In praise of ffreak

[MathGirl]

Still think you're cute in every aspect

Yes, that's me. Cute as a %^&(**^%$$#!! button.
MG

 

[raphy]

Re: de profundis

Raff, that's rather profound, been thinking on it awhile. Makes me think of Lear's "Nothing will come of nothing," which gets proven wrong by the fair Cordelia (even though she dies).

I discover myself mostly through others, an amazing aspect of being human and loved.

sincerely, 'dita

Can't claim to have thought that one up myself. Comes from a series of postcards by a rather smart fellow called Ashleigh Brilliant. Back in my college days, we ran a series of his postcards at the college souvenir store. I liked the phrases on them so much that I spent 2 hours one day just typing them all in.

There's some absolute gems:

"If you think communication is all talk, you haven't been listening"

"My mind is free to go anywhere it wants. Its amazing how often it wanders in your direction"

"If you see God, tell him I'm looking for him."

"I have finally made up my mind, but the decision was by no means unanimous."

"Don't ask me what the score is - I'm not even sure what game we're playing."

"You are the answer to several problems I didn't know I had until I met you."

"God made me the way I am, but I try not to take it personally." (this one used to be my sig line for the longest time)

"I can grow old with grace, but I'd rather do it with you."

and my personal favourite:

"The question is not should you or shouldn't you - It is will you or won't you"

Raph, armchair philosophically.

 

[ffreak]

Yes, that's me. Cute as a %^&(**^%$$#!! button.
MG

Wow! I didn't know there was a cuss word with so many doubled-up letters. I'm constantly impressed by the range of your adjectives. Now, is that an inny or an outy button?

Raphy, those are great lines. Ashleigh Brilliant rings a bell, I'll have to go rooting around in my collection little quote books.

-FF' (you can't have an identity crisis until you have an identity)
see what I mean at: Free Sex Change Operation

 

[Guest]

Raff, Mr. Brilliant was a habitue of a cafe I went to in Oakland, near the Berkeley border of coruse. Small planet.

Perdita

 

[oggbashan]

Warning to non-US residents

As can be seen from MG's reaction, the word "cute" has different connotations in the US. In British English it is a compliment. In US English it is almost an insult.

The use of "cute" to describe an US resident lady should be eschewed.

You have been warned.

Dictionarily,

Og

 

[ffreak]

Well why didn't you say that before?

Sorry Maths.

-FF' (svelte - does that work?)

 

[Quasimodem]

. . . Still think you're cute in every aspect. . .

Math is acute in every angle.

 

[raphy]

Raff, Mr. Brilliant was a habitue of a cafe I went to in Oakland, near the Berkeley border of coruse. Small planet.

Perdita

Well, I'll be damned..

Raph, speechless for once.

 

[Guest]

Re: Warning to non-US residents

The use of "cute" to describe an US resident lady should be eschewed.

Dear Ogg, thank you very much. I've been trying to get this across for months. I've told people off who called me cute, I've tried to warn Maths when she neared cuteness.

Some years ago Bob Newhart played a shrink on TV. He had a wise-cracking not-cute female colleague, who when he hired a bimbo type secretary asked him, "So, how do you pay her, Bob? By the cute?"

Perdita

 

[Icingsugar]

Re: Warning to non-US residents

As can be seen from MG's reaction, the word "cute" has different connotations in the US. In British English it is a compliment. In US English it is almost an insult.

The use of "cute" to describe an US resident lady should be eschewed.

You have been warned.

Dictionarily,

Og

So has been my experience, yes. But I can't for the life of me see how such a lovely adjective as Cute could turn into something someone would not want to be.

Therefore, I defend all my more subtle insults with the fact that I'm an illiterate barbarian from the land of moose and reindeer and thus does not know better.

So I stand by my word that I think you all, (MG, 'dita, Lorri, Lou, all the rest of you, no exception), in the best kind of way, are cute as f**k.

/Ice - melting

 

[Guest]

Re: Re: Warning to non-US residents

cute as f**k.

Sugar, that cuteness is OK, it holds a maturity of experience (erotic to boot). Cute alone - no. I think it has to do with a resemblance to kitsch, vacuity, bimbo-mindedness. A woman wants to be lovely, beautiful, gorgeous, etc., but cute is somehow less than, lacking, not quite there.

It's subtle, but women get it.

Perdita

 

[oggbashan]

Re: Re: Warning to non-US residents

Therefore, I defend all my more subtle insults with the fact that I'm an illiterate barbarian from the land of moose and reindeer and thus does not know better.

/Ice - melting

The word has the overtones of blonde jokes. If you insist on using it you may get a reaction as strong as your lady compatriot when she objects to being called by a male name.

I would advise caution, or the moose and reindeer maybe targeted by WMDs.

Og

 

[Icingsugar]

Re: Re: Re: Warning to non-US residents

I would advise caution, or the moose and reindeer maybe targeted by WMDs.

Bah. There are to many of them buggers anyway. But since I'm standing in the midst of them, I'll bite my tounge.

 

[Icingsugar]

Re: Re: Re: Warning to non-US residents

Cute alone - no. I think it has to do with a resemblance to kitsch, vacuity, bimbo-mindedness.

Strange. My inner dictionary have always looked like this on the matter:

Cute = lovely looks, lovely personality
Pretty, however = lovely looks, nothing much between the ears

Oh well, there are other words I guess.

 

[oggbashan]

Icingsugar,

Your definitions are still valid in British English. They are an illustration of the difficulties that variants of English can cause.

We have misunderstandings between English speakers in different parts of this country and even between people from different cultures in the same town.

That is without the differences between meanings between parents and children e.g. "I'll do it soon." in parental talk means in the next hour or so, but in teenager talk means sometime next week especially if it involves tidying a room.

It is always wise to adjust your language to your audience. The ladies in the AH seem to object to the British use of "cute" so my original advice is still valid. Eschew its use.

The more complex and polysyllabic your posts are, the occurence of erroneous comprehension decreases because most of the contributors to the AH have endured academic English which has little relevance to the construction of erotic phantasmagoria.

Og

 

[Guest]

Cute is fine by me, I see it as a compliment; in the way that Ice stated.

However, I *know* I'm in the minority, so I in no way want to encourage the use of the word 'cute' on the AH, for fear of causing offence to our friends on the other side of the Atlantic.

I must just add: my hubby has got a very cute arse.

Lou

 

[Icingsugar]

It is always wise to adjust your language to your audience. The ladies in the AH seem to object to the British use of "cute" so my original advice is still valid. Eschew its use.

I will. Still, one can not keep oneself from wondering, how many other linguistic boobytraps awaits this naive and blue-eyed explorer in the dark corridors of the british/american semantic maze I've unwillingy stumbled in to? I will have to put my faith in the good hearts of the noble AH residents to kindly point me in the right direction whenever I'm about to get my legs cut off.

The more complex and polysyllabic your posts are, the occurence of erroneous comprehension decreases because most of the contributors to the AH have endured academic English which has little relevance to the construction of erotic phantasmagoria.

Thank you. I've been waiting for ages for to meet a scolar brave enough to throw in 'phantasmagoria' into their casual writing.

Anyway, it's midnight here. I'm off to do cute things to my cute lady.

 

[champagne1982]

Re: Re: Warning to non-US residents

[...]Therefore, I defend all my more subtle insults with the fact that I'm an illiterate barbarian from the land of moose and reindeer and thus does not know better.
[...]
/Ice - melting

Funny. I thought you were Swedish, not Canadian.

 

[Icingsugar]

Re: Re: Re: Warning to non-US residents

Funny. I thought you were Swedish, not Canadian.

Oh, all right. Elks then.

Whatevah. It's cold, and there are lots of big horny things wandering about.

/Ice - back to the cuteness at hand

 

[ffreak]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Warning to non-US residents

Whatevah. It's cold, and there are lots of big horny things wandering about.

Um, I thought you were referring to wildlife other than yourself.

-FF'

ps. shoulda seen that one coming

pps. can't help it, thanks for the grins.

 

[raphy]

We have misunderstandings between English speakers in different parts of this country and even between people from different cultures in the same town.

As a bona-fide example of this -

"Ah, I forgot your money, I'll give it to you later."

Where I live now, Cheltenham, in the west of England that means exactly what you think it means.

Where I grew up, just one hour west of here - That wouldn't be said. That's not how the Welsh say that. In Wales, you'd say:

"Ah, I haven't got it now, I'll give it to you again."

Give it to you again??

What the fuck is that supposed to mean? You haven't given him the money even once, how can you give it to him again? And why would you want to?

Don't ask me why, or even how the phrase ended up meaning what it means, but if you say that in Wales, it means you'll do whatever it is you're intending on doing later. Not again.

Raph, sighing and shaking his head. Language is such a silly thing, sometimes.

p.s. I think Lou's cute, tho

 

[AmericanWench]

may I say what a wonderful site this is.

ffreak saw my miserable attempt at putting a link to my stories after my name. Without my asking he offered his advice, talked me through it a few times, then did it for me when I failed.

Thank you.

Now all anybody who wants to read my stories has to do is click on the link. The rest is done by magic. I think it must be, for I do not understand it.

ffreak is indeed a good person. Helped me too on a couple of things.

Oh, and I see that the subject matter changes in posts after the initial one, but the statement still holds true