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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
Usage
Don't use our loo
Let me ask you a question about about the following sentence.
Lost in thought, Preston was staring at the screen. At last he said, "I think I've got it."
"Well, don't use our loo," Mungo.
"What's that, John?" asked Harry when the laughter died down. (The Fourth Protocol,p351, F. Forsyth)
context: Preston and some others from the police have been on a stake-out several days.
They're watching across street from an ordinary family's house. They suspect that this is the Soviet's agent who might be trying to bring in a small nuclear device,
but Preston isn't perfectly sure of it. When he learned on TV that Thacher had decided to
have a general eletion in a few months, he thought that he saw connection between that coming polling event and
what was going on under their watch, and understood the intention of the Russian leadership behind this spy's business.
question: meaning of "Well, don't use our loo". I think this is a joke, but how it could be
funny, evoking laughter among the other men, I wonder. Tell me how hilarious it was : "don't use our loo" ?
Lost in thought, Preston was staring at the screen. At last he said, "I think I've got it."
"Well, don't use our loo," Mungo.
"What's that, John?" asked Harry when the laughter died down. (The Fourth Protocol,p351, F. Forsyth)
context: Preston and some others from the police have been on a stake-out several days.
They're watching across street from an ordinary family's house. They suspect that this is the Soviet's agent who might be trying to bring in a small nuclear device,
but Preston isn't perfectly sure of it. When he learned on TV that Thacher had decided to
have a general eletion in a few months, he thought that he saw connection between that coming polling event and
what was going on under their watch, and understood the intention of the Russian leadership behind this spy's business.
question: meaning of "Well, don't use our loo". I think this is a joke, but how it could be
funny, evoking laughter among the other men, I wonder. Tell me how hilarious it was : "don't use our loo" ?
Top answer
Masa quotes Frederick Forsyth: [nq:1]Lost in thought, Preston was staring at the screen. [/nq] I guess there should be "said" before Mungo. [/nq] "I've got it" could mean many things.
- Masa quotes Frederick Forsyth: [nq:1]Lost in thought, Preston was staring at the screen.
- [/nq] I guess there should be "said" before Mungo.
- [/nq] "I've got it" could mean many things.
- " Mungo's joke is to pretend that Preston meant "I've got that illness you know which illness I mean, the one we were talking about" (or something like that).
- Further, Mungo is additionally pretending that the illness is something like diarrhea that would cause Preston to make a mess in the loo (toilet), and perhaps also expose the others to getting it.
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10 Answers
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Masa quotes Frederick Forsyth:
[nq:1]Lost in thought, Preston was staring at the screen. At last he said, "I think I've got it." "Well, don't use our loo," Mungo.[/nq]
I guess there should be "said" before Mungo.
[nq:1]"What's that, John?" asked Harry when the laughter died down.[/nq]
"I've got it" could mean many things. Here Preston intends it to mean "I've got the answer to that
[nq:1]Lost in thought, Preston was staring at the screen. At last he said, "I think I've got it." "Well, don't use our loo," Mungo.[/nq]
I guess there should be "said" before Mungo.
[nq:1]"What's that, John?" asked Harry when the laughter died down.[/nq]
"I've got it" could mean many things. Here Preston intends it to mean "I've got the answer to that
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[nq:1]Let me ask you a question about about the following sentence. Lost in thought, Preston was staring at the screen. ... don't use our loo," Mungo. "What's that, John?" asked Harry when the laughter died down. (The Fourth Protocol,p351, F. Forsyth)[/nq]
Which edition? That's not p351 in either of my copies! Maybe a chapter number would be more appropriate.
[nq:1]question: meaning of "We
Which edition? That's not p351 in either of my copies! Maybe a chapter number would be more appropriate.
[nq:1]question: meaning of "We
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[nq:2]Let me ask you a question about about the following ... how hilarious it was : "don't use our loo" ?[/nq]
[nq:1]Seemingly, quite. I remember chuckling for a few moments at it the first time I read the book.[/nq]
Though it is kind of a rule that jokes aren't funny if you end up saying, "I don't think I've got it."
[nq:1]Seemingly, quite. I remember chuckling for a few moments at it the first time I read the book.[/nq]
Though it is kind of a rule that jokes aren't funny if you end up saying, "I don't think I've got it."
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[nq:2]spake Masa thus: Seemingly, quite. I remember chuckling for a few moments at it the first time I read the book.[/nq]
[nq:1]Though it is kind of a rule that jokes aren't funny if you end up saying, "I don't think I've got it."[/nq]
It's not every joke that suits all audiences. Life is like that.
Skitt (in Hayward, California)
www.geocities.com/opus731/
[nq:1]Though it is kind of a rule that jokes aren't funny if you end up saying, "I don't think I've got it."[/nq]
It's not every joke that suits all audiences. Life is like that.
Skitt (in Hayward, California)
www.geocities.com/opus731/
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[nq:1]It's not every joke that suits all audiences. Life is like that.[/nq]
Nor does every life suit all audiences. Mine doesn't suit me right now, at all. Struggling to find a way to change that - well, I can think of one, before anybody is kind enough to suggest it. That's the problem - I can't think of any other.
Redwine
Very Depressed
Nor does every life suit all audiences. Mine doesn't suit me right now, at all. Struggling to find a way to change that - well, I can think of one, before anybody is kind enough to suggest it. That's the problem - I can't think of any other.
Redwine
Very Depressed
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[nq:1]spake Skitt thus:[/nq]
[nq:2]It's not every joke that suits all audiences. Life is like that.[/nq]
[nq:1]Nor does every life suit all audiences. Mine doesn't suit me right now, at all. Struggling to find a way ... of one, before anybody is kind enough to suggest it. That's the problem - I can't think of any other.[/nq]
I'm sorry to hear of your perception of life at the moment, a
[nq:2]It's not every joke that suits all audiences. Life is like that.[/nq]
[nq:1]Nor does every life suit all audiences. Mine doesn't suit me right now, at all. Struggling to find a way ... of one, before anybody is kind enough to suggest it. That's the problem - I can't think of any other.[/nq]
I'm sorry to hear of your perception of life at the moment, a
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[nq:1]Cheer up things could be worse.[/nq]
Yep. It looks at the moment like they will be on Wednesday.
But thanks for the encouraging thoughts Skitt.
Redwine
Hamburg
Yep. It looks at the moment like they will be on Wednesday.
But thanks for the encouraging thoughts Skitt.
Redwine
Hamburg
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[nq:1]Masa quotes Frederick Forsyth:[/nq]
They could be talking about the clap.
They could be talking about the clap.
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[nq:2]Seemingly, quite. I remember chuckling for a few moments at it the first time I read the book.[/nq]
[nq:1]Though it is kind of a rule that jokes aren't funny if you end up saying, "I don't think I've got it."[/nq]
I got it well, your explanations are good.
Anyway this joke is hard for non-natives to get the meaning of. Here is to him if someone had a straightforward laugh at it.
[nq:1]Though it is kind of a rule that jokes aren't funny if you end up saying, "I don't think I've got it."[/nq]
I got it well, your explanations are good.
Anyway this joke is hard for non-natives to get the meaning of. Here is to him if someone had a straightforward laugh at it.
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[nq:1]Though it is kind of a rule that jokes aren't funny if you end up saying, "I don't think I've got it."[/nq]
You probably haven't got it because you never sit on other people's loos.
Alternatively you might not get it because you don't understand English humour.
"How lucky you English are to find ve toilet so amusing. For us, it is a mundane and functional item, but for you,
You probably haven't got it because you never sit on other people's loos.
Alternatively you might not get it because you don't understand English humour.
"How lucky you English are to find ve toilet so amusing. For us, it is a mundane and functional item, but for you,
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