Cross my palm with silver

[Pastime]

Crossing the palm with silver: done (with a "silver" coin) for
new-born babies and fortune tellers, but what are the origins?

Google has not been my friend so far on this quest for essential
knowledge.
--
John

[A Lurker]

"Pastime" <wsub...@tznvy.pbz> wrote in message
news:ejd6r8lqjm74g8rfe...@4ax.com...

There is an Oingo Boingo song that speaks to this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iypUpv9xelg

[Gus]

"A Lurker" <Lur...@Home.com> wrote in message
news:kovfep$rt3$1...@speranza.aioe.org...

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=5593

[Pastime]

A Lurker wrote:

> "Pastime" <wsub...@tznvy.pbz> wrote in message
> news:ejd6r8lqjm74g8rfe...@4ax.com...
> > Crossing the palm with silver: done (with a "silver" coin) for
> > new-born babies and fortune tellers, but what are the origins?
> >
> > Google has not been my friend so far on this quest for essential
> > knowledge.
>

> There is an Oingo Boingo song that speaks to this.
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iypUpv9xelg

There is? Does it have anything useful to say?
--
John

[Gus]

"Pastime" <wsub...@tznvy.pbz> wrote in message

news:hrg6r8h7n92efp3sc...@4ax.com...

the songfacts link speaks a bit to silver coins.

[Pastime]

Gus wrote:

> "Pastime" <wsub...@tznvy.pbz> wrote in message
> news:hrg6r8h7n92efp3sc...@4ax.com...
> >A Lurker wrote:
> >
> >> "Pastime" <wsub...@tznvy.pbz> wrote in message
> >> news:ejd6r8lqjm74g8rfe...@4ax.com...
> >> > Crossing the palm with silver: done (with a "silver" coin) for
> >> > new-born babies and fortune tellers, but what are the origins?
> >> >
> >> > Google has not been my friend so far on this quest for essential
> >> > knowledge.
> >>
> >> There is an Oingo Boingo song that speaks to this.
> >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iypUpv9xelg
> >
> > There is? Does it have anything useful to say?
>

> the songfacts link speaks a bit to silver coins.

Silver dollars on eyes? OK, but that's quite different from crossing a
baby's or clairvoyant's palms with silver.
--
John

[I.]

There's this stuff called 'money,' that tends to change hands, to
which the palm is attached, when people conduct transactions. It was
once made of precious metals like silver, at least in the smaller
denominations appropriate to, say, gifting a child or having your
fortune told by a pikey wise-woman.

[Pastime]

Incidentally, I'm talking about literally making the sign of the cross
on the palm of the hand, in case that wasn't clear. You take your coin
and rub it into the recipient's palm in a cross fashion.

If it's part of the rituals of gypsy fortune-tellers, which seems to
be widely-believed, I doubt very much that it's the Christian cross
that underlies the practice.
--
John

[Les Albert]

On Sat, 08 Jun 2013 18:06:53 +0100, Pastime <wsub...@tznvy.pbz>
wrote:

>Incidentally, I'm talking about literally making the sign of the cross
>on the palm of the hand, in case that wasn't clear. You take your coin
>and rub it into the recipient's palm in a cross fashion.
>If it's part of the rituals of gypsy fortune-tellers, which seems to
>be widely-believed, I doubt very much that it's the Christian cross
>that underlies the practice.

The Christian cross might have something to do with it, according to
one answer I found about the origin of the phrase:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"It is commonly believed that the sentence "Cross my palm with silver"
originated with gypsy (Romani) fortune tellers as their somewhat
less-than-direct technique of asking for payment from a person who
seeks a Tarot reading, a palm reading, a crystal ball viewing,
clairvoyance, etc. This deflected comment avoids asking for payment in
advance and implies that the silver is a generous gift to recognize
psychic ability rather than the purchase of a service. There is also a
tangential reference to an ancient notion that psychic gifts are not
paid for, quid pro quo, but freely given, and the silver is a donation
rather than a payment. This usage probably became customary in the
18th century.
In ancient times, however, the phrase actually meant for the person
seeking psychic information to literally make the religious sign of
the cross with a coin, which was then placed on the fortune teller's
palm. This made the coin a form of alms, a donation. More importantly,
the sign of the cross with a silver coin made certain that the fortune
teller was not connected with witchcraft, and the satan, the devil, or
the deceiver could not possibly be present at the reading. The context
of this meaning may date back to the 11th century when the Romani
people began migrating into Europe."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Les

[Pastime]

Very interesting - thanks, Les. Where did you find this?
--
John

[Les Albert]

On Sun, 09 Jun 2013 00:26:21 +0100, Pastime <wsub...@tznvy.pbz>
wrote:

At a site called WebAnswers.com http://tinyurl.com/mgw9k6n

Les

[Pastime]

Hmm, I wonder why I didn't find that when I was searching. I thought
I'd done a pretty exhaustive search, but apparently not.
--
John

[Les Albert]

On Sun, 09 Jun 2013 18:27:24 +0100, Pastime <wsub...@tznvy.pbz>

It's the first time I have seen that site. Look at their FAQ;
apparently one can make some money with them by answering questions.

Les

[Greg Goss]

Les Albert <lalb...@aol.com> wrote:

>In ancient times, however, the phrase actually meant for the person
>seeking psychic information to literally make the religious sign of
>the cross with a coin, which was then placed on the fortune teller's
>palm. This made the coin a form of alms, a donation. More importantly,
>the sign of the cross with a silver coin made certain that the fortune
>teller was not connected with witchcraft, and the satan, the devil, or
>the deceiver could not possibly be present at the reading.

This procedure provides TWO protections against witchcraft. Silver,
as a traditional symbol of purity will reject evil (thus silver
bullets vs werewolves and silver-backed mirrors refusing to show
vampires). And the symbol of Christianity rejects certain kinds of
evil.
--
We are geeks. Resistance is voltage over current.

[Pastime]

Yes, it seems that you can have a Google Adsense advert displayed on
pages giving answers you've provided.

One of the FAQs is, oddly: "Someone is calling my home phone asking
for some celebrity. How do I get my phone number off of this site?". I
have no idea why you'd have your phone number on the site in the first
place.
--
John

[Pastime]

Greg Goss wrote:

> Les Albert <lalb...@aol.com> wrote:
>
> >In ancient times, however, the phrase actually meant for the person
> >seeking psychic information to literally make the religious sign of
> >the cross with a coin, which was then placed on the fortune teller's
> >palm. This made the coin a form of alms, a donation. More importantly,
> >the sign of the cross with a silver coin made certain that the fortune
> >teller was not connected with witchcraft, and the satan, the devil, or
> >the deceiver could not possibly be present at the reading.
>
> This procedure provides TWO protections against witchcraft. Silver,
> as a traditional symbol of purity will reject evil (thus silver
> bullets vs werewolves and silver-backed mirrors refusing to show
> vampires).

I hadn't realised the mirror trick for vampires was down to the silver
backing. Then again, vampires bore me almost as much as zombies and
pirates, so I'm not well-versed in the lore.

> And the symbol of Christianity rejects certain kinds of
> evil.

Always a smart idea to stack one's superstitions, I guess. Best to
throw salt over one's shoulder while you're at it, kiss your rabbit's
foot pendant, and maybe get down on your knees and fiddle with your
rosaries. All good.
--
John

[Nick Spalding]

Pastime wrote, in <gaebr8hvljeo8itlv...@4ax.com>
on Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:36:40 +0100:

The mirror superstition that I like is that you will never know you're
dead until you look in a mirror and see no reflection.
--
Nick Spalding

[S. Checker]

I read the book _The Disappearing Spoon_ on the recommendation of
someone here so this won't be news to everyone - but the author points
out that the three metals[1] in use for coinage in the US now are all
germicidal to some degree. So those filthy coins everyone passes around
actually may be kind of safe to handle.

[1] Wait, I just remembered the golden coins. Not sure what they're
coated in and what that does to germs. I guess I've got some Googling
to do.
--
... ich bin in einem dusenjet ins jahr 53 vor chr ... ich lande im
antiken Rom ... einige gladiatoren spielen scrabble ... ich rieche
PIZZA ...

[S. Checker]

S. Checker <spa...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Greg Goss <go...@gossg.org> wrote:
>> Les Albert <lalb...@aol.com> wrote:
>>
>>>In ancient times, however, the phrase actually meant for the person
>>>seeking psychic information to literally make the religious sign of
>>>the cross with a coin, which was then placed on the fortune teller's
>>>palm. This made the coin a form of alms, a donation. More importantly,
>>>the sign of the cross with a silver coin made certain that the fortune
>>>teller was not connected with witchcraft, and the satan, the devil, or
>>>the deceiver could not possibly be present at the reading.
>>
>> This procedure provides TWO protections against witchcraft. Silver,
>> as a traditional symbol of purity will reject evil (thus silver
>> bullets vs werewolves and silver-backed mirrors refusing to show
>> vampires). And the symbol of Christianity rejects certain kinds of
>> evil.
>
> I read the book _The Disappearing Spoon_ on the recommendation of
> someone here so this won't be news to everyone - but the author points
> out that the three metals[1] in use for coinage in the US now are all
> germicidal to some degree. So those filthy coins everyone passes around
> actually may be kind of safe to handle.
>
> [1] Wait, I just remembered the golden coins. Not sure what they're
> coated in and what that does to germs. I guess I've got some Googling
> to do.

Manganese brass. They are coated in brass, which is also germicidal. I
guess I can let the kids swallow them, too.
--
If you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are, by definition,
not smart enough to debug it.
-- Brian Kernighan

[Greg Goss]

Pastime <wsub...@tznvy.pbz> wrote:

>Greg Goss wrote:

>> This procedure provides TWO protections against witchcraft. Silver,
>> as a traditional symbol of purity will reject evil (thus silver
>> bullets vs werewolves and silver-backed mirrors refusing to show
>> vampires).
>
>I hadn't realised the mirror trick for vampires was down to the silver
>backing. Then again, vampires bore me almost as much as zombies and
>pirates, so I'm not well-versed in the lore.

Of course, for my entire life, most mirrors now use aluminum backing.
I'm not sure if this is why we find so many vampires around in popular
media now, if they're harder to detect.

[Greg Goss]

spa...@gmail.com (S. Checker) wrote:

>Greg Goss <go...@gossg.org> wrote:

>> This procedure provides TWO protections against witchcraft. Silver,
>> as a traditional symbol of purity will reject evil (thus silver
>> bullets vs werewolves and silver-backed mirrors refusing to show

>> vampires). ...

>
>I read the book _The Disappearing Spoon_ on the recommendation of
>someone here so this won't be news to everyone - but the author points
>out that the three metals[1] in use for coinage in the US now are all
>germicidal to some degree. So those filthy coins everyone passes around
>actually may be kind of safe to handle.
>
>[1] Wait, I just remembered the golden coins. Not sure what they're
>coated in and what that does to germs. I guess I've got some Googling
>to do.

Canada switched from nickel to stainless steel without me even
noticing a decade or so back, and has now dumped the penny. (I even
gave a penny to a Wendy's clerk two days ago for a $12.41 charge, and
he pushed the penny back.) You use nickels, right, at least for that
one coin? There's germicidal effect from nickel?

[Greg Goss]

spa...@gmail.com (S. Checker) wrote:

>S. Checker <spa...@gmail.com> wrote:

>> out that the three metals[1] in use for coinage in the US now are all
>> germicidal to some degree. So those filthy coins everyone passes around
>> actually may be kind of safe to handle.
>>
>> [1] Wait, I just remembered the golden coins. Not sure what they're
>> coated in and what that does to germs. I guess I've got some Googling
>> to do.
>
>Manganese brass. They are coated in brass, which is also germicidal. I
>guess I can let the kids swallow them, too.

The Americans coat a golden coin in brass??? Why? I thought that you
coated stuff in gold to prevent oxidation. Why would you need to coat
a golden coin in anything?

If the coin is intended to be used in actual circulation, you
adulterate it to a specified level (I think 92% is the normal amount)
and sell it based on the amount of gold, ignoring the adulterant
(copper?). But all the gold coins introduced in the past twenty years
try to minimize anything but gold present. Three nines (99.9%) is
usual, but Canadian gold coins are four nines, and a few five nines
coins have been minted. I would think coating a gold coin with brass
would be enough to really mess up those four or five nines purity
claims.

And why?

[Tim Wright]

It's gold in name only. It is very similar in size to the quarter so
they wanted it a different color to make it easier to distinguish.

--
Trying to understand the behavior of some people is like trying to smell
the color nine.
Tim W

[S. Checker]

Greg Goss <go...@gossg.org> wrote:
> spa...@gmail.com (S. Checker) wrote:
>

>>I read the book _The Disappearing Spoon_ on the recommendation of
>>someone here so this won't be news to everyone - but the author points
>>out that the three metals[1] in use for coinage in the US now are all
>>germicidal to some degree. So those filthy coins everyone passes around
>>actually may be kind of safe to handle.
>>
>>[1] Wait, I just remembered the golden coins. Not sure what they're
>>coated in and what that does to germs. I guess I've got some Googling
>>to do.
>
> Canada switched from nickel to stainless steel without me even
> noticing a decade or so back, and has now dumped the penny. (I even
> gave a penny to a Wendy's clerk two days ago for a $12.41 charge, and
> he pushed the penny back.) You use nickels, right, at least for that
> one coin? There's germicidal effect from nickel?

To answer both of your questions:

Nickels are, and have been for some time, 75% copper, 25% nickel. This
is a bit of a problem since it costs more than 5 cents to make one.
Your Canadian steel nickels are cheaper to make.

The "Golden" dollars are called that because they are gold in color,
not in composition. Goldish, to borrow Mr. Pratchett's word. The brass
coating gives them their color which is rather attractive when it comes
from the mint but dulls considerably quickly.

The U.S. still makes gold coins, the smallest has a face value of $5
and is 1/10th of an ounce of gold (if memory serves). These were being
bought as fast as they were minted during gold's run-up. Once gold
crashes in value I'll probably get one.
--
"Death before dishonor,
Drugs before lunch...."
-Aspen Gun and Drug Club

[Greg Goss]

spa...@gmail.com (S. Checker) wrote:
>> spa...@gmail.com (S. Checker) wrote:

>>>[1] Wait, I just remembered the golden coins. Not sure what they're
>>>coated in and what that does to germs. I guess I've got some Googling
>>>to do.
>

>The "Golden" dollars are called that because they are gold in color,
>not in composition. Goldish, to borrow Mr. Pratchett's word. The brass
>coating gives them their color which is rather attractive when it comes
>from the mint but dulls considerably quickly.
>
>The U.S. still makes gold coins, the smallest has a face value of $5
>and is 1/10th of an ounce of gold (if memory serves). These were being
>bought as fast as they were minted during gold's run-up. Once gold
>crashes in value I'll probably get one.

OK, that's what confused me. Canada's loonies are brassy and nobody
ever thinks of them as "gold", other than a few early jokes about
chocolate. So when you mentioned "golden coins", I was thinking about
"eagles" (at 91.67% gold) rather than Saccies.

(Until I looked just now, I hadn't realized that Sacagawea had been
replaced by dead white men on the US dollar coin.)

[Pastime]

Usually for me that's a sign that I need to turn a light on in the
room.
--
John

[Pastime]

Not so good for blind people, huh?
--
John

[Tim Wright]

For the blind there is no reeding on the edge like on the quarter or
dime. It is smooth except for the inscription "In God We Trust".

[David J. Martin]

That's ok. Most Americans are equally unaware.

David

[Hactar]

In article <b1mqg7...@mid.individual.net>,

Those are the fourth attempt at making a dollar coin. IMO it won't gain
public acceptance while the dollar bill is out there.

--
-eben QebWe...@vTerYizUonI.nOetP royalty.mine.nu:81
LIBRA: A big promotion is just around the corner for someone
much more talented than you. Laughter is the very best medicine,
remember that when your appendix bursts next week. -- Weird Al

[Dover Beach]

Greg Goss <go...@gossg.org> wrote in
news:b1mqg7...@mid.individual.net:

>
> OK, that's what confused me. Canada's loonies are brassy and nobody
> ever thinks of them as "gold", other than a few early jokes about
> chocolate. So when you mentioned "golden coins", I was thinking about
> "eagles" (at 91.67% gold) rather than Saccies.
>
> (Until I looked just now, I hadn't realized that Sacagawea had been
> replaced by dead white men on the US dollar coin.)

And then the dead white guys program stopped because no one loved it,
except me and Veronique. Now to buy the pretty, shiny, GOOOLDEN dollars
direct from the mint, you gotta pay more than a dollar per coin. Not
going to happen. I can still get dollar coins from the bank for a dollar
per, but you get a mixed roll of coins -- some Saccies, some dead
prezzies, some whatevers. Annoying.

[Tim Wright]

On 6/10/2013 4:29 PM, Hactar wrote:
> In article <b1mqg7...@mid.individual.net>,
> Greg Goss <go...@gossg.org> wrote:
>> spa...@gmail.com (S. Checker) wrote:
>>>> spa...@gmail.com (S. Checker) wrote:
>>
>>>>> [1] Wait, I just remembered the golden coins. Not sure what they're
>>>>> coated in and what that does to germs. I guess I've got some Googling
>>>>> to do.
>>>
>>> The "Golden" dollars are called that because they are gold in color,
>>> not in composition. Goldish, to borrow Mr. Pratchett's word. The brass
>>> coating gives them their color which is rather attractive when it comes
>> >from the mint but dulls considerably quickly.
>>>
>>> The U.S. still makes gold coins, the smallest has a face value of $5
>>> and is 1/10th of an ounce of gold (if memory serves). These were being
>>> bought as fast as they were minted during gold's run-up. Once gold
>>> crashes in value I'll probably get one.
>>
>> OK, that's what confused me. Canada's loonies are brassy and nobody
>> ever thinks of them as "gold", other than a few early jokes about
>> chocolate. So when you mentioned "golden coins", I was thinking about
>> "eagles" (at 91.67% gold) rather than Saccies.
>>
>> (Until I looked just now, I hadn't realized that Sacagawea had been
>> replaced by dead white men on the US dollar coin.)
>
> Those are the fourth attempt at making a dollar coin. IMO it won't gain
> public acceptance while the dollar bill is out there.
>

Yes, the dollar bill should be done away with, as should the five and ten.

[bill van]

In article <McadnTvTo-AOHSvM...@supernews.com>,

I'm okay with one- and two-dollar coins, and I'm glad the Canadian penny
is gone, but I wouldn't want more denominations in coins because I carry
my change in my left-side pant pocket, and it's heavy enough now. Paper
fives, tens and twenties fold nicely into my wallet. I avoid fifties and
up because you always get to the point of wanting to buy something for a
few dollars when you don't have the right change, and I hate making some
poor shopkeeper dig out all the small bills in his float.

bill


bill

[Les Albert]

On Mon, 10 Jun 2013 20:42:38 -0500, Tim Wright <tlwri...@gmail.com>
wrote:

Woolworth's Five and Ten hasn't been around since 1997.

Les

[Hactar]

In article <McadnTvTo-AOHSvM...@supernews.com>,
Tim Wright <tlwri...@gmail.com> wrote:

I'll sign on to that, as long as there are coins to replace them. It'd
be nice if they started printing bills >$20 while they're at it,
otherwise it'd be the only current bill denomination.

[Tim Wright]

I liked Kresge's better than Woolies.

[Tim Wright]

They still print C notes.

[Pastime]

Coins here are all different sizes. Apparently the milled/non-milled
edges weren't enough of a difference when you're feeling around inside
a pocket or purse. And not just the visually-impaired - I can pick the
right coins out of my pocket just by their size.
--
John

[S. Checker]

Greg Goss <go...@gossg.org> wrote:
> spa...@gmail.com (S. Checker) wrote:
>>> spa...@gmail.com (S. Checker) wrote:
>
>>>>[1] Wait, I just remembered the golden coins. Not sure what they're
>>>>coated in and what that does to germs. I guess I've got some Googling
>>>>to do.
>>
>>The "Golden" dollars are called that because they are gold in color,
>>not in composition. Goldish, to borrow Mr. Pratchett's word. The brass
>>coating gives them their color which is rather attractive when it comes
>>from the mint but dulls considerably quickly.
>>
>>The U.S. still makes gold coins, the smallest has a face value of $5
>>and is 1/10th of an ounce of gold (if memory serves). These were being
>>bought as fast as they were minted during gold's run-up. Once gold
>>crashes in value I'll probably get one.
>
> OK, that's what confused me. Canada's loonies are brassy and nobody
> ever thinks of them as "gold", other than a few early jokes about
> chocolate. So when you mentioned "golden coins", I was thinking about
> "eagles" (at 91.67% gold) rather than Saccies.

The Mint refers to them as "Golden Dollars" so that's the shorthand I
was using, rather than "gold-colored dollar coins that used to have
Sacajawea on them but now are a series of presidential dollars, only
they still make the Sacajaweas in limited distribution."

>
> (Until I looked just now, I hadn't realized that Sacagawea had been
> replaced by dead white men on the US dollar coin.)

The Presidential dollars are up to Theodore Roosevelt. At this rate
they'll run out of presidents. I am sure that there will be people who
will refuse to accept either George W. Bush or Barack Obama dollars
when that time comes.
--
There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible
and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge.
-- Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

[Tim Wright]

It used to be that the US dollar coin was really large, 38.1mm. Now
it's 26.5mm and the quarter is 24.3mm. Not a large size difference
between the current dollar coin and the quarter. I doubt even your
finely calibrated sense of touch could reliably tell them appart without
the different edge treatment.

[Hactar]

In article <9k0er81j6fg8n1e0b...@4ax.com>,

The 50p piece looks like it feels especially distinctive, but I have no
direct experience, not being British.

[Greg Goss]

There's a learning curve involved. When Canada went to nickel coins
in 1968, none of us could tell the difference between a nickel and a
quarter - we'd previously used colour as a cue and that was gone. A
year later, none of us remembered any problem telling them apart.
When our loonie arrived in 1987, they felt like a quarter in the
pocket, but we learned withing a year.

Our quarter has a round, milled edge. Our dollar has faceted edges.
Our twoonie has round milled/not-milled alternating.

The Anthony US dollar had a faceted INNER rim. That should have made
"pocket determination" easy, but it seems to have been dropped in
later coins. Do American coins do any variation in "edge feel" to
help pocket sorting?

[Tim Wright]

Pennies, nickles and dollars have smooth edges. The new dollar coins
have "In God We Trust" imprinted in the edge. Dimes and quarters have
reeded or milled edges. Half dollars also had milled edges, but they're
no longer produced.

[Rick B.]

Tim Wright <tlwri...@gmail.com> wrote in
news:_dGdnTVOCYBu1CrM...@supernews.com:

Actually the last few years' production just has E Pluribus Unum, the date
and mint mark and some stars. IGWT was on the edges of the first
presidential dollars, but some production errors yielded coins with blank
edges and the congressional wailing and gnashing of teeth over the failure
to unite God and Mammon was a thing to behold. IGWT has since been moved
to the obverse of the dollar coins.

[BillTurlock]

On Tue, 11 Jun 2013 09:46:53 -0600, Greg Goss <go...@gossg.org> wrote:

>any variation in "edge feel" to
>help pocket sorting?

IHNTA, IJWTSTOOC

[D.F. Manno]

Greg Goss <go...@gossg.org> wrote:

> (Until I looked just now, I hadn't realized that Sacagawea had been
> replaced by dead white men on the US dollar coin.)

She hasn't. The presidential dollar coins are in addition to the Sacagawea
dollars, not in place of.
--
D.F. Manno

[Paul Madarasz]

I don't mean to damn with faint praise here, but I was sorta surprised
(in a good way) when the cashier at Wal-Mart took my Monroe dollar
without the proverbial Augenblick.

[Les Albert]

The cashier probably didn't know how to make change of an Augenblick.

Les

[bill van]

In article <eafmr8t4c8hiao45i...@4ax.com>,

Is there a reason that augenblick has suddenly popped into my life two
or three times in a couple of days, and never before in my 65 years?

It's immediately recognizable to me as the German equivalent to the
Dutch ogenblik, meaning "moment". But it seems to me that, unlike German
words such as schadenfreude and verklempt, which have no one-word
equivalents in English, augenblick doesn't bring us anything we can't
already do with "moment".

Has anyone noticed where it's coming from, and why this week in
particular?

bill

[Pastime]

Probably the same reason I found myself thinking of the word
"catatonia" today, mere seconds before my eyes happened to rest on a
sign containing the word. There's no wonder people get superstitious.
--
John

[Hactar]

In article <billvan-A08FA3...@news.shawcable.net>,

I recall watching a movie where a receptionist operating one of those
multi-line phones is answering a bunch of lines long enough to say "Eine
Augenblick, bitte" *hold* before moving to the next. Perhaps that?

[Paul Madarasz]

On Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:58:02 -0400, ebenZ...@verizon.net (Hactar)
wrote:

When I lived in Germany (1984-85), the usual word for "moment" was
"Moment", with the accent on the last syllable. I was using
Augenblick literally.

[Mark Brader]

Greg Goss:

> There's a learning curve involved. When Canada went to nickel coins
> in 1968, none of us could tell the difference between a nickel and a
> quarter - we'd previously used colour as a cue and that was gone. A
> year later, none of us remembered any problem telling them apart.

For values of "us" and "we" that equal Greg.
--
Mark Brader | "If you need features not found in any language,
Toronto | you can try your hand at creating your own.
m...@vex.net | (Mind you, language design is incredibly difficult.
| It is easy to create an unholy mess.)" -- Chris Torek

[Mark Brader]

"S. Checker":
> Nickels [in the US] are, and have been for some time, 75% copper,
> 25% nickel.

Where "have been for some time" means "have always been (except in wartime)".
The US has never issued actual nickel coins.

> This is a bit of a problem since it costs more than 5 cents to make one.
> Your Canadian steel nickels are cheaper to make.

Uh-huh. We went from 100% nickel nickels to the same 75-25 in the 1980s,
and then to the present steel, so the coins changed from being magnetic*
to non-magnetic and back to magnetic. Dimes and quarters (and the 50-cent
pieces that nobody actally uses) went from 80% silver to 100% nickel in
the 1960s and then directly to steel.

*In the physics sense, not in the sense of "magnetized".
--
Mark Brader | "There are no nations! There is only humanity.
Toronto | And if we don't come to understand that right
m...@vex.net | soon, there will be no nations, because there
| will be no humanity." --Isaac Asimov

My text in this article is in the public domain.

[Snidely]

I thought Paul was referring to the actual eyelid twitch of someone who
is taken aback.

That "blink of an eye" is a good expression for a short duration is
something English agrees on, but I don't think that's Paul usage this
time around.

/dps

--
Maybe C282Y is simply one of the hangers-on, a groupie following a
future guitar god of the human genome: an allele with undiscovered
virtuosity, currently soloing in obscurity in Mom's garage.
Bradley Wertheim, theAtlantic.com, Jan 10 2013

[Snidely]

Paul Madarasz presented the following explanation :

> When I lived in Germany (1984-85), the usual word for "moment" was
> "Moment", with the accent on the last syllable. I was using
> Augenblick literally.

Hey, I read your mind! But not a head.

[Stanley Daniel de Liver]

Thank the lord I'm Welsh.

--
It's a money /life balance.