I Don't Get It (translation thread)
 

A thread I expect to resurrect from time to time, when I don't understand a cultural reference from outside the Cellar.
Inside I am quite happy to check with the person posting.

This one is from the quote at the bottom of the page, so it's a bit disembowelled - half-in half-out.
What?
Please.

Apparently, the Coors brewing company had a beer they called Artic Ice. Here's a linky, which includes a photo of the misspelled beer sign. Too funny.

http://www.minyanville.com/businessm.../2007/id/12667

YEAH. it's juss differnt

It's that there poyetic lisen.

Cheers. Raise an Artic to me.
Here, an artic is an articulated lorry, ie a fuck-off long truck.

I'll be back.

Talking of culturally specific idioms: is that usage of 'fuck-off' a Britism, or do you guys use it too?

We're more direct and personal - 'fuck you'. Or more wordy - 'go fuck yourself'.

No, I don't mean do you use it as in telling someone to fuck off. I mean the way Sundae used it : 'a fuck-off long truck'.

'splain that one then, please. Like a 'fucking long truck'?

yes. like that.

Then no. Mostly we say 'fucking long truck'.

Sometimes we might say "longer than fuck-all," though.

"Longer than fuck-all" to me would imply not very long, as fuck-all is not very much. (i.e. "There's fuck all to eat in the house and I'm starrrrrrrrvin'!").
Then again, I am from a nation which says "Not half" to mean "Lots" ....

I'd say this one too, just without the deep Scots brogue. ;) No one ever said the slang usage of fuck made any sense.

Not a translation question, so much as a cultural one.

I was browsing a fluff article online which contained some data from a British phone survey on relationships, as part of a PR campaign for some new movie (a romantic comedy, I'm assuming.) The study claimed that

Is this really true? It stunned me. I realize that "holiday" to a Brit might mean a much less involved thing than a "vacation" to an American, but it does at least include an overnight stay, right? The survey included both married and unmarried couples, no mention of whether they had children, but still... that's a common thing? To routinely spend a weekend somewhere without your significant other?

don't forget that 58% of all stats are also made up on the spot.

Well, my Bro and his family do have a family holiday each year, sometimes two, for about a week at a time. But they also have separate holidays sometimes as well. So, for instance, my SiL and her sister might go away for a week leaving Martin and the girls. Or Jen and the girls might go away and leave Martin to have a bit of peace and quiet for a week:P Very rare that Martin goes away without Jen though. I think that's probably happened maybe three times in the last decade. When they were first married it was more common for Martin to go on holiday without Jen, because he used to do caving/potholing trips.

But yeah, most years Jen will go for a holiday with just her sister/friends/the kids at least once. I don't think it's that uncommon really. In fact, I think Jen and Amelia are going away this year. Just the two of them off to Tunisia I think.

About once a year, my wife will take the kids with her to go see her mom. And gosh darn the luck, I usually am not able to get time off from work, so I stay home alone for a couple nights. I don't know if she would call it a holiday, and I'm still going to work, so it's not really one for me, but there you go.

bizarrely, 58% was the stat I heard on the radio today for the number of divorces in which one partner's use of porn is cited.

Beest goes away for one or two nights by himself to paintball. Does that count?

alright then how about this then...


In the days of the Depression, a family had trapped a few ducks. As they needed some things only money could buy, the father requested his three sons take a duck each and travel around trying to sell them. They agreed and headed off on seperate ways.

The youngest of them knocked on the door of a nearby farm house and a shapely young blonde farm girl answered the door.

"S'cuse me ma'am" said the guy. "I'm wunderin' if y'd be intrested in buyin this here duck frum me". The woman replied "I'd sure like me that plump duck to cook fur our supper, but I aint got no money to spare". "How about a fuck for it?" she asked. The man didn't hesitate and replied "Sure!".

After they'd done the deal, the lonely farm girl said "If'n yer fuck me again - ya can have the duck back".

So he did, and afterwards headed off along the road with the duck still under his arm. Soon a large truck roared past the man which frightened the duck so much that it jumped out of his arms and right under the wheels where it was squashed.

The truck driver stopped and got out to speak with the man who explained that he was out trying to get money for his family by selling the duck. The truck driver felt remorse and offered the guy a dollar for his trouble. The man agreed and headed for home with the money in his pocket.

That evening as they all gathered around the table, the father asked them how they did.

The first son replied "I done good pa, I got me three dollars fur my duck".

The second son replied "I done better 'n him pa, I got five dollars".

Then the third son leaned back in his chair showing a cheeky grin and said "I done better 'n all uf yers, I got a fuck for a duck, a duck for a fuck and a buck for a fucked up duck!".

I need the proper American term for the big chain stores you see in every mall/shopping area across the country. I was using the phrase "high street stores", but after 6 years, someone finally said "that's a bit British, but I know what you mean". I don't want to sound British on this occasion. Someone tell me what to say? I want a term for stores like Gap, Bed bath and beyond, American Eagle, Cabelas, Best Buy, Old Navy, Panera, Starbucks, ToysRUs, Macys, Chipotle..... the small and large chain stores that are everywhere.

tia

but they're not all big box stores. Starbucks... chipotle..... American Eagle....?

Mall Stores?

We have a tendency to distinguish between chains that sell general merchandise (often wholly corporate owned) and chains that sell other goods and services (often privately owned franchises). In common use, the terms "national stores/chain," regional stores/chain," and "local stores/chain" are aptly descriptive where "stores" denotes general merchandise [incl. specialization] while "chain" connotes either general merchandise; or, other goods (e.g. fast food) and services. So, "high street stores" = "national stores and [all other] chains." Otherwise, "mall retailers" works. The term "chain stores" [chain as an adjective rather than a noun] covers stores of any distribution size (national, regional, local) selling general merchandise; although, it is occasionally used to generically mean any chain ... which can be confusing even when in context. :2cents:

Here's my take: in a mall, the anchor stores (such as JC Penney, Sears, Elder Beerman, Macy's) are Department Stores. The smaller stores around the mall are retail stores. The big area where all the food places are is the food court. The little (or big) booths in the middle are kiosks.

Strip malls (all in a line and you walk outside to get to each one) are pretty much the same, without the kiosks.

I consider big box stores to be the Wally Worlds and Targets. Strip malls typically use one of these types as the "anchor" store.

Yes, except that the smaller stores are referred to as "specialty retail" because they usually specialize in a product (shoe store, women's clothing store).

You're not making my life easier. I think I'm going to have to go with just chain stores. But that's usually used as a bad term rather than a good one. ah well

I call them "stores."

♫ Longer trucks are coming to fuck us
They're coming to fuck us, they're coming to fuck us
Longer trucks are coming to fuck us
Hold on to my coors, they'll be picking my ass from the floor ♫

I guess I don't get what a High Street store is. I looked at this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Street, but it doesn't seem to help much.

If it's any ubiquitous store, then I don't think we have a common term for that. Maybe Main Street store would work, but I've never heard anyone use the term.

I tolerate McMall stores, but I regret the homogenization of the US and the world.

"Major retailers" sounds nicer than "chain stores."

Maj. Eaton: We have major retailers working on it now.
Indiana: Who?
Maj. Eaton: Major... Retailers.

I've tried to shop locally for years.
Mostly for financial reasons.
I assume many, many people have decided to throw in their lot with the multiples for the same reason - it's a financially viable way to raise a family.

For example I couldn't shop like Monster because I have no car and buying in bulk is not reasonable for a single person. I can save money by buying small amounts of fresh food, because multipacks would go off and be wasted. Sometimes this means a small piece of a high-end treat, sometimes it just means compromise.

I remember the hours we spent shopping when I was a child, going to each independent shop, and pulling the shopping trolley a mile home. I still do the trip home, but due to lack of choice it's all from a supermarket. And I wish it was larger so we had a better deli/ butcher/ fish counter/ bakery. Instead I hang around the discounted section :)

I pine for the choice of my youth, but I acknowledge it would work out too expensive for me, and impractical financially too. They're still there though. especially on the t'internet. And they deliver.

I have been thinking about making a video of how retailing is changing in the US, because I know it will be a shock to our EUers. The trend is towards HUGE areas of land taken up by multiple HUGE box stores of 50-200,000 square feet each. (here I am addressing the EUers and I can't be bothered to do the metric) In the one being built next around here, it will also contain residential blocks... to which I say, live where you shop, it may be an improvement in some ways, but in other ways things are getting really WEIRD.

Edit: 4645 m^2 to 18581 m^2 (square meters)

We still use square feet in the UK, don't worry, we're bi-lingual.

That's fucking massive.

Uk is "bi"?

bingo. I just used "mall stores" not minutes ago, and saved but I haven't sent it yet. that will do nicely, thanks

They are just stores.

Non chain stores are mom&pop
Largequanity ie sam's club are big box
a store that also sells gas are stop 'n robs

don't call us, we'll call you....

As if I didn't hear that enough

I just have problems in the Cracked.com Photoplasty threads.
I scroll through, saying sulkily "I don't get it. Nope, don't get that one. Oh, get that one but it's not funny" etc.

Some of it is my ignorance of films and games. I will avoid specific Cracked threads, knowing I will won't get them but of course being an online community, references sneak in.

Anyone at all interested in acting as a translator PLEASE step forward.
I won't link to individual pictures (I don't know if I even can) but I can advise you of the contest and which numbers are baffling me.

And just in case anyone is kind enough to help (or rub my nose in being an ignorant furriner!) here are a few starters.

20 Instructional Signs That Must Exist in Movie Universes
#2 - No-one allowed anywhere but one black figure on one side and two white on the other.

Pretty good thread actually. Ease in gradually.

12 Awkward Moments That Must Have Happened
#8 - I get they were married and divorced, but is the setting significant?
#7 - has JH just set himself on fire? Did he set guitars on fire?
#6 - is this just because she saw his cock or am I missing something more sublte?
#5 - do not get

If Everything Got An Adorable Mascot
#9 - Russian Assassin? Is that a well known field?

But dy'know what?
When I revisited some I found I could work them out. Lazy, lazy me.
I guess I don't try too hard when it comes to internet humour...

Can't help you. Maybe they're just not really funny. People who don't visit Teh Cellar can be humor-impaired.

Ever wonder what Doc and Johnny was a-talkin' 'bout?