phrases and words not properly understood

[trustysteed]

An hyperbole

People who say 'an hyperbole' when it should be 'a hyperbole'.

 

[Gerry Attrick]

Or BBC reporters describing an attack as inflicting grievious bodily harm.

 

[RyanW]

'Hyperbole', and the shorted form, 'hype' is another word I don't understand the usage of. For a start it's pronounced hyperbolee, not hyperbowl like I heard some reporter say on radio 5 live. An hyperbole is the path taken by a cannonball (ignoring air resistance), so how did it came to mean over-publicising?

I always assumed this was a "fad" a "short lived idea" like a hyperbola something that gets alot of momentum but then dies out. unike a linear idea which just goes and goes. or a normal distribution, where something gets popular slowly, then dies down....

Meh i could go on for days. Flippin' graphs

 

[ChrisKH]

"Free gifts". If it wasn't free it wouldn't be a gift, would it?

"There ain't no such thing as a free lunch."

Trust me on this one, I've had plenty.

 

[phaedrus]

'Hyperbole', and the shorted form, 'hype' is another word I don't understand the usage of. For a start it's pronounced hyperbolee, not hyperbowl like I heard some reporter say on radio 5 live. An hyperbole is the path taken by a cannonball (ignoring air resistance), so how did it came to mean over-publicising?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperbole

 

[Globalti]

Wrong. Squash was invented in commemoration of the very first accidental suicide bomber Haji Abdul Bin Siq Kwash who blew himself up when he lobbed a primitive grenade at Spanish Christian infidels in the wars of the 16th century caliphate. Unfortunately he was sleep walking at the time and the grenade bounced off the bedroom wall and blew up at his feet, killing him.

 

[trustysteed]

Wrong. Squash was invented in commemoration of the very first accidental suicide bomber Haji Abdul Bin Siq Kwash who blew himself up when he lobbed a primitive grenade at Spanish Christian infidels in the wars of the 16th century caliphate. Unfortunately he was sleep walking at the time and the grenade bounced off the bedroom wall and blew up at his feet, killing him.

i think you're blowing that story up out of all proportion!

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

"Well that went down like a lead balloon!"

So, basically, you're telling me that it went down really well.... no?

 

[trustysteed]

are you having a pop at him?

 

[Twenty Inch]

"Dilute to taste"

Why? I can taste it anyway...

 

[4F]

"Wear's their heart on their sleeve" Are they a surgeon ?

 

[4F]

If you Auntie had bollox they would be your uncle ............

 

[661-Pete]

'Hyperbole', and the shorted form, 'hype' is another word I don't understand the usage of. For a start it's pronounced hyperbolee, not hyperbowl like I heard some reporter say on radio 5 live. An hyperbole is the path taken by a cannonball (ignoring air resistance), so how did it came to mean over-publicising?

Two entirely different words, "hyperbole" and "hyperbola". The hyperbole is the over-statement of something. The hyperbola is the curve.

Incidentally a cannonball does not travel in a hyperbola. Or to be more accurate, it's highly unlikely: for a projectile to move in a hyperbolic orbit relative to the Earth it would have to be launched at more than escape velocity (about 40,000 Km/h at the Earth's surface). What you are thinking of is a parabola, or, more accurately (taking into account that the Earth is almost spherical) an ellipse with very high eccentricity, very close to a parabola in form.

Science lesson over.

 

[trustysteed]

"Wear's their heart on their sleeve" Are they a surgeon ?

i don't think you should put lapels on them.

 

[4F]

i don't think you should put lapels on them.

Guffaw