"F**k my Hat, I didn't know that!" Amazing things you've only just found out

[Voltan (Man of Steel)]

Years ago I met a Malaysian Chinese bloke through work. He handed me a business card bearing the name Koo Yoo Fook whilst smilingly introducing himself as Ken Woo. Still puzzled by that one.

[beanheadmcginty]

Did he sell food mixers?

[Voltan (Man of Steel)]

He didn't mention it but he looked the sort.

[studpuppet]

I had a lot of Chinese people on my course and in my halls at university, and they all had English names in addition to their birth names. For the people I knew there was a mixture of people picking names from English language media cos they found them cool, but most of them had been in international schools where they were taught in English and, erm, let's say encouraged rather than forced to pick a Western name.

I had a friend who was a TEFL teacher and inherited a class of kids from a previous teacher who'd given them their 'Western' names. When they were asked to introduce themselves, she discovered they were Grant, Phil, Tiffany, Sharon, Pat, Frank, etc...

In other Western name news:

I work a lot with printers in the Far East, and used to know a guy called David Mak. He moved to another printer and when I met him again he was called Peter Mak - he'd arrived at his new job and his superior said, 'Sorry mate, we've already got a David Mak. You're Peter from now on.'

Oh, and meet lots of Fanny Tangs.

[touchingcloth]

I had a friend who was a TEFL teacher and inherited a class of kids from a previous teacher who'd given them their 'Western' names. When they were asked to introduce themselves, she discovered they were Grant, Phil, Tiffany, Sharon, Pat, Frank, etc...

In other Western name news:

I work a lot with printers in the Far East, and used to know a guy called David Mak. He moved to another printer and when I met him again he was called Peter Mak - he'd arrived at his new job and his superior said, 'Sorry mate, we've already got a David Mak. You're Peter from now on.'

Oh, and meet lots of Fanny Tangs.

Nelson Mandela was given the name Nelson by an English teacher, so it's a bit dodgy and imperialist that we call him that when you think about it. Cancel The Special AKA great big racists.

[pigamus]

He's lucky it wasn't Boadicea

[dissolute ocelot]

Superdrug, Greene King, and 3 mobile are all owned by the same Hongkongese company. Yet do Belhaven pubs have soap in the toilets? Fuck no.

[Jockice]

In my experience (in both bars and tech) it's not entirely unusual for Chinese people to jump the gun and just pick a Western name out the air, "fuck it, just call me Tony".

Yes. I know a Chinese 'Geoff.'

[timebug]

I know a Chinese 'Dave' and an Indian 'Mike'. No idea what Dave may be actually named, but Mike for a brief period,was known as 'Mo' so I guess he has a common enough name, in his religion.

[Mr Banlon]

Years ago I met a Malaysian Chinese bloke through work. He handed me a business card bearing the name Koo Yoo Fook whilst smilingly introducing himself as Ken Woo. Still puzzled by that one.

It wasn't a business card, it was a chinese menu, and he was a werewolf.

[Sonny_Jim]

 'Wake in Fright' and 'Weekend at Bernies' were directed by the same person.

[Jockice]

I know a Chinese 'Dave' and an Indian 'Mike'. No idea what Dave may be actually named, but Mike for a brief period,was known as 'Mo' so I guess he has a common enough name, in his religion.

Just to reverse things I used to vaguely know an Indian bloke called Kuk, For some reason I thought his real name was Tony Cook(e) and people just called him by his surname. So like everyone else I didn't call him Tony. Which was a good job as there was no Tony in his name. He actually had a very lengthy Indian first name and surname. His first name started with Kuk but beyond that I wouldn't have the slightest idea where t go from there.

[kalowski]

I knew an Iranian teacher called Mr Needar, except he wasn't Mr Needar. His name was Needar Amalzadah. The first headteacher he worked for said, "Ooh the kids will never be able to say that, let's call you Mr Needar."

[Huxleys Babkins]

Emma Mackey isn't Margot Robbie, she merely looks exactly like her.

[Norton Canes]

The spikes on a Stegosaur's tail are called a thagomizer - a term adopted from this Gary Larson Far Side cartoon:

[Cuellar]

Emma Mackey isn't Margot Robbie, she merely looks exactly like her.

And neither of them are Jaime Pressly

[famethrowa]

'Wake in Fright' and 'Weekend at Bernies' were directed by the same person.

Now that's a good one!

[Endicott]

The spikes on a Stegosaur's tail are called a thagomizer - a term adopted from this Gary Larson Far Side cartoon:

From the Rule of Three podcast with Moose Allain?

[George White]

Now that's a good one!

And Wake in Fright features didgeridoo and wobbleboard by Rolf Harris.
Considering the film's about how seemingly friendly, loveable, avuncular Aussies are actually the worst people in the world, Rolf's the perfect choice.

[famethrowa]

And Wake in Fright features didgeridoo and wobbleboard by Rolf Harris.
Considering the film's about how seemingly friendly, loveable, avuncular Aussies are actually the worst people in the world, Rolf's the perfect choice.

The Cars That Ate Paris from 1975 is also a good one for exposing that awful murderous savagery underneath the lairy culture. And the fella who directed that went on to make Dead Poets Society and The Truman Show!

[Mr Banlon]

Recently read the 1860 book : A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant & Vulgar Words, Used at the Present Day in the Streets of London.
Surprised to find the term 'Barney' in there. (meaning fight/ruckus/commotion)
I thought it came from rhyming slang 'Barney Rubble=Trouble', but the use of 'Barney' predates The Flintstones by 100 years.

https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofmode00hottiala/mode/2up

[dissolute ocelot]

And Wake in Fright features didgeridoo and wobbleboard by Rolf Harris.
Considering the film's about how seemingly friendly, loveable, avuncular Aussies are actually the worst people in the world, Rolf's the perfect choice.

Wake in Fright director also gave the world First Blood (aka Rambo One).

[touchingcloth]

Gladiator was directed by the same guy who did the Maxwell House adverts.

[famethrowa]

I was surprised back when I found out Brian De Palma did the (fairly bog standard) video for Dancing In The Dark. Or that Sam Peckinpah did Convoy. But why not? They're working filmmakers, just because they made Scarface, Carrie, or Salad Days doesn't mean they don't have to be bloodthirsty maniacs? (Do they??)

[Sebastian Cobb]

Emma Mackey isn't Margot Robbie, she merely looks exactly like her.

Samara Weaving (from the latest Bill and Ted) looks like them too, and is also Australian. All very confusing.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Gladiator was directed by the same guy who did the Maxwell House adverts.

Ken Loach did a McDonalds advert in 1990. It looks like it's been deleted from youtube. He'd had a series of tv films that highlighted union/executive collusion pulled from several tv networks after unions leant on on the broadcasters and was skint "it was either that or we move house".

[touchingcloth]

Ken Loach did a McDonalds advert in 1990. It looks like it's been deleted from youtube. He'd had a series of tv films that highlighted union/executive collusion pulled from several tv networks after unions leant on on the broadcasters and was skint "it was either that or we move house".

The Gladiator people deleted all copies of it to make sure the film seemed as serious as possible.

[gib]

Recently read the 1860 book : A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant & Vulgar Words, Used at the Present Day in the Streets of London.
Surprised to find the term 'Barney' in there. (meaning fight/ruckus/commotion)
I thought it came from rhyming slang 'Barney Rubble=Trouble', but the use of 'Barney' predates The Flintstones by 100 years.

https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofmode00hottiala/mode/2up

really enjoying this. About 40 pages in and we have 'cribs' (houses) and 'fly' (experienced and unlikely to be duped) as well as an interesting section on symbols that tinkers and beggars left near doors to indicate to their 'pals' if it's worth calling there. This reminded me of the hoo-ha a couple of years back about burglars making similar marks on the path outside people's houses.

[touchingcloth]

really enjoying this. About 40 pages in and we have 'cribs' (houses) and 'fly' (experienced and unlikely to be duped) as well as an interesting section on symbols that tinkers and beggars left near doors to indicate to their 'pals' if it's worth calling there. This reminded me of the hoo-ha a couple of years back about burglars making similar marks on the path outside people's houses.

And all the girls say he's pretty experienced and unlikely to be duped for a white guy.

[Paul Calf]

really enjoying this. About 40 pages in and we have 'cribs' (houses) and 'fly' (experienced and unlikely to be duped) as well as an interesting section on symbols that tinkers and beggars left near doors to indicate to their 'pals' if it's worth calling there. This reminded me of the hoo-ha a couple of years back about burglars making similar marks on the path outside people's houses.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warchalking