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BS: Pedants alert!
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Subject: Pedants alert! From: kendall Date: 17 Sep 02 - 04:25 PM 1.What was the name of the Cyclops in the Odyssey? 2.Whose face launched a thousand ships? 3.Name the book that starts, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." 4.Name the book that starts, "Call me Ishmael" 5." " " " Had I wanted to live, I would have died." 6.Name the book that starts, "Sing, oh goddess" 7.Who was the "child of morning" ? 8. Name the book that starts "Marley was dead.." 9.Name the book that starts " Awake for the morning in a bowl of light" 10.And, as a sort of skerzo, (joke in Italian) What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? Bonus question: Name the book that starts, "I live about two miles up the Ebb Tide road, in a house that was built by my grandfather." Anyone who gets all of these, I'll kiss your ass on the quarter deck, and, give you a week to sell tickets! line breaks added by mudelf ;-)
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Wincing Devil Date: 17 Sep 02 - 04:44 PM 1. Polyphemus 2. Helen of Troy 3. Tale of two cities 4. Moby Dick 5. YGIAGAM 6. Iliad 7. Queen Hatshepsut (Pharaoh of Egypt) 8. Christmas Carol 9. The Rubyiat of Omar Kayam starts "Awake for the morning in a bowl of NIGHT". 10. Would that be an African or a European Swallow?
Bonus: YGIAGAM BTW putting a <BR> at the end of each line will format it the way it appears you wanted |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Noreen Date: 17 Sep 02 - 04:59 PM Ah- I sent my answers in a PM so as not to spoil the fun... What's YGIAGAM? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Noreen Date: 17 Sep 02 - 05:02 PM (And why pedants, Kendall?) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Jeri Date: 17 Sep 02 - 05:05 PM Your Guess Is As Good As Mine. Somebody, please invent a "figure out the acronym" quiz! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: MMario Date: 17 Sep 02 - 05:06 PM Your Guess Is As Good As Mine |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Amos Date: 17 Sep 02 - 05:13 PM Dang, Kendall!! That bonus sounds like it should be "Sailing Alone Around the World", but I know it isn't. Tough quiz, except for the easy ones which WD already nailed! :>) A |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: SharonA Date: 17 Sep 02 - 05:13 PM kendall & Wincing D: Re #9: Assuming that you are referring to Edward J. Fitzgerald's First Edition of his English translation, the first line of the first poem reads: "Awake! for Morning in the Bowl of Night" according to this site: http://www.arabiannights.org/rubaiyat/index2.html BTW, Wincing D, it's the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, to be really pedantic! (Likewise, two of the other titles you mention are "A Tale of Two Cities" and "A Christmas Carol"!) :^) SharonA, feeling rather pedantic today |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: MMario Date: 17 Sep 02 - 05:22 PM More roughage would probably help with that Sharon!
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: greg stephens Date: 17 Sep 02 - 05:24 PM Rhe Ebbtide Road quote is odd. It doesnt seem very English or American. Reads like a literal translation from the Swedish or something. Or is`it some sub-Tolkien epic? Sticking my neck out`here, rather, if I get told its Dickens or someone. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Wincing Devil Date: 17 Sep 02 - 06:11 PM How can you mispell a word that is tranlated phonetically from a non-english laguage? For example, the spelling of the leader of Libya's name(s) has been given as: (1) Muammar Qaddafi, No wonder he's schizo! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Murray MacLeod Date: 17 Sep 02 - 07:05 PM Sharon A, well done, couldn't have done better myself. Although I would have tried, had you not. Really, kendall, "Awake for the morning in a bowl of light"???????. Tsk, tsk .... Murray
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Jim Dixon Date: 17 Sep 02 - 07:07 PM If you're talking about the original Omar Khayyam, then there are indeed various ways of transliterating (not translating) his name. But if you're talking about Edward J. Fitzgerald's work in English, then you should stick to the spelling Fitzgerald used. By the way, Fitzgerald took great liberties with his source material, not the least of which was to make it appear to be one long poem, when each of Khayaam's (or Khayyam's) quatrains was meant to stand alone as a separate poem. Rubaiyat (or rubaiyyat, or ruba'iyat) is, I believe, a plural noun in Persian, and the singular rubai (or ruba'i) refers to the verse form Khayyam used, which corresponds to one of Fitzgerald's stanzas. The sequence and apparent connectedness of Fitzgerald's stanzas is Fitzgerald's own contrivance. Here's how Robert Graves and Omar Ali-Shah translated the poem that Fitzgerald used as his first stanza: "While Dawn, Day's herald straddling the whole sky, Offers the drowsy world a toast 'To Wine', The Sun spills early gold on city roofs-- Day's regal Host, replenishing his jug." Notice that there is no command to awake. Is that enough pedantry for ya? There's more where that came from. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Murray MacLeod Date: 17 Sep 02 - 07:25 PM "Awake! for Morning in the Bowl of Night Has flung the Stone that puts the Stars to Flight And Lo! the Hunter of the East has caught The Sultan's Turret in a Noose of Light. Sorry, Jim, no comparison as far as poetic imagery is concerned. Game set and match to FitzGerald. Murray
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: kendall Date: 17 Sep 02 - 07:31 PM hehehe Noreen is closest so far. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Little Hawk Date: 17 Sep 02 - 08:24 PM I've got some questions of my own, Kendall. Who was the comic character who frequently uttered the interjection "DAWK..." ? And what was the name of his partner? And who was the artist who drew it? - LH |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Micca Date: 17 Sep 02 - 09:00 PM Vis a vis Omar, you can just about sing the Fitzgerald translation to the tune of "Hernandos Hideaway".. and diabolical it is for squirreling!!!!! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: kendall Date: 17 Sep 02 - 09:51 PM Never heard of it, LH. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: mack/misophist Date: 17 Sep 02 - 11:39 PM A very nice, very enjoyable quiz. My addendum is: Where did the word quiz come from? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Mark Cohen Date: 18 Sep 02 - 01:04 AM It's an abbreviation for quidelicet, which is Middle Latin for "WTHK". Aloha, Mark |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: polaitaly Date: 18 Sep 02 - 03:49 AM If I can be pedant like everybody else, the spelling of "joke" in Italian is "scherzo".....:>) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: greg stephens Date: 18 Sep 02 - 03:59 AM I think you can be "a pedant" or you can be "pedantic" but you can't really be "pedant".Pedantic, moi? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: polaitaly Date: 18 Sep 02 - 05:18 AM I've tried to be a pedant and I've been immediately pedanticized....or pedantizated ... rightful punishement. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Wolfgang Date: 18 Sep 02 - 05:53 AM 6. It's not the Iliad it is the sequel, the Odyssee (however spelled in English), though the translation of 'ennepe' with 'sing' is a bit free. Wolfgang |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Wolfgang Date: 18 Sep 02 - 05:55 AM Iliad starts (in transliteration): mênin aeide thea Pêlêiadeô Achilêos Wolfgang |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Nigel Parsons Date: 18 Sep 02 - 06:19 AM As the thread is title "BS:Pedants alert!" I tend to question the accuracy of any question. 2, Helen of Troy's face was only said to have launched a thousand ships. It was not a bottle of champagne 3, "It was the best of times, It was the worst of times." The final full stop would need to be a comma if it is a quote from Dickens. The first sentence runs to 85 words before the first full stop! 8, from memory, not having a copy to hand, I believe "A Christmas Carol" Starts "JacobMarley was dead..." 9, After all the comments above, it is clear that "The Rubàiyàt..." does not start with the words quoted. Taking all the above into account, it is quite likely that all the questions are phrased in such a way as to be impossible to answer correctly. Thus there is no chance that any asses will be kissed on the quarterdeck. Nigel
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: greg stephens Date: 18 Sep 02 - 06:28 AM I think that should be "titled" in your first sentence. And I think the Christmas Carol start should be "Jacob Marley was dead" not "JacobMarley was dead". Also, your point 8 should start with a capital F. You've got to sharpen up, Nigel, if you want to be the Pedant of Pedants. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Nigel Parsons Date: 18 Sep 02 - 06:38 AM I will be generous to greg, and not belabour the point that "titled" does not appear in my first sentence, but is his interpretetion, thus no quotation marks are required. And it it considered poor use of English to start a sentence with a conjunction (unless, as in this case, it is being done for litrary effect!). Nigel |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Nigel Parsons Date: 18 Sep 02 - 06:40 AM yes, I spelt literary wrongly! Nigel |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: greg stephens Date: 18 Sep 02 - 06:51 AM I think my use of quotation marks was quite correct in that context. Of course I was not quoting you, but pointing out that you should have used the word "titled". That is standard usage. I would not write "you should have used the word titled". Your comment implies my posting should have read "I think that should be titled in your first sentence" which is ambiguous and plain bad English. The fact that they are called "quotation marks" does not mean they necessarily have to be used for "quotations" that have been said in the past. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Nigel Parsons Date: 18 Sep 02 - 06:58 AM I didn't mean to imply that you should have written "I think that should be titled in your first sentence". The ambiguity would be obvious. To avoid ambiguity, and use correct English, would require the sentence to be re-worded. Your final sentence contains three surplus words at its end. you can't have "quotations" that have been said at any time other than "in the past". Also quotation marks should be used for quotations. I believe you wanted to say they should not be used only for quotations. CHEERS Nigel |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: greg stephens Date: 18 Sep 02 - 07:02 AM On the contrary, my reference to the past was deliberate and specific. I might, for example, say "Bollocks,Nigel" in a minute, but I haven't said it yet. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Nigel Parsons Date: 18 Sep 02 - 07:05 AM I was pointing out that by using "that have been said" already signposts the quotation as "in the past" Nigel |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: greg stephens Date: 18 Sep 02 - 07:14 AM Bollocks, Nigel. You will notice I have not put this in quotation marks, because I am saying it now in the form ofa letter. Though of course it could be considered that I am quoting the phrase that I used in a previous post, so I could write "Bollock, Nigel" quite legitimately. A pedant, however, might say that as I actually wrote "Bollocks, Nigel" (with quotation marks) in the previous post, I should actually write '"Bollocks, Nigel"' now. Or strictly, of course, "'" Bollocks, Nigel"'". |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Bullfrog Jones Date: 18 Sep 02 - 08:42 AM Nurse, quickly -- bring the pedantidote! BJ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Declan Date: 18 Sep 02 - 09:10 AM Just to be pedantic I thought it was correctly spelt "ballocks" although around here its usually "bollix" and is used to describe a person. And I've always heard that the word Quiz derived from inquisition and that it was first used in a Dublin Theatre - but that might be just a load of old nonsense. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Amos Date: 18 Sep 02 - 09:15 AM Well, they are certainly being pedants, so they've got 50% anyway. With pedants like these, who needs a king? A |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: HuwG Date: 18 Sep 02 - 09:18 AM Your Majesty, the Pedants are revolting !!! I think, LittleHawk, you may be referring to "Festers and Carbuncle", though I forget who drew them, and since it seems a long way from the present thread with its pedagogical debate on the correct way to punctuate gonads, I may well be wrong. Re: Helen of Troy; it was once said that actress Glenda Jackson (who played the main role in the series, "Elizabeth R"), had a "face which could launch a thousand dredgers". This is an unfair comment to her acting ability, and the concept of feminine beauty as a whole. Re: A Christmas Carol; something I once extemporised, to the tune of "Old Maid in the Garret":
If I make a noise like a frog |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: SharonA Date: 18 Sep 02 - 09:59 AM ROFLMAO, Greg and Nigel! Great thread!! BTW, Nigel, the line is "Marley was dead: to begin with." (Please note the colon after the word "dead", since we're being pedantic about punctuation!) That is the first line of the first chapter, or "stave", of "A Christmas Carol". That is NOT how the book STARTS, though, because Dickens wrote a preface to the work. To be pedantic as hell, the quiz question should have read: "Name the book that starts, 'I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, ...' " (from this site: http://www.literature.org/authors/dickens-charles/christmas-carol/) I suppose we could take issue with the phrase "the book that starts", also! Boy, I love being pedantic!! :^) As to the Rubaiyat, I was careful to specify the first edition of Fitzgerald's translation because there are multiple editions with differing translations (one site I've found says there were four editions; another says five). He wrote three different interpretations of the line we've been discussing; only the first edition begins with "Awake! for Morning in the Bowl of Night"! Here's a side-by-side comparison of editions 1 through 4: http://www.fitzgeraldsrubaiyat.com/first.html See this page for an explanation of the color-coding system used at the above link: http://www.fitzgeraldsrubaiyat.com/ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: dick greenhaus Date: 18 Sep 02 - 10:15 AM Not totally adrift, I recall a definition of a unit called the milihelen--the amount of beauty required to launch one ship (see question 2) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: greg stephens Date: 18 Sep 02 - 10:20 AM Should be spelt millihelen, I think you'll find,Dick. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: SharonA Date: 18 Sep 02 - 10:22 AM ...or should it be spelled millihelen? *G* |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Amos Date: 18 Sep 02 - 10:25 AM So a nanohelen would be the amount of beauty necessary to launch a rowboat. And our posts here usually rate in picohelens? Man...THAT is a useful concept! A |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: SharonA Date: 18 Sep 02 - 10:30 AM Picohelen, any helen... Now put her back in the deck! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Maurice Mann Date: 18 Sep 02 - 10:40 AM I'm still trying to work out why we are/are not kissing donkeys on the quarterdeck Mo |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: An Pluiméir Ceolmhar Date: 18 Sep 02 - 10:41 AM Lay her back _on_ the deck. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: An Pluiméir Ceolmhar Date: 18 Sep 02 - 10:43 AM ... and give her no quarter. BTW, Shouldn't that be either "Pedant alert" or "Pedants' alert"? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: An Pluiméir Ceolmhar Date: 18 Sep 02 - 10:45 AM "Shouldn't" in my previous post should, of course, read "shouldn't". |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Little Hawk Date: 18 Sep 02 - 10:49 AM HuwG - Well, fairly well done! It's encouraging to see that there is life stirring in this morass of pedantry. The fellow who used to say "Dawk..." or "Da-w-w-w-k!!!" on frequent occasions, usually when confronted with a situation that baffled his tiny mind, was indeed named Karbunkel. His partner, a slightly brighter individual with a very swollen ego, was named Fester Bestertester. The artist was Don Martin. Said comic was quite hilarious, establishing a graphic style all its own, and appeared in Mad Magazine over the years, specially in the 50's and 60's. Nigel and greg, I have enjoyed your titanic match of pedantic egos. I think there may be a place for you at the Twillingsgate Herald. Advance to the wicket, gentlemen, and gird yourselves for action. - LH |
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Subject: RE: BS: Pedants alert! From: Guessed Date: 18 Sep 02 - 10:53 AM Jeri Call me a Pedant but........... a "figure out the acronym" quiz! Is strictly speaking what the trade call a FOTA shoot. **BG** |
