Thread: Alternative Alphabets Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.
To visit this thread, use this URL:
http://forum.ship-of-fools.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=70;t=025618
Posted by Sarkycow (# 1012) on
:
We've all seen the 'traditional' alphabets for kids:
A is for Apple
B is for Ball
.
.
.
O is for Oh my gosh how boring
etc.
But how about some more specific alphabets, for builders, or space explorers? What about specific categories, like collective nouns, or types of toy?
Let's write some new alphabets ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
I'll suggest one, and do the first few letters. Each subsequent poster then write one or two more letters, and when we reach Z, someone suggest a new alphabet for us to carry on with.
Posted by Sarkycow (# 1012) on
:
English upper class alphabet
A is for Avocado
B is for Butler
Posted by Marvin the Martian (# 4360) on
:
C is for Chauffeur
D is for Duke
Posted by Gill H (# 68) on
:
E is for Eton.
F is for Fortnum's.
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on
:
G is for Governors-General
H is for Hemophilia
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
I is for Indoor swimming pool
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on
:
J for Jolyon.
K for Knighthood (a rather inferior decoration).
[ 22. May 2013, 19:37: Message edited by: Sioni Sais ]
Posted by Chorister (# 473) on
:
K is for Keys to the Daimler.
L is for Lacrosse.
Posted by AndyB (# 10186) on
:
M is mine, all mine.
N is for no it isn't!
Posted by Aelred of Riveaux (# 12833) on
:
P is Polo Pony
Posted by Charles Had a Splurge on (# 14140) on
:
O is for Oxford,
Where I get my degree.
P is for Pater,
Who funds it you see.
Posted by Inanna (# 538) on
:
Q is for Quail, such fun to shoot
R is for Rugger, so lace up your boots!
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
S is for Servants
Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on
:
"T" is for tally ho!
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on
:
U is for Unctious tones
V is for Victoria, the last TRUE Royal
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
W is for wellingtons, without which no self-respecting toff would venture into the country
X is for XC90, the Volvo in the boot of which they'll be found. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
[ 23. May 2013, 02:02: Message edited by: piglet ]
Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on
:
Y is for Yuppie
Posted by Charles Had a Splurge on (# 14140) on
:
Z is for Zillions
Posted by Chorister (# 473) on
:
Alternative Therapy alphabet
A is for Acupuncture.
Posted by Sarkycow (# 1012) on
:
B is for Bach rescue remedy
Posted by Pooks (# 11425) on
:
C is for Calendula cream.
Posted by Ariston (# 10894) on
:
D for deadly nightshade, to brighten your eyes;
E for echenacea, to help keep you alive.
Posted by St. Gwladys (# 14504) on
:
F is for feverfew for migraines
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
G is for garlic, for colds (and vampires ...)
H is for homoeopathy
Posted by Hedgehog (# 14125) on
:
I is for iontophoresis, an alternative to needles!
Posted by Mamacita (# 3659) on
:
Jungian psychology is said to be the basis for some alternative therapies
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on
:
K is for kava kava- hubba-hubba, wotta buzz!
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
L is for Light therapy, to cure you of SAD
M is for Manuka*, for throats that are bad.
* a sort of honey that works better for colds than ordinary honey
Posted by Mamacita (# 3659) on
:
N is for naprpathy
O is for osteopathy
Posted by Ariston (# 10894) on
:
P is for pennyroyal, to make baby go away;
Q is for qi, breath of the Unspeakable Way
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on
:
R is for Reiki, acupuncture for the squeamish
Posted by AndyB (# 10186) on
:
S is for Zzzzzzzz
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by AndyB:
S is for Zzzzzzzz
No it isn't.
T is for Tantric sex, which I'm sure must be therapeutic in some way or another
Posted by AndyB (# 10186) on
:
Yes it is. Sleep makes you Zzzzzzzzz.
U are for the chop.
... hey, they did say alternative alphabets ![[Biased]](wink.gif)
Posted by Chorister (# 473) on
:
and Ultraviolet light therapy
v is for Vitamin therapy
Posted by Mamacita (# 3659) on
:
W is for Wort, St. John's, which will help the sad get by;
X is for Xanax, which is cheating, but gets us to Y.
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on
:
Y is for yerba santa, the sacred herb (good against headaches, and what's more holy than that?)
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on
:
Z is for Zinc, which is apparently used in some homeopathic remedies.
And now...
Scandals: political, financial, celebrity etc.
(If this proves difficult, you can use a given scandal more than once, eg. N is for Nixon, W is for Watergate.)
A is for Abscam, with make-believe sheikhs.
B is for Barings, bankrupted by geeks.
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on
:
C is for Clinton, William Jefferson and his impeachment for chasing after tail and lying about it under oath
Posted by Chorister (# 473) on
:
D is for drowned man in Michael Barrymore's swimming pool.
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
E is for Enron, which I believe was scandalous, but as I'm neither an economist nor an American, I don't know why. ![[Hot and Hormonal]](icon_redface.gif)
Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on
:
F is for flatulence which stinks up all hearings!
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on
:
G is for gangsta rap feud between East Coast and West Coast. Tupac Shakur and Biggy Small, major players in the battle of song and media taunts, both ended up dead of gunfire.
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on
:
H is for Harry in the hotel room.
(Possibly NSFW)
[ 26. May 2013, 03:28: Message edited by: Stetson ]
Posted by ArachnidinElmet (# 17346) on
:
"I know nothing": a common witness statement.
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on
:
J for J'accuse, Zola's pivotal letter during the Dreyfus Affair.
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on
:
K is for Kardashian, any Kardashian. Just because.
Posted by Sarkycow (# 1012) on
:
L is for Lavender Lists
Posted by Chorister (# 473) on
:
Murdoch, Rupert - phone hacking scandal and other dodgy events.
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on
:
N is for...
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on
:
O is for Origen who became anathema for playing with the ideas of the pre-existence of the soul, animism (a heterodox Christology), and a denial of real and lasting resurrection of the body. Oh, and Universalism. You know your normal, liberal TEC shuffle of a Sunday morning.
Posted by no prophet (# 15560) on
:
P is for Paul, that rather wild and crazy guy from Tarsus, because he pushed the scandalous idea that Jewishness was not required to be Christian. And additionally and much less pleasantly, expressed an ignorant misogyny.
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on
:
Q is for Queen Hatshepsut, female pharaoh extraordinaire. Of course she was scandalous. She wore a fake beard. She slept with her favorite architect. She didn't start wars. Sheesh! ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
Posted by the giant cheeseburger (# 10942) on
:
R is for Rasputin. Infamous for convincing the Archbishop of Imperial Russia that he could control the weather, preaching that young women could cleanse themselves of sin by having sex with him, destroying the Russian monarchy from within, allegedly convincing the Tsar to command the Russian armies from the front so he could do the horizontal tango with the Tsarina and the four Grand Duchesses, being very hard to kill, having such a legendary penis that it had its own Wikipedia article for quite some time, and [most scandalously?] being the subject of a German disco song in the 70's.
[ 27. May 2013, 12:50: Message edited by: the giant cheeseburger ]
Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on
:
S is for Sheridan, the man with the tan.
Who may or may not have had sex whilst on the ran-dan.
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
T is for Teapot Dome Scandal. Something about oil reserves in Wyoming, the White House (Warren G. Harding), collusion between Gov't & Big Business - Teapot Dome
Posted by Chorister (# 473) on
:
Unicorn Meat Scandal (well it makes a change from the usual food scandals....)
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on
:
V is for Vatican Bank. P2, Blackfriars Bridge, the whole sorry sacrilege.
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on
:
W is for Watergate. Natch.
ETA: Pearlie- good call on Teapot Dome!
[ 28. May 2013, 02:20: Message edited by: Lyda*Rose ]
Posted by the giant cheeseburger (# 10942) on
:
X is for X-1, the rocket plane flown by Chuck Yeager which shredded the idea that humans could not travel faster than the sound barrier.
ETA - it could also be for X-Files. which is close enough for people who don't believe Yeager did that with human-developed technology
[ 28. May 2013, 09:10: Message edited by: the giant cheeseburger ]
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on
:
Y is for Yanomamo, who were the subject of a bitter controversy among anthropologists a while back.
Posted by Ariston (# 10894) on
:
Z for the XYZ Affair, and the quasi-war in the air.
Next up: Ecclesiantics takes over the Circus!
A is for altar frontal, so lovely and hanging
Unless made in the '60's, with colors a-clanging
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
B is for Book of Common Prayer (1549 to 1962). Liturgy The Way God Likes It™. ![[Devil]](graemlins/devil.gif)
C is for Cranmer's Matchless Prose (see above)
[ 29. May 2013, 02:39: Message edited by: piglet ]
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
D is for a new deacon who read nervously, then proclaimed: "Here endeth the Gospel"
Posted by Chorister (# 473) on
:
E is for Eagle, often the shape of the Lectern (although our former vicar used to affectionately refer to it as 'The Duck').
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
F is for Frontal, which for the next six months will mostly be green.
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on
:
G is for Gospel which is no longer read from the pulpit in our Piskie shack (as it was in my childhood), but from down in the center aisle, Jesus having come to dwell among his people, you know.
Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on
:
H is for hats, which ladies no longer wear in church, but even if they did should never remove them -- unlike at the theater, where they always should.
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
I is for introit, which the choir sings, a capella from the narthex. Sometimes with fairly good results, sometimes not.
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
J is for jotters in which serious-minded young people note down the golden words falling from their Minister's mouth.
As if.
[ 01. June 2013, 23:25: Message edited by: Baptist Trainfan ]
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
K is for Kyrie eleison, which is sometimes long and complicated (especially if it's by Vaughan Williams and in G) and sometimes not (especially if it's by Wood and in the fridge). If it's by Darke and in F it's really nice.
eta: BT, a Baptist friend of mine said that when she was a student she practised her shorthand by taking down sermons.
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
[ 02. June 2013, 01:24: Message edited by: piglet ]
Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on
:
L is for Lauds, the hour of the Divine Office that is said between Matins and Prime. Remember Prime? No? Tierce? No? Sext? No? Nones? No? Goodness gracious!
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on
:
M is for the Mass. Well, duh.
Posted by Ariston (# 10894) on
:
N is for Nones, the ninth of the hours
Marked by ringing of bells way up in churchtowers
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
O is for Organists.
Preachers beware: they can play louder than you can speak, if riled.
Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on
:
P is for pyx, the little box that Jesus rides in when he's on his way to visit a sick friend.
[ 02. June 2013, 15:51: Message edited by: Amanda B. Reckondwythe ]
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
Q is for Quinquagesima, the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. Choir boys' favorite, though, is Sexagesima.
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
R is for Reredos, Retable and Roodscreen - being Nonconformists, we don't have any of them!
Posted by Chorister (# 473) on
:
S is for Surplice, definitely not surplus to requirements.
Posted by Mamacita (# 3659) on
:
T is for thurible, that smoky thing you swing, and for thurifer, the one who swings it.
Posted by no prophet (# 15560) on
:
U is for unction, of the extreme kind, for which gumption is not really required, but it is required to be kind.
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
[tangent]
quote:
Originally posted by Baptist Trainfan:
O is for Organists ... Preachers beware: they can play louder than you can speak ...
![[Snigger]](graemlins/snigger.gif)
![[Killing me]](graemlins/killingme.gif)
[/tangent OFF]
V is for Vestry, and for the Vestments that live there
Posted by Leorning Cniht (# 17564) on
:
W is for Warden, who's losing his hair.
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on
:
X is for the Chi Rho. Long before there were posh stores where they monogram everything, Christ had a monogram. How about that?
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
Y is for a yellow chasuble, pretending to be gold.
Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on
:
Z is for St. Zita, patron saint of domestic servants.
Twenty-Six Probable (or Improbable) Ways in which God intervenes (or doesn't intervene) in our daily affairs:
A is for Adjuration -- "God told me that he really wants you to do this."
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on
:
B is for blessed. Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth. In very small parcels. Eventually.
Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on
:
C is for Consecration, which applies to priests and nuns, as I understand it. It makes them special and their works special too. See ongoing scandals. Shall we blame God?
Posted by Chorister (# 473) on
:
D is for Dunking the baby in the font, but also for D Docetism and Dove. All of which look at the amount of interplay between body and spirit, to varying degrees.
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on
:
E is for Eucharist, in which God graces Catholic types with his mystical (or even actual) Body and Blood. In more Reformed circles it's called Communion or the Lord's Table; the Last Supper is remembered and everyone enjoys warm fellowship and holy prayers and thoughts. But no holy cannibalism. ![[Angel]](graemlins/angel.gif)
Posted by no prophet (# 15560) on
:
F, The conventional answer would forgiveness, but the situation also appears to be from human perspective forgets us. and foists off on clergy to answer our questions, some of whom are fathers.
Posted by Gwai (# 11076) on
:
G is for ghost as in God sends the Holy Ghost to guide the church.
Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on
:
H is for heretic, a person whom God lets believe nasty things about him.
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
I is for Intinction, which as I understand it, is God's way of stopping you from catching anything nasty when taking Communion.
Posted by Ariston (# 10894) on
:
J is Just Enough Chocolate, the food of the gods...
You know, I'm not even going to try to rhyme that one. Let's meditate on it (and my bar of 85% organic fair trade dark) for a bit.
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on
:
K is for King of the Jews. Not only did Jesus die for our sins, he was mocked, too.
Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on
:
L is for the Law which varies somewhat in interpretation and is sometimes more trouble than it's worth.
Posted by AndyB (# 10186) on
:
M is for My Lunch, which I am about to go and purchase, and give thanks to God for its provision (to keep on topic)
[ 05. June 2013, 11:36: Message edited by: AndyB ]
Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on
:
O is for Organ, God's favorite musical instrument.
Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on
:
C.S.Lewis hated the sound of the organ, but attended church nevertheless.
P is for Piscina. Cleanliness is next to godliness.
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on
:
Q is for the "quick and the dead". And sometimes God has granted me quick thinking on the road in order that I might stay "quick" and not be dead.
Posted by Leorning Cniht (# 17564) on
:
R is for Redemption. And Revelation. And maybe even Reformation.
Posted by AndyB (# 10186) on
:
N is for Not here which probably applies to most of the parish, and certainly applies to Amanda's post on the previous page.
Back on schedule, S is for salvation, sacred, singing, standing, sitting, speaking...
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on
:
T is for the Trinity by which God plays hide-and-seek with us and tangles our poor brains.
[ 05. June 2013, 19:23: Message edited by: Lyda*Rose ]
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
U is for Unconditional Love. Which means that God and my little dog are quite similar.
Posted by churchgeek (# 5557) on
:
V is for Variety. The diversity in God's creation protects us from boredom and enriches our lives.
Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on
:
W is for Westminster Abbey, the hotel God stays in when he's visiting the Queen.
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
Into the Quotes File you go, Miss Amanda!
Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on
:
You're very kind.
So let's move this round on to its conclusion:
X is for Chi Ro, which would be God's avatar if he were a Shipmate.
[ 06. June 2013, 12:52: Message edited by: Amanda B. Reckondwythe ]
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
Y is for You, which is not the correct way to address God.
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
Z is for Zoological Gardens which God gave us through the Divine example of Noah.
Next Alphabet: Speaking of zoo, can you name an animal, bird, reptile, etc., mentioned in The Bible, AND give a brief reference (NO, not chapter & verse, please) ? I'll start with A
A Asp upon whose hole the child may play
Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on
:
B is for Bat, as unclean as the stork, heron or lapwing.
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
C is for Camels of Midian
Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on
:
D is for donkey of Bethlehem
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on
:
D is for Dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan.
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on
:
E is for eagles. Deuteronomy says do NOT eat eagles!
Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on
:
F is for Fishes and Loaves -- need we say more?
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
G is for Goats who will be in the Wrong Place on Judgement Day.
Posted by The Rogue (# 2275) on
:
H is for Heron which, along with the bat, stork and lapwing, will not attract the attention of the Israeli hunters.
Posted by Chorister (# 473) on
:
Ibis - mentioned twice in the Old Testament, and worshipped by the Egyptians.
Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on
:
J is for Juda's Lion who won the fight, according to the St. John Pssion.
[ 08. June 2013, 10:46: Message edited by: jacobsen ]
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
K bring a Kid of the goats- a male without blemish...
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on
:
Lions, lambs, lying down. Or at least that's the popularized version of it.
link
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
M is for Mule, like unto which (along with the horse) be ye not, for they have no understanding (in the Psalms).
Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on
:
N is for Noah's menagerie, which was pretty comprehensive in its day.
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on
:
O is for your neighbor's oxen, which you may not covet any more than you may covet your neighbor's wife.
Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on
:
P is for peacock, arriving by ship
From Tarshish they came on a one-way trip.
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on
:
Q is for quail, which came with manna (but without the complaint the latter generated).
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
R is for the rooster that crowed three times on Maunday Thursday
Posted by ArachnidinElmet (# 17346) on
:
R is for Raven, the first bird to leave the Ark.
Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on
:
S is for Serpent -- and we all know where that one got us!
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
T is for Turtle(dove), whose voice shall be heard in the land (Song of Solomon)
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
U is for Unicorn. As any fule doth knowe, the lovely unicorn is Our Blessed Lady's favorite pet. How anyone could imagine her cuddling a rhinoceros or ox on her lap is beyond me.
Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on
:
V is for Viper, eating the eggs of which will cause death (at least according to Isaiah).
Posted by The Rogue (# 2275) on
:
W is for the Whale which did not swallow Jonah.
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
Yes it did - but it spat him out again.
[devious answer alert]
X is the Roman numeral for 10, the number of plagues, which must have been some sort of wee beastie or other ...
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
Y (with liberties): So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job. . . . blah blah, and a thousand yoke-of-oxen. . That's a lot of beef.
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
Z is for Zebra; if there hadn't been a couple of them in the Ark, there wouldn't be any now, would there?
How about an alphabet for musicians?
A is for Allegro: for a musician it means quite fast, for a motorist it ... doesn't.
Posted by Mamacita (# 3659) on
:
B is for Bass: an instrument, a voice, a clef. Also a fish, but that's for another game.
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
C is for Counter-tenor, a terribly difficult register to sing in.
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
D is for diminuendo: Fade away, fade away . . .fade away all.
Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on
:
E is for Etude, so tricky to play.
Posted by Sarkycow (# 1012) on
:
F is for forte, the decibel level beginners normally excel at
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
G is for glissando, a gentle shimmering cascade of notes (and so especially appropriate for Baptists).
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
H is for harpers harping on their harps.
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
I is for Interval, the distance between notes; or the bit in the opera when the gentlemen of the chorus go down the pub (well they did when our local lot in Orkney did Iolanthe).
Fully dressed as the House of Peers.
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
J is for Janacek, a composer who wrote some pretty darned good stuff including From the House of the Dead, a rather disturbing opera.
Posted by Smudgie (# 2716) on
:
K is for Key signature - a quick glance and a prayer that it won't have too many squiggles in it and be totally impossible to play... especially for the first hymn.
Posted by The Rogue (# 2275) on
:
L is for Led Zeppelin
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
M is for Mendelssohn whose Octet is one of my all time favourite pieces.
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
N is for notes; blobby fat things sitting on the stave, or reminders to pay the milkman.
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
O is for Opera, which I rather like, although I am not a Wagnerian!
Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on
:
P is for Pizzicato, polka and all.
Posted by Kyzyl (# 374) on
:
Q is for quarter note triplets which I can never correctly count.
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
R is for Ritornello, clearly an exotic Italian cordial best consumed chilled on hot days.
Posted by roybart (# 17357) on
:
S is for Solfeggio to help us sing on pitch.
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
T is for Tallis, whose music is sublime, whether in four parts or forty.
Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on
:
U is for Underneath the arches, a popular Chesney and Allen song.
[codefix]
[ 17. June 2013, 07:25: Message edited by: Ariston ]
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
V is for Vertigo, experienced by those "other" Prommers in the upper reaches of the Albert Hall, looking down into the Arena below.
[ 17. June 2013, 07:38: Message edited by: Baptist Trainfan ]
Posted by la vie en rouge (# 10688) on
:
X is for Xylophone, sine qua non of Shostakovich symphonies.
Posted by la vie en rouge (# 10688) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by la vie en rouge:
X is for Xylophone, sine qua non of Shostakovich symphonies.
ETA Bugger! Missed out W - which is of course for W.A. Mozart
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
Y is for Yo-Yo Ma who actually plays the cello on pitch; and gorgeously.
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
Z is for the celebrated composer Ivan Zajc whose opera "Nikola Šubić Zrinski" celebrates Croatia's heroic (but ultimately fruitless) defence against superior Ottoman forces.
Well, he's probably celebrated in Zagreb: and in fact there's a performance there on June 26th.
[ 17. June 2013, 14:20: Message edited by: Baptist Trainfan ]
Posted by Sarkycow (# 1012) on
:
And the new alphabet is?
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
OK. I can't stand it. Name a High School or College course you took, or should have taken. And, how did you do?
A is for Algebra II which I only squeaked through.
Posted by Gwai (# 11076) on
:
Biology
Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on
:
Chemistry in high school; I sat right under the Periodic Table of the elements and one of my lab partners was a cheerleader...
Posted by ArachnidinElmet (# 17346) on
:
Dual Science a form of GCSE wherein you study biology, chemistry and physics separately, take the tests, work out a single grade, and then double it ( I guess to take into account the amount of work you do). No idea if this is still done.
[ 20. June 2013, 22:12: Message edited by: ArachnidinElmet ]
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
English Literature - in my case the Nun's Priest's Tale and Romeo & Juliet with all the expurgated bits in our school editions carefully written back in on our teacher's explicit (in both senses of the word) direction.
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on
:
French A course in the language, calculated to maintain the mistrust between two nations. I failed the exam and, possibly as a consequence, get on fine with the French.
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on
:
Geography, the climate section. Failed it once(largely through my own sloth), then took it again and passed(just barely). Interesting enough, as science requirements go, but I think the only thing I can remember is the phrase "trough of warm air aloft".
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on
:
Tangent...
quote:
Originally posted by Baptist Trainfan:
English Literature - in my case the Nun's Priest's Tale and Romeo & Juliet with all the expurgated bits in our school editions carefully written back in on our teacher's explicit (in both senses of the word) direction.
My Grade 11 English teacher was an old priest who, when we got to a certain passage while reading Macbeth aloud, pulled out a second copy from his desk and said "Here's a part the editors of our edition didn't want you to read". And then when finished, explicated it as "This means a lot of women will want to go to bed with him when he becomes king".
This same teacher also showed us the Polanski film, and during the opening scene made a point of telling us that the actresses playing the witches really were nude.
Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on
:
H is for History, which I hated but now can't get enough of.
Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on
:
I is for IT, which didn't exist when I was at school. I started a distance learning MA course years later in which we were told that we could communicate by letter, phone or e-mail. Unfortunately the graduate assistant who did most of the administration only responded to e-mail, which I didn't then have. Fast forward to a grievance procedure in which the panel found for me. ![[Two face]](graemlins/scot_twoface.gif)
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
J is for Judaism, which we learned very little about in Divinity [posh name in our school for RE] when taught by a rather excessively bigoted Minister even by 1960s standards. But we did learn loads about Judgementalism!
[ 21. June 2013, 06:45: Message edited by: Welease Woderwick ]
Posted by Ariston (# 10894) on
:
K begins Kant, and the Critique of Pure Reason,
And his strict moral law, changing not with the season.
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
Inevitably, L is for Latin. I studied it from the age of 8, and failed O-level twice (the second time more so than he first). It was a complete waste of time for me but my father was very keen on me learning it, as he was a Doctor, and insisted that it would be useful.
All that marching around Gaul, digging ditches and making camp!
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
M is for Mathematics - my favourite and best subject, I loved it!
Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on
:
N is for Noon Recess, the best part of the day.
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on
:
O is for O levels, the downside of the year in which one reaches sixteen. I took nine GCE O level exams and passed seven of them.
Posted by Jane R (# 331) on
:
P is for Phonology... well, I did better in that than I did in phonetics.
[ 21. June 2013, 13:33: Message edited by: Jane R ]
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
R is, of course and in the scheme of things, 'Rithmetic.
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on
:
S is for spelign. My experience at school was that if I wasn't sure, crossed it out and corrected it, I was right in the first place.
Posted by Gwai (# 11076) on
:
T is for Technology Skills
(Where did Q go?)
Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Gwai:
(Where did Q go?)
Q is for Quiz, especially the pop variety.
U is next . . . .
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
U is for Urban Design which would come in handy if I'm ever asked to plan a city.
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on
:
V is for Victorian Prose Of Thought, taught at my Canadian univeristy by a schoolmarmish Mennonite from Pennsylvania.
Carlyle, Newman, Ruskin, Darwin, etc. As was my habit, I mostly skimmed the material in question, but the overall contours of the course had some influence on my political outlook.
[ 21. June 2013, 17:01: Message edited by: Stetson ]
Posted by Ariston (# 10894) on
:
Wittgenstein's next, and his language-games
Passing over in silence the unspeakable things
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on
:
X for (e)Xaminations, upon which too many stress is placed. Many lessons appear designed to put students off the subject, but the reality is that what can be examined is so bloody dull.
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
W is for White, the colour one's P.E. shirt and one's domestic science apron had to be, and also the colour of the "blackboards" in the new school (well, new in 1974, now being replaced ), which made my eyes hurt. ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
Posted by Boadicea Trott (# 9621) on
:
Y is for yelling - several of our teachers could have won Olympic Gold medals for bawling, shouting, screaming and yelling.......
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on
:
Z is for Zoology, otherwise known as the interesting bit of biology.
For your next alphabet we will have
Aeroplane makers
And I'll start the ball rolling with Avro, makers of the Lancaster and Vulcan.
Posted by Sarkycow (# 1012) on
:
Boeing makes the 787 Dreamliner ![[Snore]](graemlins/snore.gif)
![[Yipee]](graemlins/spin.gif)
Posted by Jane R (# 331) on
:
C is for the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company , makers of the JN-4 and several other moderately famous aeroplanes...
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
D is for Dassault the French fighter plane manufacturer.
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
E is for English Electric, makers of the incomparable Lightning, the only all-British supersonic fighter to enter service.
(And the "Deltic" diesel locomotive, although I suspect that was a different part of the company).
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on
:
E is for English Electric, makers of the Canberra light bomber (so good the 'Murcans built it as the B-57).
Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on
:
F is for Flying Cars
Posted by no prophet (# 15560) on
:
G is for Grumman the maker of airplanes like the Albatross, and also of nearly indestructible if not not very heavy canoes.
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
H is for Hawker. creators of the Hart, the Hunter and of course the plane that won the Battle of Britain, the Hurricane.
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on
:
I is for Ilyushin, builders of transport aircraft in recent years.
Posted by Boadicea Trott (# 9621) on
:
I is for Industria Aeronautică Română, makers of the Vultur, Socat and lots of planes with numerical names.
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
J is for Junkers, builders of the Stuka dive-bomber,the versatile Ju88 fighter/bomber, and the splendid corrugated-iron Ju52 Trimotor.
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on
:
K is for Kalinin another Russian plane builder. One wonders if designs like the K-7 bomber persuaded Stalin to arrest the head of the design bureau.
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
L has to be for Lockheed - maker of the Constellation, surely the greatest piston-engine airliner of them all?
Posted by Autenrieth Road (# 10509) on
:
M is for the Glenn L. Martin Company, maker of the B-26 Marauder, latterly Martin Marietta by merger and yet more latterly Lockheed Martin which may put us in an infinite loop back to L if we're not careful.
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
(Quickly then ...) Northrop Aircraft - now merged with Grumman but we won't go there.
Phew!
Posted by Jane R (# 331) on
:
O is for OGMA , or Indústria Aeronáutica de Portugal. If you click on the link you will find out why the acronym begins with an O but the full company name doesn't...
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
Pis for Piper Aircraft, light aircraft makers par excellence. We had a flying school across the road from our school, with Cherokees across our roof every few minutes.
Posted by roybart (# 17357) on
:
Q
There actually seems to have been a company called the QUICKIE AIRCRAFT CORP. , maker of kits for building your own light 1- and 2-seater plane.
[ 26. June 2013, 00:17: Message edited by: roybart ]
Posted by roybart (# 17357) on
:
Q
There actually seems to have been a company called the QUICKIE AIRCRAFT CORP. , maker of kits for building your own light 1- and 2-seater plane.
Posted by Jane R (# 331) on
:
R is for Rolls Royce, makers of aero engines including the famous Merlin (used in the Spitfire and various other WWII aircraft). Also for Charles Stewart Rolls, pioneer aviator.
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on
:
S for Supermarine, makers of the second most beautiful aircraft (see previous post).
(FWIW the most beautiful is this, but YMMV)
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
So where does that leave the good old Constellation? - which has a very similar kind of beauty, I grant you.
T is for Tupolev, maker of the world's first successful jet airliner (after the Comet, before the Carvelle) and also, of course, of "Concordski".
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
U is for the Good Ol' U.S.A., and the U-2 spy plane. The real builder was Lockheed-Martin Skunk Works.
I know this is a cheat, but, hey, if you have a better "U", play it.
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on
:
I reckon tht U is fine, as no one knew who or what the Skunk Works was until Gary Powers was shot down.
V is for Vickers, who could also be considered the builders of the Spitfire as they owned Supermarine, but they produced generation after generation of bombers for the RAF and the Viscount turboprop airliner which even the Americans bought!
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
This one is expired! Sioni, how about starting a new topic - - unless anyone has a W,X,Y or Z.
PB4S
Posted by Jane R (# 331) on
:
W is for Westland Helicopters (anybody remember the big scandal in the 1980s?)
X is for Xian Aircraft Company in China
OK, somebody else can do Y and Z - and I must admit, I cheated and looked on Wikipedia for X.
Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on
:
Y is for Yak, a small warplane made several decades ago.
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
Might we cheat a bit and have Z for the infamous Mitsubishi Zero fighter?
Someone else start the next thread please ...
Posted by Jane R (# 331) on
:
How about operas?
A is for Aida - an opera I would love to perform in, but probably never will because our company could never afford the camels and elephants...
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
The Barber of Seville (I presume definite articles don't count) - so are we in Spain, Italy or even France?
Posted by ArachnidinElmet (# 17346) on
:
Cenerentola or Cinderella to her friends.
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
Dialogues des Carmelites by Poulenc - a cheerful tale of the martyrdom of nuns during the French revolution.
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
Ernani - haven't a clue about it, but I know it exists. It's by that guy Joe Green again.
[ 03. July 2013, 06:51: Message edited by: Baptist Trainfan ]
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
For F we have to have Fidelio, Ludwig Van B's one and only - which I have neither heard nor seen.
Posted by Jane R (# 331) on
:
H is for Les Huguenots by Meyerbeer - not much chance of ever seeing this performed either...
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
Oh dear, we missed G so I give you Prokofiev's The Gambler.
[ 03. July 2013, 11:05: Message edited by: Welease Woderwick ]
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
I is for Iphigénie en Tauride (Iphigenia in Tauris), an opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck
n.b.: There is also Iphigenia in Brooklyn, by P.D.Q. Bach, which is a good deal more entertaining.
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
...and there was me thinking you'd pick Purcell's The Indian Queen
For J I'll go for Dvorak's The Jacobin.
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
Back to Central Europe for Janacek's Katya Kabanova.
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
For L I think out of a multitude of choices I think we'll go for Lady Macbeth of Mtensk by Shostakovich.
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
What about going for her Italian husband, Macbeth himself, to follow?
Or will all this mention of Scottishness do something nasty to our computers?
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on
:
Nabucco, by Verdi. Title character better known as Nebuchadnezzar.
[ 03. July 2013, 15:23: Message edited by: Stetson ]
Posted by Gwai (# 11076) on
:
For O, I suggest L'Orfeo
Posted by Autenrieth Road (# 10509) on
:
For P: Parsifal, by Wagner.
[ 03. July 2013, 16:15: Message edited by: Autenrieth Road ]
Posted by ArachnidinElmet (# 17346) on
:
Parsifal, seeker of the Holy Grail.
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
Q has to be The Queen of Spades by Tchaikowski.
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
R is for the gorgeous Der Rosencavalier
Posted by ArachnidinElmet (# 17346) on
:
apologies for the upthread cross-post. Parsifal in stereo is more than enough for anyone.
Next in the list, S for Samson and Delilah
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
Tannhauser.
Or (if you wish to stay awake) Turandot.
Or, for meditating: Thais.
PLEASE CAN WE HAVE SOME MOZART (can I reserve Z?)
[ 03. July 2013, 21:06: Message edited by: Baptist Trainfan ]
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
For U I think we are pretty much limited to either Hoffmann or Lortzing who both made versions of Undine.
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
(can I reserve Z?) Sure, TF,you can have it, although I can't imagine what you have in mind
For V I submit Vanessa by Samuel Barber. [I did consider "Venus and Adonis" by John Blow, which I think ought to be revived]
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
W just has to be Die Walkure which has the advantage of being a lot more fun than Siegfried! As Rossini is reputed to have said, Wagner has glorious moments and tedious half hours!
Posted by ken (# 2460) on
:
A gift! A veritable gift! It has to be Xerxes, by Handel. Also known as Serse in Eyetalian. Best known for Ombra ma fu AKA "Handel's Largo" which is a love song sung by a Persian emperor to to a tree.
(And Walkure is not more fun than Siegfried!)
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
Only one candidate for Y that I can think of and that is Yolanta by Tchaikowski.
That now leaves the field wide open for Baptist Trainfan...
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
... to jump in with Die Zauberflote by Mozart. Hurrah!
I will forebear to ask us to start a list of Great Locomotive Designers - however what about Inventors and Scientists? Could prove a challenge (you have to say what they invented or discovered) ...
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
I thought you'd choose the Mozart.
For inventors, etc. I'll start with Sir Richard Arkwright, inventor of the spinning or water frame.
Posted by Jane R (# 331) on
:
B eh? It has to be Charles Babbage - inventor of the Difference Engine.
Posted by ElaineC (# 12244) on
:
C for Anders Celsius of temperature scale fame.
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
C has to be Marie Curie, who 'discovered' radium & polonium, and enabled glow-in-the-dark wristwatches.
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
I am tempted to add James Dyson and his cyclone vacuum cleaner, however my D will be John Boyd Dunlop the Scotsman who invented the first practical pneumatic tyre ("tire" if you insist).
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on
:
I seem to recall there was a guy, name beginning with E, who invented a lot of the stuff we use every day. Helped us see in the dark and whatnot.
Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on
:
F is for Fermi, a rocket scientist.
Posted by Jane R (# 331) on
:
G is for Hans Geiger who was very keen on counting...
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on
:
H is for Heisenberg who (ISTM) built the whole edifice of quantum mechanics on his uncertainty principle.
Nice one Werner!
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
Maybe not an inventor in the strictest sense of the word, but there was a lot of inventiveness in the Mini designed by Alec Issigonis.
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
Does James Prescott Joule count as an inventor? He was quite a guy for a brewer! His work on thermodynamics certainly led to enormous advances.
As far as I know Joule did NOT have a friend called Sandy!
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Sir Kevin:
F is for Fermi, a rocket scientist.
Was he? I thought he was the guy who constructed the first nuclear reactor (in a Chicago squash court, no less).
And I wouldn't be too sure about Heisenberg, you know ...
My wife will never forgive me if I don't mention William Thompson, better known as Lord Kelvin, the Scottish mathematician, scientist and engineer and the inventor of Absolutely Nothing.
[ 06. July 2013, 06:16: Message edited by: Baptist Trainfan ]
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
Alexander Lippisch was an aeronautical inventor and designed the Messerschmitt Me 163, a really amazing aircraft.
Posted by Jane R (# 331) on
:
M is for Albert Henry Munsell - inventor of the Munsell colo(u)r system.
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
N - spare a thought for William Nelson who worked for General electric and invented a new form of motorised bicycle, then fell off and died during a test run.
Posted by Jengie Jon (# 273) on
:
O - to keep in the theme of electricity that is running at the moment how about Georg Ohm the man behind Ohm's Law and Ohm's acoustic law (sorry to use tinyurl but both wikipedia entries that do not work otherwise).
Jengie
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
P is for Pythagoras who invented a goblet, or cup which is very tricky. The Trick Cup © Nevit Dilmen
Posted by Jane R (# 331) on
:
Q is for Q - inventor of the amphibious Aston Martin and many other gadgets to get Bond out of a tricky situation.
(are fictional inventors allowed?)
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on
:
P.L. Robertson invented the Robertson screw.
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
Again, more a discoverer than an inventor, Carl Wilhelm Scheele deserves a mention for being the unfortunate chemist who discovered lots of things before the people who got the credit for discovering them did.
Posted by ArachnidinElmet (# 17346) on
:
T is for Nikola Tesla, inventor of tonnes o' electrical stuff amongst other things. An eccentric genius, played by David Bowie in the film of 'The Prestige'.
Glad to arrive here in time for T, I was in 'Tesla' science class for school and have always had a soft spot.
Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on
:
There are some lovely electric cars named after him: I've seen several of the big ones with four doors in this part of the country recently.
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on
:
According to wiki, William E. Upjohn "invented the easily digested friable pill". No clue what that means.
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
Pierre Vernier invented the Vernier Scale which has been aiding designers and engineers ever since.
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
W is for James Watt, who discovered/invented steam power.
Posted by Jane R (# 331) on
:
Y is for Yi Xing - inventor of a clockwork escapement mechanism for celestial globes. A must for any serious astronomer.
(could he count as X too?)
Posted by Sarkycow (# 1012) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Stetson:
According to wiki, William E. Upjohn "invented the easily digested friable pill". No clue what that means.
The fore-runner of standard medical pills today - ones that can be broken by hand, and easily crushed into a powder. It means they dissolve fully in your stomach and give you the total dose of medication. Prior to this medicine was either bitter liquid or came in a hard casing which didn't always break down properly in the stomach.
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on
:
Thanks Sarky.
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
Y is for Gunpei Yokoi who, the intranut assures me, invented the Game Boy.
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
If you ever have a Turpentine Bath be sure to thank the memory of the inventor, one Alexander Zalmanov.
Next, how about Great Rock Albums or have we already that one?
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on
:
Abbey Road by the Beatles
Such a fond farewell. ![[Tear]](graemlins/tear.gif)
(Let It Be doesn't really count.)
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
Baby James Harvest by Barclay James Harvest
Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on
:
It looks like there are no takers for "C" , so I will move on to "D".
Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
It's a shame that Close to the Edge by Yes didn't get a mention.
For E I'll go for Everyone is Everybody Else - Barclay James Harvest, again!
Posted by Jane R (# 331) on
:
F is for Flash Gordon by Queen.
"Flash, I love you - but we only have fourteen hours to save the Earth!"
[ 17. July 2013, 14:05: Message edited by: Jane R ]
Posted by Alaric the Goth (# 511) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Welease Woderwick:
It's a shame that Close to the Edge by Yes didn't get a mention.
Indeed, so for G it's Yes again, 'Going for the One'.
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on
:
Let's have a proper classic rock album with Houses of the Holy by Led Zeppelin.
© Ship of Fools 2016
UBB.classicTM
6.5.0