Belgium?
Michael Guerin
Does anyone else not understand Xander in Dead Man's Party when he asks
Buffy where she went and he says Belgium? Am I missing the joke? Please
explain!
Thanks
Mike
--
Watch Roswell on:
UPN - Season 3 premier - 26th October, 2001!
____________________________________________
The Ultimate Roswell site: http://www.crashdown.com
David Chapman
>
> Does anyone else not understand Xander in Dead Man's Party when he asks
> Buffy where she went and he says Belgium? Am I missing the joke? Please
> explain!
It's a swearword in something-or-another; possibly HHGG.
--
Call it what you will, I call it
Pontiac to Home Girl
Linux Jay
>
> Does anyone else not understand Xander in Dead Man's Party when he asks
> Buffy where she went and he says Belgium? Am I missing the joke? Please
> explain!
>
--
Jay
Disclaimer: The views of my employer do not conform to my views, or to any accepted standard of logic that the Greeks thought up anyway...
Tycho
"David Chapman" <da...@evildeath.madasafish.com> wrote in message
news:9jolbb$qfme$1...@ID-93395.news.dfncis.de...
> "Michael Guerin" <sheriff...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:9jnbh7$3jf$1...@neptunium.btinternet.com...
> >
> > Does anyone else not understand Xander in Dead Man's Party when he asks
> > Buffy where she went and he says Belgium? Am I missing the joke? Please
> > explain!
>
> It's a swearword in something-or-another; possibly HHGG.
>
make sense if Xander had read it.
The British version of the book makes more sense IMHO.
Linux Jay
Tycho
"Linux Jay" <li...@venus.domain> wrote in message
news:6cfpj9...@venus.softham...
> On Thu, 26 Jul 2001 16:56:16 +0100, Tycho <jon@f*ckyou.co.uk> wrote:
> >
> > "David Chapman" <da...@evildeath.madasafish.com> wrote in message
> > news:9jolbb$qfme$1...@ID-93395.news.dfncis.de...
> >> "Michael Guerin" <sheriff...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:9jnbh7$3jf$1...@neptunium.btinternet.com...
> >> >
> >> > Does anyone else not understand Xander in Dead Man's Party when he
asks
> >> > Buffy where she went and he says Belgium? Am I missing the joke?
Please
> >> > explain!
> >>
> >> It's a swearword in something-or-another; possibly HHGG.
> >>
> > In the American version of the book & the British radio play, so that
would
> > make sense if Xander had read it.
> >
> Tell me more about this "American version" .... please? ;)
In the British version, The Rory (I.e. one of the bails from the Wickett
key) was an award for the most gratuitous use of the word fuck in a serious
screenplay. In the American version the word Belgium was substituted.
Or so I am led to belive.
Will Tingle
>>> It's a swearword in something-or-another; possibly HHGG.
>>>
>> In the American version of the book & the British radio play, so that would
>> make sense if Xander had read it.
>>
>Tell me more about this "American version" .... please? ;)
The US edition of one of the books ("so long..." I think) is a few words
longer than ours.
The extra words explain that "Belgium" is one of the post profoundly
rude words in the galaxy (except in one part where they don't know what
it means).
The English version gets around it by using the word "fuck" instead.
I've just checked my US HHG paperbacks and can't find the bit; but the
Radio play covered the ground in fit the tenth:
NARRATOR
In today's modern Galaxy there is of course very little still held to be
unspeakable. Many words and expressions which only a matter of decades
ago were considered so distastefully explicate that were they mearly to
be breathed in public the perpetrator would be shunned, barred from
polite society, and in extreme cases shot through the lungs, are now
thought to be very health and proper, and their use in everyday speech
is seen as evidence of a well adjusted relaxed and totally un(BEEP)ed up
personality
So for instance, when in a recent national speech the financial minister
of the royal world estate of Quarlvista actually dared to say that due
to one thing and another and the fact that no one had made any food for
a while and that the King seamed to have died and that most of the
population had been oh holiday now for over three years, the economy was
now in what he called 'one whole joojooflop' situation, everyone was so
pleased that he had felt able to come out and say it that quite failed
to notice that their five-thousend year old civilisation had just
collapsed overnight.
But even though words like 'joojooflop', 'swut' and ,turlingdrome' are
now perfectly acceptable in common usage there is one word which is
still beyond the pale. The concept it embodies is so revolting that that
the publication or broadcast of the word is utterly forbidden in all
parts of the Galaxy except one where they don't know what it means. That
word is 'Belgium' and it is only ever used by loose tongued people like
Zaphod Beeblevrox in situations of dire provocation. such as...
F/X COLD WIND ETC
FORD
And I'll tell you another interesting thing...
ZAPHOD
I don't want to be interested! I don't want to be stimulated or relaxed
or have my horizons broadened, I just want to be rescued Ford, I Just
want to be swutting well rescued!
FORD
I'm sorry, I've told you. No way
ZAPHOD
Belgium, man. Belgium!
--
Will Tingle
--
Remove YOUR.PANTS to e-mail
--
Will Tingle
The US publishers didn't like the word "Fuck" so Bop Ad wrote a bit
about "Belgium" being a rude word and mad the award for creative use of
that instead.
Linux Jay
Belgium as a swear word.... hmmm.... I think some people I once spent time with
(all DNA fans) warped my fragile little mind. ;)
Joxer
forth:
Belgium was established as a swear word much earlier in the UK - haven't
got the books to hand but I was listening to the radio series this morning
and the Guide entry on it was quoted in Episode 10 (when Zaphod is stuck
on the edge of Arthur's ear)
--
Colin B.
"TV audiences don't want anything original - they want to
see the same thing they've seen a thousand times before"
Linux Jay
--
Jay
In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.
Paul Hyett
co.uk> stated this considered view. Waking from my doze, I hastily
scrawled -
>>
>>In the British version, The Rory (I.e. one of the bails from the Wickett
>>key) was an award for the most gratuitous use of the word fuck in a serious
>>screenplay. In the American version the word Belgium was substituted.
>>
>>Or so I am led to belive.
>>
>>
>It was "most creative use of the word" but otherwise yes.
>
>The US publishers didn't like the word "Fuck" so Bop Ad wrote a bit
>about "Belgium" being a rude word and mad the award for creative use of
>that instead.
I always wondered what this 'Belgium' business was in Hhgttg, and at
last I know!
--
Paul 'US Sitcom Fan' Hyett - The Wild Frame Grabber of the Net!
Website at http://www.activist.demon.co.uk/USsitcoms/
Will Tingle
possibly that it is "gratuitous" in the book and "creative"
elsewhere...)
Will Tingle
>Belgium was established as a swear word much earlier in the UK - haven't
>got the books to hand but I was listening to the radio series this morning
>and the Guide entry on it was quoted in Episode 10 (when Zaphod is stuck
>on the edge of Arthur's ear)
Zaphod was in the nutramat cup - the birds lived in Arthurs Ear
peter.cawte
might be interested BBC2 are showing HHG next week every day, BBC2 varying
times usually 11ish as a run up to a Douglas Adams tribute
K
Gareth Hanrahan
> >> It was "most creative use of the word" but otherwise yes.
> >>
> >> The US publishers didn't like the word "Fuck" so Bop Ad wrote a bit
> >> about "Belgium" being a rude word and mad the award for creative use of
> >> that instead.
> >I'd have put money on it being the most gratuitous use...
> >
> Great - now I'm gonna have to check the various versions - (it's
> possibly that it is "gratuitous" in the book and "creative"
> elsewhere...)
It's definitely "gratuitous" in the UK book, and in every version I've seen.
And I've just noticed that BBC are reshowing the H2G2 tv series next week...
> Will Tingle
Gar
http://www.mytholder.f2s.com