Can you add to the list?

[roid]

DC you may enjoy the german language - full of unnessesarily descriptive names for things.

and what's with this "power goes off = attracting looters" thing.
are bad ppl warded off by fluorescent lighting?
7-11 stores don't have radio-tagged goods with one of those "BEEP BEEP BEEP" scanner alarms you have to walk though to leave the store.
all a power outage does is make the lights go off, the fridges go idle, the automatic store doors don't open/close, and the cash-register can't be used.

[DCrazy]

7-11 does have security cameras. As does Walgreens, which is open 24/7 and sells prescription medications. Wouldn't exactly want people taking advantage of the lack of CCTV to shoot up the store and steal the meds, would we?

BTW, I do like the German language. I live with my grandmother, who speaks it fluently, and I get a kick out of reading the German newspaper to which she subscribes. Even if I only understand one or two words, they're usually the really long, descriptive ones.

I'm just enjoying being as pedantic as the spirit of the email which spawned this thread.

[Dedman]

lol, what have i started

Hey, at least you got him talking about chaulk again. My work here is done

[roid]

ahh yes security cameras. gotcha

[Buef]

Why are there locks on stores that are open 24/7?

Because if the power goes out or the store goes out of business there needs to be some way of protecting the contents.

And I thought they called those 'employees'.

Well there aren't necessarily employees in an out-of-business store. I'm sure the next tenant would not like to lease a building that has been vandalized and otherwise destroyed. Locks also help when you're doing inventory and don't want customers to enter, as all stores do at least once a year -- even ones that are normally open 24/7.

An out-of-business store is open 24/7?
Arent employees doing inventory?

Why isn't your dental cleaning device called a teethbrush?

For the same reason you don't see a 100% Brushless Cars Wash.

But a car wash washes an individual car at a time in procession, hence the singular name....[/quote]
One could make that argument that a toothbrush brushes each individual tooth in procession. "Teethbrush" may imply that it brushes the entire set of teeth at once, which is false.

A more interesting argument would be that since toothbrushes are also intended to clean the gums and tongue (depending on how well-developed your sense of hygiene is ) that a more accurate term for the utensil would be "inside-of-the-mouthbrush". But that just doesn't roll off your freshly brushed tongue now does it? [/quote]

Well, I do have a toungue-scraper, I like mouthbrush though, does seem more fitting.

I'm just enjoying being as pedantic as the spirit of the email which spawned this thread.

heheheh right on.

[[fs]duhq]

I thought the Toothbrush was invented in Alabama, where nobody thought to call it 'teethbrush' seeing as nobody had more than one...

and with the string and the vacuum, I am always very careful to place the string in a strategic position where it will get picked up. If it worked more than 1 in 10, I'd say I had a real system about it.

[Sirius]

Just to join in.

What's another word for thesaurus?
May not be one. It's not the sort of thing that needs synonyms.

What do they use to ship styrofoam?
It's more than likely shipped in metal containers if anything - wouldn't be surprised if it was shipped in a more solid state either. But I don't know the process.

Why is abbreviation such a long word?

Latin ad, to, brevis, short... so essentially it's derived from Latin, given an alternative ending to signify it's a past participle, and ... there you are.

Why does sour cream have an expiration date?
Because sour cream can go off.

Why do they call it a TV set when you only get one?
Same would apply to 'film set'; it's made up of a set of components, probably.

What was the best thing before sliced bread?
Cooked food, perhaps. But when did sliced bread come about anyway?

If a book about failures doesn't sell, is it a success?
No.

What do you do when you see an endangered animal that eats only endangered plants?
Make sure there are enough endangered plants. It can be done, if you're careful.

Would a fly without wings be called a walk?
Doubtful. We don't see too many names of that sort of simplicity for other invertebrates.

Why do steam irons have a permanent press setting?
Because it presses clothes, and the results remain permanently, is my guess...

Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?
So people don't walk in there at night with a sledge hammer and knock everything down, probably.

Should vegetarians eat animal crackers?
Provided it contains no animal products - if they want to, sure...

[Top Gun]

What was the best thing before sliced bread?
Cooked food, perhaps. But when did sliced bread come about anyway?

Dunno, but I can tell you that the sandwich was invented by an earl so that he could eat and play cards at the same time.

[roid]

[Top Gun]

Actually, no (although I did watch Sesame Street ). My grandmother has an old encyclopedia for children called Childcraft; it's not an encyclopedia in the traditional sense, but rather a series of volumes containing poetry, stories, and short snippets about famous scientists and inventors. One of them focused on the Earl of Sandwich and his famous card game. It's been years since I read the story, but this thread just happened to jog my memory.

[roid]