Do I have a..............WHAT ??

grynch · 08-17-2011, 09:12 AM

one of my colleagues.. a french woman, just came in and asked me if I had a rubber stamp... a date stamp we use to formally stamp all new (snail) mail items.

except speaking in English she couldn't remember the English name "rubber stamp" so.. she used the French name... therefore the sentence was..

"do you have a tampon?"

eh????????? errr.. no,

monster · 08-17-2011, 11:52 AM

was it a french letter?

infinite monkey · 08-17-2011, 12:03 PM

grynch, I've told this story before but you're new, so...

My friend and I worked summers when we were home from our colleges, at the local big produce farm. We were working in the market one day and my friend tells me later that this Indian (not Native American) woman with a heavy accent came up to her and said "Where have you bean?" My friend was like "Uh, I've been right here."

"No. Where. Have. You. Bean?"

"I was over there earlier but I've been right here for about 10 minutes." My friend was thoroughly confused at this point.

Until she realized the woman was looking for the green beans, and not asking her where she'd been. With the accent, asking where she'd beeeeeeen would have sounded the same.

Oh it was the funny.

grynch · 08-17-2011, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monster

was it a french letter?

Letter ? ... No it was a colleague in my office speaking to me .

grynch · 08-17-2011, 02:19 PM

Monkey >*LOL*

Spexxvet · 08-17-2011, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grynch

Letter ? ... No it was a colleague in my office speaking to me .

http://www.urbandictionary.com/defin...rench%20letter

monster · 08-17-2011, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grynch

o a date stamp we use to formally stamp all new (snail) mail items.

Quote:

Originally Posted by monster

was it a french letter?

grynch · 08-17-2011, 02:44 PM

Guess I just ain't hip with the current jive

GunMaster357 · 08-18-2011, 05:55 AM

The correct word in French should be "tampon dateur", otherwise it can be understood like you did, even in French.

ZenGum · 08-19-2011, 12:23 AM

What, Frenchies shove them up their date* as well?

* Aussie slang: date = anus

Be very wary if a German offers you a "gift".

Urbane Guerrilla · 08-19-2011, 01:31 AM

Zen speaks of something like "a generous Gift of Zyklon-B." Ist lauter Gift.

Scriveyn · 08-19-2011, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grynch

Guess I just ain't hip with the current jive

Not exactly. It's another of those British English expressions. The etymology is unclear and subject to speculation, but it seems it was in use in about 1856.

Quote:

The OED's earliest quotation is from around 1856.

I seem to recall that a condom in French is a capote Anglaise = English overcoat, which adds further confusion.

from the wordreference forum

08-17-2011, 09:12 AM	#1
grynch the big Cheese Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Switzerland Posts: 390	Do I have a..............WHAT ?? one of my colleagues.. a french woman, just came in and asked me if I had a rubber stamp... a date stamp we use to formally stamp all new (snail) mail items. except speaking in English she couldn't remember the English name "rubber stamp" so.. she used the French name... therefore the sentence was.. "do you have a tampon?" eh????????? errr.. no,

08-17-2011, 11:52 AM	#2
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	was it a french letter? __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

08-18-2011, 05:55 AM	#9
GunMaster357 Professor Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Brest (FRANCE) Posts: 1,837	The correct word in French should be "tampon dateur", otherwise it can be understood like you did, even in French. __________________ "War is God's way of teaching Americans geography." - Ambrose Bierce

08-19-2011, 12:23 AM	#10
ZenGum Doctor Wtf Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Badelaide, Baustralia Posts: 12,861	What, Frenchies shove them up their date* as well? * Aussie slang: date = anus Be very wary if a German offers you a "gift". __________________ Shut up and hug. MoreThanPretty, Nov 5, 2008. Just because I'm nominally polite, does not make me a pussy. Sundae Girl.

08-19-2011, 01:31 AM	#11
Urbane Guerrilla Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Southern California Posts: 6,674	Zen speaks of something like "a generous Gift of Zyklon-B." Ist lauter Gift. __________________ Wanna stop school shootings? End Gun-Free Zones, of course.

08-17-2011, 12:03 PM	#3
infinite monkey Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 13,002	grynch, I've told this story before but you're new, so... My friend and I worked summers when we were home from our colleges, at the local big produce farm. We were working in the market one day and my friend tells me later that this Indian (not Native American) woman with a heavy accent came up to her and said "Where have you bean?" My friend was like "Uh, I've been right here." "No. Where. Have. You. Bean?" "I was over there earlier but I've been right here for about 10 minutes." My friend was thoroughly confused at this point. Until she realized the woman was looking for the green beans, and not asking her where she'd been. With the accent, asking where she'd beeeeeeen would have sounded the same. Oh it was the funny.

08-17-2011, 02:19 PM	#5
grynch the big Cheese Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Switzerland Posts: 390	Monkey >LOL

08-17-2011, 02:44 PM	#8
grynch the big Cheese Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Switzerland Posts: 390	Guess I just ain't hip with the current jive

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