Jump to content

Recommended Posts

and pre order pre book etc etc


david_carnell Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Not to highjack your thread VBC but tautologies

> always bug me:

>

> ATM machine

> PIN number

> new innovation

>

> and my personal poke my own eyes out favourite:

>

> free gift

>

> ....oh and the contradiction that is prefixing

> "unique" with stuff like "very" or "slightly" -

> it's either bloody unique or it's not!!

>

> So anyway....oh yeah I mentioned on another thread

> "to all intensive purposes"

>

> Great thread btw VBC! Welcome to forum addiction

> 101.

I recently had a crisis of confidence when I bought a set of 'alum keys'. I had always called them 'alan keys'. Turns out both are actually correct and that relaying this tedious story was pointless. Just reminded of it by the Duct / Duck tape thing above. I'll get my coat....

the-e-dealer Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Grasp the Nettle V grasp the metal!


So you keep mentioning.


But grasp the nettle is the correct phrase, based on the idea that if you touch a nettle it'll sting you, but if you grasp it tightly it won't. in other words, if you're going to do something potentially unpleasant its better to go for it than do it half heartedly.


'Grasp the mettle' is the usual misunderstanding, but doesn't really make any sense.


I've no idea what 'grasp the metal' is trying to say, any particular type of metal?

Grasping plutonium, gold and mercury would all be rather different things figuratively speaking.


So bravo on a double layered malapropism!!

Mettle/Nettle - ironically, from the origin of 'grasp the nettle'...


Aaron Hill's Works, circa 1750, contains the first example that I can find that advises that a nettle be grasped: "Tender-handed stroke a nettle, And it stings you, for your pains: Grasp it like a man of mettle, And it soft as silk remains."

so it's rhyming slang then ;)


I've never had enough mettle to test it either rahrahrah. THere are about 29 million of them in my garden should i feel the urge though.


Maybe the guy that came up with the theory tried it out on a false nettle and was satisfied http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/woodland/plants/false_nettle.htm


nope apparently that one doesnt live in the uk, probably this then http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtica_dioica_subsp._galeopsifolia

  • 3 months later...

rahrahrah noted "I recently had a crisis of confidence when I bought a set of 'alum keys'. I had always called them 'alan keys'. Turns out both are actually correct and that relaying this tedious story was pointless. Just reminded of it by the Duct / Duck tape thing above. I'll get my coat...."


The term is spelled "Allen keys". They are also called hex keys.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • The tenant's business has already failed. If the landlord doesn't accept it, they can have a vacant property, stand in the queue of creditors, and get paid little or nothing. It's a gamble that the restructuring will work and the tenant will start paying rent again. Commercial properties are often hard to let. 🤷
    • An inquiry will put a huge amount of time and resource into looking at what happened in the past and why it happened and who was responsible and, in a year or two maybe more, a report will be produced and actions may or may not be taken, some of those responsible for bad decisions will already have resigned and moved on.   Given that we now already understand some of the issues that allowed this awful behaviour to continue unchallenged, my concern is less about whether there is an inquiry to examine what happened in the past but about what is being done right now to protect girls and young women from predatory and exploitative men in whatever race or identity they come in. Inquiries examine the past but don't necessarily solve problems and they certainly don't come up with conclusions quickly which is why they can often feel hollow.  I'd rather see perpetrators and those that let the perpetrators act with impunity, actually being prosecuted and an inquiry won't do that.  I suspect that's why some MPs voted against an inquiry. But do feel free to give me examples of inquiries that really made a difference and actually changed things in a timely and effective way.      
    • In recent consultation on further ED CPZ the majority of respondents were against. Fully appreciate you may not live on a road proposed for CPZ. If you are close to that area it is likely you will be affected by parking displacement if the CPZ goes in. I was just curious what James Barber's position on this is? Perhaps he'll come on here and let us know. He was always really good at visiting the forum.
    • huh  angry not at AII i think its  awsome to name n shame them  . as for me being right wing im very proud of it . does that mke yyou mad n get your BIood presure riseing?  sureIy you dont support chiId grooming or do you  ? i mean tommy robinson did teII you This was happening many yeras ago and of course there reaction was the same as yours .IabIed right wing and racist. 
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...