[=SDC=] Q39. Euphemism.
Michael Hamm
the one: this is not a trick question, at least not in that respect) was
changed in the American version of a book to the name of a country. Which
country?
Mark Brader
Belgium.
--
Mark Brader | scanf() is even more complicated and usually does
Toronto | something almost but not completely unlike what
m...@vex.net | you want. -- Chris Torek (after Douglas Adams)
R H Draney
Belgium, of course....
The gag was even alluded to in the recent feature film remake....r
the Omrud
> Michael Hamm posts:
> > A certain four-letter word for "copulate" which starts with 'f' (you know
> > the one: this is not a trick question, at least not in that respect) was
> > changed in the American version of a book to the name of a country. Which
> > country?
>
> Belgium.
If the answer is Belgium, then the question is faulty. I will await
the TO response and seek another answer.
--
David
=====
replace usenet with the
Adrian Bailey
news:dflon...@drn.newsguy.com...
Thank you!
Adrian
Totally Officially ducking for cover
the Omrud
OK, if this is a reference to the Hitchhiker's Guide, then the
question is wrong, wrong, wrongitty wrong. The word in question was
always "Belgium", in the radio serials, the books and in the TV
series, never mind the movie.
It wouldn't have been funny if Zaphod had just said a rude word.
Adams even spends a whole minute setting up the joke:
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 explicit that were they
merely 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 healthy and proper, and their use
in everyday speech is seen as evidence of a well-adjusted, relaxed,
and totally unf [bleep!] ked-up personality. So, for instance, when
in a recent national speech, the financial minister of the Royal
World Estate of Qualvista actually dared to say that due to one thing
and another, and the fact that no one had made any food for awhile
and the king seemed to have died, and that most of the population had
been on holiday now for over three years, the economy had now arrived
at what he called, ?One whole juju-flop situation,? everyone was so
pleased he felt able to come out and say it, that they quite failed
to notice that their five-thousand-year-old civilisation had just
collapsed overnight. But though even words like ?juju-flop,? ?swut,?
and ?turlingdrome? are now perfectly acceptable in common usage,
there is one word that is still beyond the pale. The concept it
embodies is so revolting 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 Beeblebrox in
situations of dire provocation. Such as?
Scene 5. Int. Cave
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 horizon?s broadened, I just want to be rescued
Ford! I just want to be swodding-well rescued!
FORD:
Well I?m sorry, I?ve told you: no way.
ZAPHOD:
Oh, Belgium man, Belgium!
Adrian Bailey
news:MPG.1d88ca3a1...@news.ntlworld.com...
> Adrian Bailey spake thusly:
>
> > "R H Draney" <dado...@spamcop.net> wrote in message
> > news:dflon...@drn.newsguy.com...
> > > Michael Hamm filted:
> > > >
> > > >A certain four-letter word for "copulate" which starts with 'f' (you
know
> > > >the one: this is not a trick question, at least not in that respect)
was
> > > >changed in the American version of a book to the name of a country.
Which
> > > >country?
> > >
> > > Belgium, of course....
> > >
> > > The gag was even alluded to in the recent feature film remake....r
> >
> > Thank you!
>
> OK, if this is a reference to the Hitchhiker's Guide, then the
> question is wrong, wrong, wrongitty wrong. The word in question was
> always "Belgium", in the radio serials, the books and in the TV
> series, never mind the movie.
Not being so knowledgeable on H2G2 I didn't notice that the setter was in
error, but as it is, apologies for vectoring an urban myth.
Adrian
Mark Brader
>>>> A certain four-letter word for "copulate" which starts with 'f' (you know
>>>> the one: this is not a trick question, at least not in that respect) was
>>>> changed in the American version of a book to the name of a country. Which
>>>> country?
R.H. Draney (and me, a few minutes later):
>>> Belgium...
"David":
> OK, if this is a reference to the Hitchhiker's Guide, then the
> question is wrong, wrong, wrongitty wrong. The word in question was
> always "Belgium", in the radio serials, the books and in the TV
> series, never mind the movie.
Yeah, I wondered about that too. I seen to remember reading that
there was a change to this line for the version in the States, but
it was the *opposite* way from what the question states.
--
Mark Brader | "As long as they can annoy people into buying their
Toronto | software ... Microsoft faces the tradeoff of spending
m...@vex.net | their money on compact code or your money on hardware.
| It's not a hard choice." --Jonathan Goldberg
the Omrud
> Michael Hamm:
> >>>> A certain four-letter word for "copulate" which starts with 'f' (you know
> >>>> the one: this is not a trick question, at least not in that respect) was
> >>>> changed in the American version of a book to the name of a country. Which
> >>>> country?
>
> R.H. Draney (and me, a few minutes later):
> >>> Belgium...
>
> "David":
> > OK, if this is a reference to the Hitchhiker's Guide, then the
> > question is wrong, wrong, wrongitty wrong. The word in question was
> > always "Belgium", in the radio serials, the books and in the TV
> > series, never mind the movie.
>
> Yeah, I wondered about that too. I seen to remember reading that
> there was a change to this line for the version in the States, but
> it was the *opposite* way from what the question states.
It seems the question is valid after all and that the replacement
referred to is in The Tertiary Phase.
Wikipedia:
The UK edition of the novel was used for the adaptation - this
becomes evident in Fit the Sixteenth, when the "Rory" award is said
to be given for the Most Gratuitous Use Of The Word Fuck In A Serious
Screenplay. The US edition of the same novel substituted "Belgium"
for "fuck," as well as the explanation for why the former word is
considered to be devastatingly rude in the rest of the galaxy, which
is drawn from Fit the Tenth of the Secondary Phase. The broadcast
version avoids saying "fuck" on radio by well-timed crashes and
explosions ? the CD version moves these so that the "fuck" is
audible.
I hadn't heard about this before. I withdraw my complaint.
Mark Brader
> > > The word in question was always "Belgium", in the radio serials,
> > > the books and in the TV series, never mind the movie.
> > Yeah, I wondered about that too. I seen to remember reading that
> > there was a change to this line for the version in the States, but
> > it was the *opposite* way from what the question states.
> It seems the question is valid after all ...
Ah. Now I remember. The surprise wasn't that the line was edited to
add a taboo word; it was that in being edited to remove one, it became
*funnier*. I also withdraw my previous comment.
--
Mark Brader | And the customary practice seems to be "FIRST,
Toronto | let the cat out of the bag; THEN inform you
m...@vex.net | that there's a cat and a bag." --Daniel P.B. Smith
Michael Hamm
> It seems the question is valid after all
<sigh of="relief" /> (I wrote that question.)
Michael Hamm
AM, Math, Wash. U. St. Louis
msh...@math.wustl.edu Fine print:
http://www.math.wustl.edu/~msh210/ ... legal.html
Jerry Friedman
A very relieved Cormo for r, who thus becomes the first person to both
solve a question and write one in this year's competition.
--
Jerry Friedman, T.O. Sheeplebrox