Ship of Fools: I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition!

Thread: I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition! Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by deano (# 12063) on :

No-one expects the Spanish Inquisition!

Actually everyone did. They were required by law to give 30 days notice of their arrival.

Culled form the QI Big Book of Facts. Thought I would share with you.

Anyone got any similar Quite Interesting religious facts or corrections to General Ignorance?

Posted by leo (# 1458) on :

quote:
Originally posted by deano:
No-one expects the Spanish Inquisition!

Actually everyone did. They were required by law to give 30 days notice of their arrival.

More considerate than OFSTED then.

Posted by no prophet (# 15560) on :

The Roman ghetto, where Jews were required to live was established in 1555 and not demolished until 1888, having been demolished and re-established by a succession of popes. The interesting fact is that it was the last western European ghetto, until the Nazis re-established ghettos elsewhere in western Europe. Makes me wonder why popes and why Rome.

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

The Ancient Etruscans had a habit of burying a cheese-grater with their dead, because it was an Etruscan custom to grate cheese into wine.

Posted by Og, King of Bashan (# 9562) on :

The film "Weekend at Bernie's 2," the sequel to the comedy classic "Weekend at Bernie's" does not take place over a weekend, and does not take place at Bernie's house. Best Wikipedia fact I ever learned.

Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :

I was told, and believed, that household dust was mostly dead human skin. For those who find this gross there is good news, it is untrue, only a small portion is skin. the bad news is there is probably more insect faeces than skin in your dust.

Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :

Contrary to popular belief, the movie Gone With The Wind does not show the burning of Atlanta. What is shown is the Confederates burning their armouries as they flee the city, prior to the Union onslaught.

Posted by Starbug (# 15917) on :

In her youth, Queen Victoria often reported in her diary that she had been 'amused'. In fact she was so amused by Albert that she only gave up sex because her doctor warned her not to have any more children. 'Do you know what that means?' the doctor asked. She replied 'Yes - no more fun in bed.'

Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Starbug:
In her youth, Queen Victoria often reported in her diary that she had been 'amused'. In fact she was so amused by Albert that she only gave up sex because her doctor warned her not to have any more children. 'Do you know what that means?' the doctor asked. She replied 'Yes - no more fun in bed.'

It is true that she reported being amused frequently - but Victoria saw her doctors to try and find a way of *not* having more babies! She was not a fan of pregnancy or babies but her doctors were horrified at her attitude to this. She asked if there was not a way of just having fun in bed but her doctors (whether through ignorance or relying on her ignorance of biology) told her to have sex when ovulating to avoid pregnancy - hence nine children.

Posted by comet (# 10353) on :

arctic ground squirrels' body temperatures drop below freezing (0C) while hibernating. and they come back to normal in the spring. apparently they have a sort of anti-freeze chemical in their blood.

I know this because I worked across the hall from the lab where they spent a lot of time freezing squirrels. They made my research look positively mundane.

(okay, not technically a religion. But then, do we know what parka squirrels worship?)

Posted by Sober Preacher's Kid (# 12699) on :

The British North America Act, 1867 is the Canadian Constitution. It broke up the old United Province of Canada into present-day Ontario and Quebec as part of the Confederation Deal.

Of course, being a divorce the family assets had to be split. Schedule 6 of the BNA Act details this. There were a few items to be negotiated by a commission after Confederation, one of which was the Common School Fund, an investment fund containing revenues from land sales, meant to build schools. Until the final settlement, the Government of Canada was named the custodian of the undivided asset of the Province of Canada and had to pay interest to Ontario and Quebec until the final settlement.

Neither Ontario or Quebec could come to a mutually agreeable solution. Quebec wanted half the fund, Ontario wanted most of it because it came from Ontario land sales. The commission ended in failure. To this day, the Government of Canada pays $100,000 a year each to Ontario and Quebec as interest on the Common School Fund assets.

We were hardly even born and had our first interprovincial squabble over money and fairness.

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

To meet the demand for saintly relics, the Pope of the day would nip down to the catacombs and pray to be inspired as to the identities of those interred. Thus Guided, he would point out the remains of sundry virgins, martyrs and assorted saints until such time as an acolyte would murmur that the quota had been met.

(Full and entertaining detail here )

Posted by Alaric the Goth (# 511) on :

Attila the Hun's name was not his real name. It is a Gothic word, the diminutive of 'atta', which means 'father' so it is 'Little Father' or even 'Dad'! It was probably a nickname given to him by Ostrogoths who were mercenaries in the Hunnish horde, or co-opted into it somewhat unwillingly!

Posted by churchgeek (# 5557) on :

quote:
Originally posted by balaam:
I was told, and believed, that household dust was mostly dead human skin. For those who find this gross there is good news, it is untrue, only a small portion is skin. the bad news is there is probably more insect faeces than skin in your dust.

Well sure, the insects have eaten all the skin, and that's what made them poop. The feces is composed primarily of human skin.

I just made that up, of course, but it could be true... [Two face]

Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :

Re Queen Victoria:

She's also thought to have had severe PMS, and people around her suffered for it. Albert, reportedly, couldn't figure it out--he understood a pregnant woman having mood swings, but couldn't figure out why they'd happen at other times.

Posted by Sandemaniac (# 12829) on :

One of the Velvet Underground was called Maureen. Very rock'n'roll...

AG

Posted by HenryT (# 3722) on :

Ben Franklin did not say that "beer is proof God loves us". He did say that about wine.

Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Golden Key:
Re Queen Victoria:

She's also thought to have had severe PMS, and people around her suffered for it. Albert, reportedly, couldn't figure it out--he understood a pregnant woman having mood swings, but couldn't figure out why they'd happen at other times.

Marijuana was one of her favourite PMS remedies.

Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :

Nero did not fiddle as Rome burned. The violin had not yet been invented. Nor did he likely celebrate the fires. He is purported to have funded a relief effort for those afflicted.
He did, however, blame the Christians to deflect speculation he might have had the fires started.

Posted by Angel Wrestler (# 13673) on :

In seminary, our Old Testament professor posited that the term commonly translated as "wine" is a more generic term meaning "fermented drink." While fermented grapes were, indeed, consumed back in those days, grain was more available to the masses and thus it is likely that some of that "wine" was more closely related to beer.

I've not studied the issue for myself, but his theory seems plausible.

Posted by Timothy the Obscure (# 292) on :

Mice don't actually like cheese. They really prefer grains, seeds, and nuts.

Posted by comet (# 10353) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Timothy the Obscure:
Mice don't actually like cheese. They really prefer grains, seeds, and nuts.

and pure sugar - they'll go after soda syrups in a new york minute.

alas.

also - squirrels are omnivores, not herbivores. they raid nests for eggs and baby birds. but seeds are the main part of their diet.

Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Timothy the Obscure:
Mice don't actually like cheese. They really prefer grains, seeds, and nuts.

They like chocolate too. I haven't tested them for wine, shoes and handbags but I suspect that mice are inherently feminine.

Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :

Given their toilet habits, I would posit they are inherently masculine.

Posted by deano (# 12063) on :

In an attempt to raise the tone!...

Again from the QI book, if you earn more than £14,000 ($22,500 or so), then you are in the worlds RICHEST 4%.

Staggering.

Posted by Hawk (# 14289) on :

There is no word for the place, or piece of equipment you go to in order to evacuate your waste. All the words we use for it are, from one time or another, euphemisms to avoid talking about it directly. Toilet is from the French, referring to one's dressing table. Loo, is French L'eau, 'the water', similar to the English WC for Water Closet. Lavatory is from the latin 'to wash'. There is bathroom, restroom, privy etc. All of which refer to washing, getting ready, being private. There is no polite or official term ever invented to which one can refer directly to one's shitter!

Posted by Traveller (# 1943) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Hawk:
There is no word for the place, or piece of equipment you go to in order to evacuate your waste. All the words we use for it are, from one time or another, euphemisms to avoid talking about it directly. Toilet is from the French, referring to one's dressing table. Loo, is French L'eau, 'the water', similar to the English WC for Water Closet. Lavatory is from the latin 'to wash'. There is bathroom, restroom, privy etc. All of which refer to washing, getting ready, being private. There is no polite or official term ever invented to which one can refer directly to one's shitter!

On a similar theme, Thomas Crapper did not invent the flush toilet, but did a lot to promote its use.

Posted by The Great Gumby (# 10989) on :

quote:
Originally posted by lilBuddha:
Nero did not fiddle as Rome burned. The violin had not yet been invented.

He did, however, play the lyre, flute and most interestingly, the water organ. He loved to perform, whether holding concerts, recitals or racing chariots, and if you were invited to one of his concerts, it would be inadvisable to have prior engagements.

Vespasian once made the mistake of falling asleep during what was probably a particularly tedious musical performance by Nero, and the emperor's deep displeasure is well-documented.

Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :

Hawk wrote:

quote:
There is no word for the place, or piece of equipment you go to in order to evacuate your waste. All the words we use for it are, from one time or another, euphemisms to avoid talking about it directly. Toilet is from the French, referring to one's dressing table. Loo, is French L'eau, 'the water', similar to the English WC for Water Closet. Lavatory is from the latin 'to wash'. There is bathroom, restroom, privy etc. All of which refer to washing, getting ready, being private. There is no polite or official term ever invented to which one can refer directly to one's shitter!

I would have to put forth some heavenly disagreement here.

As far as contemprary North American English goes, the word "toilet" is not a eupehmism; it is understood to mean the device used for evacuating bodily waste. That it is derived from a French word meaning "dressing table" is neither here nor there, because that's not what people are thinking of when they use the word.

Granted, the use of "toilet" might have originally come into fashion as a euphemism, ie. people wanted you to visualize a dressing-table when they said "toilet", the way nowadays people want you to think about washing(as opposed to urinating or defecating) when they use the word "washroom".

[ 14. January 2013, 15:12: Message edited by: Stetson ]

Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :

Somewhat backing up the broad contours of Hawk's original point, it does occur to me that North Americans rarely use "toilet" when referring to the actual purpose of the device. People will say "My toilet is broken" or "I hate cleaning my toilet", but, when expressing the need for bodily evacuation, will say something like "I've got to go to the washroom".

I believe Brits say "I've got to go to the toilet", but over there, "toilet" usually refers to the room, not the device.

Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Stetson:
Somewhat backing up the broad contours of Hawk's original point, it does occur to me that North Americans rarely use "toilet" when referring to the actual purpose of the device. People will say "My toilet is broken" or "I hate cleaning my toilet", but, when expressing the need for bodily evacuation, will say something like "I've got to go to the washroom".

I believe Brits say "I've got to go to the toilet", but over there, "toilet" usually refers to the room, not the device.

Possibly because so many terraced houses in the UK used to have separate toilets and bathrooms?

Posted by the giant cheeseburger (# 10942) on :

In Australia, 'toilet' means both the device and a room or facility primarily existing for the purpose of containing those devices. When faced with the query "excuse me, could you please point me to the toilet/s," the correct response is to give directions to the second door down the passage on the left, not to the location of the toilet device itself within the toilet room.

Sadly, cultural imperialism means that the use of the American euphemism 'bathroom' is now becoming common as well.

Posted by deano (# 12063) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Jade Constable:

quote:
Originally posted by Stetson:
Somewhat backing up the broad contours of Hawk's original point, it does occur to me that North Americans rarely use "toilet" when referring to the actual purpose of the device. People will say "My toilet is broken" or "I hate cleaning my toilet", but, when expressing the need for bodily evacuation, will say something like "I've got to go to the washroom".

I believe Brits say "I've got to go to the toilet", but over there, "toilet" usually refers to the room, not the device.
Possibly because so many terraced houses in the UK used to have separate toilets and bathrooms?

Even to the point where the toilet was outside the house! When I was a child we had an outside toilet, which was no fun in winter!

Posted by georgiaboy (# 11294) on :

quote:
Originally posted by the giant cheeseburger:

Sadly, cultural imperialism means that the use of the American euphemism 'bathroom' is now becoming common as well.

But Dorothy L Sayers has Lord Peter Wimsey (no less) saying 'bathroom' in 'Strong Poison,' unless that was a change for an American edition, which hardly seems likely.

Posted by no prophet (# 15560) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Stetson:
Somewhat backing up the broad contours of Hawk's original point, it does occur to me that North Americans rarely use "toilet" when referring to the actual purpose of the device. People will say "My toilet is broken" or "I hate cleaning my toilet", but, when expressing the need for bodily evacuation, will say something like "I've got to go to the washroom".

I believe Brits say "I've got to go to the toilet", but over there, "toilet" usually refers to the room, not the device.

In the same vein, "seeing a man about a dog" and "hanging a rat" have nothing whatsoever to do with the animals in question. "Having some quiet time" may in fact mean about the same thing when said by maiden aunts born in the 19th century.

Posted by Stercus Tauri (# 16668) on :

Have I been away too long and missed a language shift? Not long ago I casually mentioned that I needed to go to the bog, and my brother in law, a fairly normal Scotsman and not generally known for unnecessarily delicate language, looked surprised. But he would talk about the cludgie in everyday speech.

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

OK folks, we've now had 10 tangential posts about the toilet. Do you think we might get back to providing interesting religious facts or corrections to general knowledge as per the OP, please?

Thanking you in advance
Ariel
Heaven Host

Posted by Lord Jestocost (# 12909) on :

According to the BBC, Jesus's quip about straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel is a pun. In the original Aramaic, gnat is galma and camel is gamla.

Not quite as earth shattering as some of the things we've been learning, but you did ask.

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