Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,sci.lang,alt.usage.english
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!bb3.andrew.cmu.edu!newsfeed.pitt.edu!gatech!news.mathworks.com!uunet!in2.uu.net!winternet.com!news.minn.net!network.com!news
From: collim@anubis.network.com (Mike Collins)
Subject: Re: Is '#' a "pound sign" or what?
X-Nntp-Posting-Host: collim.network.com
Message-ID: <DnuJnJ.AFJ@network.com>
Sender: news@network.com
Organization: Network Systems Corporation
X-Newsreader: WinVN 0.93.11
References: <DL4spy.2rD@boss.cs.ohiou.edu> <snopesDLLGuF.CxI@netcom.com> <4gvjh3$478@lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk> <4h12f6$k2p@crl3.crl.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Date: Wed, 6 Mar 1996 12:50:05 GMT
Lines: 20

In article <4h12f6$k2p@crl3.crl.com>, dk@crl.com says...
>The first time I remember a hearing it was from an old man who worked the
>Linotype typesetting machine at a newspaper.  I figured that if he knew
>the name for it, it must be correct, since he dealt with it all the time. 

... but you have to watch out! When I was learning French while living in 
Paris with the young French lady who was to become my wife, I pointed to a 
large earth-moving machine, and asked what it was called. She informed me 
that it was "une amphibie". It sounded so close to "amphibian" that I 
checked her out in the dictionary - it *was* amphibian. When I asked where 
she had learned the term, it turned out that she had seen of one of those 
amphibious army vehicles - a 'duck' - which had been on the beach near to 
her childhood home. When she asked what it was, she was told "une 
amphibie", and had assumed that the name of any huge mechanical device was 
"une amphibie".  Needless to say, it became a huge joke between us and she 
was ragged about it for years after. Amphibie became an all-purpose word 
to us like "thingumajig", "Hoodad", etc.

Mike B-)

