Re: Interesting archeological discovery - Emperor Qin's tomb

From: Alaca (P.Alaca_at_WannaBee)
Date: 01/22/05 

Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2005 10:22:45 +0100

Alan Crozier wrote in news:4mhId.14989$d5.124940@newsb.telia.net,

> "I.E_Johansson" <inger_e.xjohansson@telia.xcom> wrote in message
> news:GlgId.128309$dP1.460197@newsc.telia.net...
>> Alan,
>> it wouldn't be formed same way in American English as in British
>> English - as so many scholars lately noted here and elsewhere the
>> language grammars aren't the same neither is the spelling nor
>> everything else.
>
> Nice try, Inger, but I've already told you that the question *would*
> be formulated in exactly the same way in the whole English-speaking
> world. You are wrong and you're not fooling anyone.
>
> There's a fictitious character called Basil Fawlty, a hotel owner who
> gets into constant trouble because he can't admit to making a
> mistake. So he usually finds an excuse or tells a lie, and one lie
> leads to another. It's very funny.
>
> There's an episode in which he misunderstands the behaviour of a
> group of people in one of the hotel rooms. Basil thinks they are
> engaging in disgusting sexual behaviour and tells them that they
> can't stay in the hotel because all the rooms are taken. His wife
> Sybil explains to him that the guests are all members of one family
> who have come together for a wedding, and that their behaviour is
> perfectly innocent. Basil wonders how he can get out of the
> embarrassing situation. Sybil has a simple answer: "Tell them you
> made a mistake."
>
> This is a totally new idea to Basil, but he can't think of anything
> better and he's in a hurry. As he rushes upstairs he rehearses the
> words, which are evidently unfamiliar to him: "I'm so sorry I made a
> mistake, I'm so sorry I made a mistake, I'm so sorry I made a
> mistake". But when he finally opens the door of the hotel room he has
> found the solution. He announces: "I'm so sorry, but my *wife* has
> made a terrible mistake."
>
> Mr Lloyd agrees: "Yes, I think she probably did."
>
> I don't know what made me remember that episode now.

"Oh I know!"
"I know!" 

-- 
P.A.

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