Have you ever been on your way to class and without necessarily meaning to, heard someone random in the hallways say something absolutely hilarious and completely out of context? Just in case you needed something to laugh at today and share with your friends, here’s a compilation of some snippets of conversations that I heard in the halls this week. Do any of these sound familiar to your conversations?
“I love faucets.”
Well, the more I think about it, the more I realize that I’m not sure how I would get by without a faucet in my sink, so kudos to whoever was thinking hard about what they were grateful for. And for whoever loves faucets enough to declare it, here are three fun facts about faucets. Firstly, the word faucet comes from fausset, a medieval French word for a bung in a barrel. Additionally, In 1937, Alfred M. Moen created the first single-handle faucet. Finally, many faucets in India are made of plastic. Doesn’t that make you love faucets that much more?
“Metaphors aren’t deadly, but they hurt a lot.”
While it’s true that metaphors aren’t deadly, there’s no reason that they should hurt you, or your grade! Here are three tips for understanding and identifying metaphors in the context of most literature. Ask yourself first if the sentence is comparing one thing to another. Second, look for the words ‘like’ or ‘as’ in the sentence. If you find these, not only is it a metaphor, but it’s a specific type of metaphor, called a simile. Observe the surrounding context of the metaphor and try to determine how it is adding depth, perspective, and greater understanding to the piece by observing its context, or the words around it. Hopefully that will help metaphors be a little less hostile!
“I stuck a fork into a power outlet.”
That’s not a smart thing to do, and while whoever said this might have learned that the hard way, here’s some reasoning for those who haven’t tried it yet. Without proper protection or planning, you will be electrocuted. Your muscles will tense, which could cause you to involuntarily jump back or move in a way that you wouldn’t have otherwise. You could sustain nerve, tissue, and muscle damage, thermal burns, and potential cardiac arrest. If you deem it absolutely necessary to stick metal near an outlet (for example, when removing screws to change the wall plate), turn the electricity off, wear rubber gloves, and be very cautious. But in most cases, just don’t do it!
“I’m in a country mood, and I’m about to yodel.”
This is potentially one of the most random things I have ever heard. Fun fact: yodeling is considered a dying language and art, because it was used to communicate over long distances in the Swiss Alps. Calls were used by herders and could mean things like “I’m close by,” or “It’s time for lunch.” Although it’s first documented in Appenzell in 1545, it wasn’t introduced to the United States until the 1800s, by German immigrants. So, kudos to whoever is practicing yodeling, despite whatever mood you’re in. You’re saving a dying language!
Speaking of yodeling, don’t forget to buy tickets for this year’s production of the Sound of Music! You can buy tickets by clicking on this link. Dates are March 29th at 7pm, March 30th at 12pm and 6pm, April 5th at 7pm, and April 6th at 12pm and 6pm.
