Discussion Groups / English Usage / December 2007

I'm French and I'm looking for an english translation of a french
expression ("usine a gaz") which is literally a gaz factory but which
means a working device or machine so complicated that it is highly
probable that it crashes very soon and that it is almost a miracle that

I don't know if anyone has made reference to this in aue before now, but I
thought it'd be of some interest:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-l93gltkCc
I'm just now beginning to believe that this is the trailer to an actual movie,

I have an small implement that an expert bootmaker tells me is a
"collice" used in his trade.
Can't find the word in any dictionary - can anyone?

The preamble of the Lazarus^WReform^WLisbon Treaty begins as follows:
       HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF THE BELGIANS,
       THE PRESIDENT OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC,
       [sundry other potentates],

In The Name Of Allaah,
Most Gracious, Most Merciful
                 YOU MUST KNOW THIS MAN
                             MUHAMMAD

Why does bananas mean mad?

Very brief contribution to "More or Less" this afternoon.
(Radio 4, 16.30 to 17:00 -- more likely to be at the end as
it was very much an afterthought to the programme).
Also listenable to, post-broadcast, via the website.

There's something I consider a grammatical (and logical) error that I
keep seeing. In fact, I've seen it so often lately that I've started
to wonder whether it's actually valid, particularly when I have
descriptivist tendencies.

About this poem:
http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/1749.html
Where it says:
"Because the birthday of my life

Justin Blau <http://www.nyu.edu/fas/biology/faculty/blau/index.html>
of New York University is a researcher into the genetics of
circadian rhythms.  He works with fruit flies (genus Drosophila)
and is the author or coauthor of papers, some of which have such

Hi members,
Do you prefer using "A, B, or C", or "A, or B, or C"? Thanks.
Zhicheng Lin

I want to register a resident ID in SecondLife, it's a interesting
virtual environment. However, I have to choose a surname in its drop
list. English is not my first language, and I don't know the
pronunciation of those words, it's difficult to choose a suitable one.

When can I say "feedbacks"?
All the best
Josney

Serially articulated trucks don't yet have a one-word name.  The usual
"18-wheeler" is a semi-trailer truck with just one articulation,
between cab and trailer.  Additional trailers are referred to in
Wiki's article thusly:

Can anyone explain the use of the word "toggle" in this
cartoon strip?
http://images.ucomics.com/comics/db/2007/db071203.gif
(The context is that the guy addressed can't hear the