Really TRUE odd factoids
- Thread starter Blue Hills
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My toenails do indeed grow slowly which is just as well. As cutting them is like cutting tin plate.
My finger nails grow fairly rapid and need cutting at least once a week
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Widnes
Mine seem to be getting faster!
which is a pain because al lot of the fingernail are damaged and if they get over a certain length then they split of start flaking off and they have to be trimmed before that or they cause problems
Toenail seem to be getting further away - in spit of my trouser length size staying the same
I mean - I used to be able to bite my toe nails - now I can just reach them!!!
Wombats produce cubic poo.
They're the only animal in the world known to produce feces in cubic shapes. They do this to prevent their droppings from rolling away — since they use poop piles to mark territory on rocks and logs, the cube shape keeps them in place.
They're the only animal in the world known to produce feces in cubic shapes. They do this to prevent their droppings from rolling away — since they use poop piles to mark territory on rocks and logs, the cube shape keeps them in place.
ClichéGuevara
Legendary Member
The word 'feisty' comes from an old English term used to describe a lap dog that ladies carried and blamed when they farted.
glasgowcyclist
Charming but somewhat feckless
- Location
- Scotland
That bit's correct but it's even older than that reference (which dates from early 1800s), and comes from fice which dates back to the 1520s when it was short for fysting curre "stinking cur".
Similar origin for petard (as in hoist by his own petard) which was a small cannon pressed against the wall of a fort to explode and allow entry. It comes from French péter "break wind," from Old French pet: a fart. Originally from the Latin peditum.
Words are fascinating!
Edit: Forgot to add that this is why we say something 'petered out'.
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ClichéGuevara
Legendary Member
That's interesting, as I got the farting dog thing from Rob's Words, and they gave a different etymology for 'pet'. They do some interesting clips, and admit they don't get everything right, and there are sometimes alternative views.
I'm off on google now. EDIT: Different "pet" on the video. I did know the canon bit, but not the fart. As you say, words are fascinating.
I can't start to explain it, but the bit on the video about turtles, tortoises and the timing of each is mind boggling.
View: https://youtu.be/_r2HMeiDhKA
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glasgowcyclist
Charming but somewhat feckless
- Location
- Scotland
I do like Rob's words and follow him on Instagram.
Yeah, pet in that sense is from the Scots Gealic peata. And he should know there are several words in English that have a Gaelic origin: trousers, whisky, slogan, galore, claymore, ptarmigan, shindig, and pillion, to name a few.
ClichéGuevara
Legendary Member
I still struggle with 'penguin' being a Welsh word. It supposedly originally referred to the great Auk and means white head.
Apart from there being none in Wales, neither they nor Penguins have a white head, and surely someone else would have seen them before taffy rocked up?
Speaking of farting......
The French man Joseph Pujol, stage name, Le Petomane had remarkable control of his abdominal muscles such that he could break wind as and when he wanted to.
Using a rubber tube inserted into his anus he could play tunes. Make sounds like cannon, and thunder claps.
He was popular at the Moulin Rouge and performed for Royalty.
The French man Joseph Pujol, stage name, Le Petomane had remarkable control of his abdominal muscles such that he could break wind as and when he wanted to.
Using a rubber tube inserted into his anus he could play tunes. Make sounds like cannon, and thunder claps.
He was popular at the Moulin Rouge and performed for Royalty.
I still struggle with 'penguin' being a Welsh word. It supposedly originally referred to the great Auk and means white head.
Apart from there being none in Wales, neither they nor Penguins have a white head, and surely someone else would have seen them before taffy rocked up?
Also, Penguins are not as big as they used to be.
