looking kids too. They will be making heads turn in a year or two if not already. So Colin, maybe not "Three is too to many", but 'Three twos are six'. .. .. .. Or if they find triplet partners would that lead to 'Three Cubed Cubans'?

I see the joke now.

Cole, thanks for bringing that analysis to our attention. I don't claim to be a student of politics, but the last paragraph confirms my view that the ability of US politics to make significant progress, in whatever direction, depends on the constructive or obstructionist attitude of Congress towards the President of the day. Unfortunately small minded obstructionism for its own sake is not always identified as such and nor does it always get trounced at the next electoral test.

Hi Colin Thanks for sharing that with us. However, whatever font/colour combination you used disappeared into the AD black ground. All was revealed with 'reader view'(?). I know this is a rendition thing on my iPad. As another example Cole's favourite font is rendered as a spindly italic that is very difficult to read. So, and I address this to all who like to something other than plain vanilla, please post as is your wont. Just don't be surprised if you get some blank looks from your readers on iPads....... Unless I am doing something wrong. Cheers all Oh ! And I had to groan, the joke is probably older than you Col

I was also thinking to myself that traffic on the forums, both here and on other sites I regularly visit, had dropped off , particularly since the turn of the year. We had a discussion about a year back on another matter, in which a comment I made then might still be relevant now:- "There are two other story sites that I regularly visit. One offers no forum for comment at all, and the other has forums for comment and general discussion. Although I watch the forums I am not normally moved to join in. Their discussions do not seem to be as wide ranging and are not as fast moving as AD. I suspect this has something to do with the number of regular contributors, which I estimate to be about five. I think there must be some sort of critical mass of regular contributors to engender lively and hopefully constructive discussion. If something results in the forums becoming bland, contributors will desert and if that critical mass is lost, then the forums will become redundant. " Are we in danger of losing that critical mass, are we contributors too busy with other things, or is it that we are not finding anything we feel is worthy of opening a discussion? Or maybe we have things worthy of discussion but realise that debate needs to be held on a far larger stage to have any effect in the real world? I like the forums here, with the wide range of headings and in those headings, the topics discussed. There is usually someone with something interesting to say. I don't post much myself. Sometime because by the time I have put a cogent argument together someone more eloquent has beaten me to it. Offtimes because I don't have anything worth adding to the debate other than'me too', although 'me too' does have it's place. As an aside: some decry postings wandering off topic. Personally I think it demonstrates that were are (usually) comfortable in each others company, like a group of friends chewing the fat while sharing a meal or a drink. As long as the main topic has substantially run it's course, I don't have a problem, unless I want to find that off topic piece again and can't remember where it was!

I read this a couple of years back and found it all too believable given the rantings and ascendancy of religious extremists of all flavours of religion. Another story, equally powerful and disturbing and released about the same time is Nigel Gordon's 'The Compassionate, The Merciful'. It is set in the real world, not a dystopian future. http://www.awesomedude.com/nigel_gordon/compassionate__the_merciful.htm I found reading the second while whichever I read first was still fresh in my memory enhanced the impact of both. Both well with a read.

I do not claim to be as well informed as others here about the issues, personalities and the mood of the nation as the U.S. heads towards a new President. However here in my little hut in the woods across the Pond I worry that the collective psyche is such that Trump will be elected, and the world will, in the words of the cliche, catch a cold. A very nasty one. I might be wrong but I see a man on an ego-trip, with no real policies other than 'scapegoatism' and serving no.1, a business model that involves serial bankruptcy of the companies he controls, an unwillingness to engage brain before opening mouth and little or no experience in public office. If elected I fear we will come to see McCarthy as a liberal, Nixon as a role model for clean politics , and W as an intellectual with superb command of the English language. Unfortunately the front runner for the Democrats is seen as damaged goods with her long involvement in the Washington bubble. Maybe the only hope is for Trump to upset the women of the U.S. so much that they will put aside any jealousies and other reservations they might have and vote for their sister.

Each fortnightly fixture of this footie fable will be eagerly awaited. Betweentimes I shall have to fire up the telly to watch the AFL.

My one visit to the U.S. was at the time Nixon resigned. Although he had been re-elected with a landslide, nobody we met had voted for him, ie nobody would admit to it. Why do I get this horrible sense of déjà vu when I hear Trump mentioned?

Yup. And the difference of meaning between some words in British and U.S. English is one of the hooks that got me writing my first story.

Bruin I wonder if it is a regional word in Britain, as it has aways been in use in my family as far back as my memory will go. Applied to a group of people and often with derogatory overtones. For example a fecund woman might be talked about: " She's no better than she should be, has a passel of brats and she's not 25." Having said that my parents lived in Exeter during the war (WW2)and there is the possibility they picked it up from GIs stationed in the area, but I don't think so, more likely an old fashioned usage kept going in the family.

Chris R - the panel included Susan Calman from Glasgow with a mild version of that town's accent, Andrew Maxwell from Dublin with a stronger Southern Irish accent and Zoe Lyons whose accent was very mild and I could not place. It turns out she was born in Haverfordwest, the western end of South Wales. Yes, a Close would be a Dead End - we would say a 'No through road' Cole - Mews is older and meant a service road at the back of a row of posh houses to allow access for the horses and carriages to the stables and carriage houses. The grooms and other staff might live in accommodation over the stables etc. While on the subject of British meaning of words : trump 1) (n) a trumpet or the sound of a trumpet, 2) (v)to break wind noisily, fart, (n) fart.

Hi Cole Close as a noun. - (short s) another name for a street or road, particularly a cul-de-sac or single ended street. I suspect the name was dreamt up by 'between the wars' property developers to make their estates sound grander than they were/are. Acacia Close as a name for a road where a story character lived would conjure up a middle class suburb of detached or semi-detached houses, probably tree lined. Unless being used ironically as a pretentious name for a street in a rundown area. - (long s -z sound) finish or end. Hence - bring a meeting or deal to a close. Do either of those fit the context you had in mind? Another meaning but not as a noun, that is probably specific to Brits is - (short s) careful with money, aka tight. Could apply to information as implied in the expression: he kept his cards close to his chest.

The News Quiz is a satirical look at the week's news. Tonight's show made up for a bad day at the office especially the bits about Iowa and the Primaries. Try this link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06z5jmm#play Episode 5 There is about 1 minute of the previous programme before the show starts. The Iowa bit is about 9 mins in. Non Brits are forgiven if they don't get all the quips in the rest of the show. The BBC I player link will cease after 30 days.

Many years ago a former acquaintance alleged he witnessed the following when held at traffic lights. Workman in trench next to waiting traffic starts digging and breaks his shovel. Throwing the pieces in the trench he stomps off with this tirade: "The f...ing f...ers f...ing f...ed, f... It!"

Another delightful tale from Nigel. In a setting to be found in most towns north of the Severn- Trent line and parts of Auz - the working men's club. Establishments not normally recognised as fertile ground for the kind of stories posted here.

Maybe because there is always one who will seek an advantage by not playing by the rules?

Happy New Year to you all. Apologies for being late to the party but I had a little too much 'medicine' last night ...and it was my doctor doing the dispensing. The Lake District and Lancashire have had it bad. About 40 miles west of where I am. We have had some roads flood but nothing we have not seen before. However the land is very wet and if we get more heavy rain the floods will be back quickly and probably worse especially for those down stream. Pity we can't easily ship the excess water to somewhere where it would do some good.