Games & Recreation Pointless Trivia

[Cruyff14]

If a borrowed word is not changed, like ‘pizza’ from Italian, it is a loanword. If it is translated, like ‘superman’ from German ‘Übermensch’, it is a calque. ‘Calque’ itself is a loanword (from French) and ‘loanword’ is a calque (from German ‘Lehnwort’).

 

[JackOutback]

Saltwater fish drink water, freshwater fish do not.

 

[Moonwatcher]

If a borrowed word is not changed, like ‘pizza’ from Italian, it is a loanword. If it is translated, like ‘superman’ from German ‘Übermensch’, it is a calque. ‘Calque’ itself is a loanword (from French) and ‘loanword’ is a calque (from German ‘Lehnwort’).

Oh get stuffed, was going to post this one

EDIT: Not to mention, using the same phrasing and grammar too

 

[emuboy]

A rare alignment of the outer planets in the 1970s and 1980s allowed NASA to stage the Voyager missions. Voyager 1 flew to Jupiter and Saturn, while Voyager 2 got to go not only to Jupiter and Saturn like its twin, but also Uranus and Neptune as well. What I didn't know until recently is that Voyager 1 actually had a chance to go to Pluto, but this project was abandoned in favor of the craft studying Jupiter and Saturn's moons in more details. Pluto was therefore not explored until the New Horizons craft went there in the 2000s.

At present, the two Voyager craft have entered interstellar space and are the furthest manmade objects from Earth. They have overtaken the two Pioneer craft (with which contact has long since been lost) and are still speeding away at 67,000 km/hour, continuing to transmit data despite having been in space for over 40 years. I don't know how the craft travel at such amazing speeds, but then I'm not a rocket scientist. It shows just how huge the Solar System is; the Voyagers were launched in 1977 but took 2 years to reach Jupiter, 4 to get to Saturn, 9 to Uranus and 12 to Neptune.

 

[Forward Press]

A rare alignment of the outer planets in the 1970s and 1980s allowed NASA to stage the Voyager missions. Voyager 1 flew to Jupiter and Saturn, while Voyager 2 got to go not only to Jupiter and Saturn like its twin, but also Uranus and Neptune as well. What I didn't know until recently is that Voyager 1 actually had a chance to go to Pluto, but this project was abandoned in favor of the craft studying Jupiter and Saturn's moons in more details. Pluto was therefore not explored until the New Horizons craft went there in the 2000s.

At present, the two Voyager craft have entered interstellar space and are the furthest manmade objects from Earth. They have overtaken the two Pioneer craft (with which contact has long since been lost) and are still speeding away at 67,000 km/hour, continuing to transmit data despite having been in space for over 40 years. I don't know how the craft travel at such amazing speeds, but then I'm not a rocket scientist. It shows just how huge the Solar System is; the Voyagers were launched in 1977 but took 2 years to reach Jupiter, 4 to get to Saturn, 9 to Uranus and 12 to Neptune.

And about 40 years to reach what is considered the real edge of the Solar System - interstellar space. Space is f***ing massive.

The craft travelled at such amazing speeds because of gravitational slingshots.

Gravity assist - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[troybe]

The town of Delta, British Columbia’s post code is V4G 1N4


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Moonwatcher]

The town of Delta, British Columbia’s post code is V4G 1N4


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

It seems to be 'a' postal code in Delta rather than 'the', but this is the greatest thing I have ever read either way.

 

[Rod Stroker]

The town of Delta, British Columbia’s post code is V4G 1N4


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Mofra]

If he had bought a Porche Cayenne that number-plate would have been redundant

 

[emuboy]

Of the five different types of vertebrates only three of them urinate - mammals, amphibians and fish. Birds and reptiles do not urinate.

 

[Cruyff14]

Today is the middle of the year.

 

[Cruyff14]

The walkman also turns 40 today.

 

[Billy ray]

Can something turn 40 if not made/around anymore?

 

[Cuzz09]

Can something turn 40 if not made/around anymore?

Its like saying my grandpa wouldve been 100 etc...

On SM-G925I using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[emuboy]

There is a fruit or a vegetable starting with each letter of the alphabet.

 

[GreyCrow]

There is a fruit or a vegetable starting with each letter of the alphabet.

Apple., banana, carrot, drupe, eggplant, fennel, grape, jalapeno, kale, lemon, mango, onion., pear, quince, radish, strawberry, turnip, watermelon, yam, zucchini

H. I. N. U. V.

And some off the top of my head are dodgy

 

[The old campaigner]

Haitian lime
Indian runner bean
New potato
Ugandan apple
Vanilla bean

 

[emuboy]

Apple, Banana, Carrot, Date, Eggplant, Fig, Grape, Honeydew Melon, Imbe Fruit, Jackfruit, Kiwi Fruit, Lemon, Mango, Nectarine, Orange, Peach, Quince, Radish, Strawberry, Turnip, Ugly, Vegetable Oyster, Watermelon, Xylocarp, Yam, Zucchini.

 

[Forward Press]

There are countries starting with Q and Z, the two highest points value letters in Scrabble, but none starting with W or X and only one with O.

 

[Dav]

I've always found the use of English names for countries to be weird. Why do we translate it? Not sure why we don't use their official name.

 

[akkaps]

I've always found the use of English names for countries to be weird. Why do we translate it? Not sure why we don't use their official name.

Deutschland is going to confuse a lot of people.

 

[Dav]

Deutschland is going to confuse a lot of people.

Well, now it will obviously. But I just don't get why we Anglicise country names. Seems like a very very low-key violation of sovereignty.

 

[Cruyff14]

Well, now it will obviously. But I just don't get why we Anglicise country names. Seems like a very very low-key violation of sovereignty.

You do realise other languages do the same thing?

 

[Dav]

You do realise other languages do the same thing?

Yeah, but English is the lingua franca of the world and the UN.

 

[ioppolo]

Yeah, but English is the lingua franca of the world and the UN.

Well there has to be some common tongue among the world. Latin was as common as English once

You've also got to consider different alphabets. The Arabic alphabet's spelling of Qatar or Yemen has to be translated so us in Australia can read it