BS: Ambiguous Phrasing

Subject: BS: Ambiguous Phrasing
From: Mr Happy
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 09:32 AM

An example appeared on British TV this week.

A programme titled 쳌g Take that come to town쳌h

What did they mean??

Subject: RE: BS: Ambiguous Phrasing
From: TheSnail
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 09:50 AM

Quite a long time ago -

"Joan Collins comes to sedate Chichester."

Subject: RE: BS: Ambiguous Phrasing
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 09:51 AM

Boy band [ girly dance troop really ] visiting local town.

eric

Subject: RE: BS: Ambiguous Phrasing
From: Lox
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 09:52 AM

get that Jizm out of my house ... bring it to town ... (?)

I'll get my coat ...

Subject: RE: BS: Ambiguous Phrasing
From: Gervase
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 09:54 AM

Eric's right - it's the indicative, not the imperative. That would be messy!

Subject: RE: BS: Ambiguous Phrasing
From: Mr Happy
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 10:05 AM

"Oh Ruby, don't take that come to town?"

Subject: RE: BS: Ambiguous Phrasing
From: Amos
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 11:14 AM

Missing italics, quotation marks, or underline.


A

Subject: RE: BS: Ambiguous Phrasing
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 11:18 AM

The jackets worn by the local Fire Department read:

Fire
Pocatello
EMS

in that format.

I told one of them that I was against firing the Pocatello EMS. He never read it that way...


-Rapaire-

Subject: RE: BS: Ambiguous Phrasing
From: Mr Happy
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 11:28 AM

Another just appeared in a thread above:

'Adam Hurt at Roger and Patsy's'

Subject: RE: BS: Ambiguous Phrasing
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 06:35 PM

As Jimmy Carr (UK comedian) pointed out from a Mother's Day poster offering a competition for mothers...


'Enter your mother today'.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Ambiguous Phrasing
From: frogprince
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 08:50 PM

From the immortal Benny Hill: "What is this thing called, Love?"

Subject: RE: BS: Ambiguous Phrasing
From: Micca
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 03:33 AM

I always liked the Irish All Ireland final (Gaelic football I think) when County Down in Northern Ireland made it to the the Final in Croke Park and UK viewers of the live broadcast of the game on TV were treated to many signs being held up that said simply "Up Down"

Subject: RE: BS: Ambiguous Phrasing
From: Mr Happy
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 07:32 AM

Micca

Kind've like the [maybe urban myth] suffragette banner

'Up with skirts & down with trousers!'

Subject: RE: BS: Ambiguous Phrasing
From: kendall
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 07:59 AM

Many years ago some announcer signed off with this Sponnerism: "This is the BBC, the British broadcopping castration."

Subject: RE: BS: Ambiguous Phrasing
From: kendall
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 09:27 AM

What's that in the road...a head?

Subject: RE: BS: Ambiguous Phrasing
From: Acorn4
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 10:05 AM

The, of course there is that classic:-

"The bowler's Holding, the batsman's Willey."

Subject: RE: BS: Ambiguous Phrasing
From: Rowan
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 05:03 PM

The other cricketing ones that amuse are
"He's coming over the wicket."
and
"He's just bowled his first maiden over."


Many years ago, just after Legionella was identified in Oz as a dangerous bacterium to have in your cooling system, someone checked the system in Parliament House, Canberra, and found it there. The newspaper banners the next day read
"Dangerous germ in Parliament".

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: Ambiguous Phrasing
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 05:18 PM

I just got a text about a raffle for a Christmas Humper....

Can't wait, but I bet I don't win.






















I know who sent it and English is not her first language... wonder if she realises... :D

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Ambiguous Phrasing
From: Bainbo
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 06:07 PM

Back in the days when newspaper design was very different, it was the Daily Express (I think) which was said to have had to squeeze a two-line headline, with a byline, across a single-column story.

It read:

Nurse
raped
By our
crime staff