Trivial Facts

[Alien826]

I haven't see one here in my 57 years.

Crumpet at Whole Foods Market

Find SHARROCK ENGLISH BAKERY Crumpet at Whole Foods Market. Get nutrition, ingredient, allergen, pricing and weekly sale information!

www.wholefoodsmarket.com

When I first came to the USA (30-odd years ago) I ordered "English Muffins" expecting to receive crumpets. I was very disappointed, as I have always enjoyed crumpets (both the food and slang meaning of the word).

 

[John53]

Do cockatoos have hands?

They evolved into wings.

 

[Alien826]

There's a commercial for selling insurance policies where they say "you're sitting on a gold mine!"

Back in the day in England, that expression was used (humorously) to recommend prostitution to women as a way to make money. I assume whoever wrote the commercial hasn't heard of it.

 

[Revoltingest]

The Eiffel Tower has been painted 19 times.
(The Frogs like prime numbers?)
It took 60 tons of paint the last time.
This structure is in a major city in France.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Crumpet at Whole Foods Market

Find SHARROCK ENGLISH BAKERY Crumpet at Whole Foods Market. Get nutrition, ingredient, allergen, pricing and weekly sale information!

www.wholefoodsmarket.com

When I first came to the USA (30-odd years ago) I ordered "English Muffins" expecting to receive crumpets. I was very disappointed, as I have always enjoyed crumpets (both the food and slang meaning of the word).

I don't think I've ever shopped there. I hear they're quite expensive.

 

[Revoltingest]

I don't think I've ever shopped there. I hear they're quite expensive.

Whole Foods is nicknamed "Whole Paycheck".

 

[Shadow Wolf]

"Do you know, it takes a man, in a tweed suit, 5 1/2 seconds to fall from the top of Big Ben to the ground.

I feel that tops the list of dark things for a proper English Brit to know, lol.

 

[ChristineM]

Chocolate is made from fruit.

Cocoa beans are the fruit of the cocoa tree

 

[Revoltingest]

A long ton is 2200#.
It's 1000 kg.
A short ton is 2000#.
In USA....
The long ton is commonly used in chain hoists.
The short ton is commonly used to weigh the loads.

 

[ChristineM]

The unicorn is the national animal of Scotland

 

[Revoltingest]

A pound of feathers weighs more than a pound of gold.
An ounce of feathers weighs less than an ounce of gold.
An ounce of dark chocolate is better than a pound of milk chocolate.

 

[ChristineM]

Some cats are allergic to humans

 

[JustGeorge]

Where do you buy them?

In the refrigerator section at the grocery store, nearby other refrigerated breads.

They can be a little hard to find; probably have to find a larger grocery store.

 

[exchemist]

I feel that tops the list of dark things for a proper English Brit to know, lol.

Yes, except I'm sure it's wrong. I think it would take less time than that, tweed suit or not.

OK my instinct may be wrong in fact. I've checked. Big Ben is 315ft high and g = 32 ft/sec². Applying s = 1/2 a t², 315 = 16t², so t² = 315/16 =19.7 so t = √19.7 ~4.4sec.

But that's neglecting air resistance. I suppose it is possible that a man in a tweed suit would have his speed of fall retarded by air resistance by a further second, though it does seem a little high to me.

So maybe Peter Sellers was quoting a real number after all!

(And perhaps Michael Caine ought to be the expert, as in "Get Carter" he pushes a crime boss over the parapet of a multistorey car park in Gateshead on Tyneside, to his death.)

 

[ChristineM]

Isaac Newton, besides discovering gravity, the laws of motion and the principles of light was also something of an inventor.
Two of his inventions were.
The milled edged coin (to prevent clipping)
And
The cat flap.

 

[SalixIncendium]

In the refrigerator section at the grocery store, nearby other refrigerated breads.

They can be a little hard to find; probably have to find a larger grocery store.

I guess I never look there. By the refrigerated bagels and such?

 

[JustGeorge]

I guess I never look there. By the refrigerated bagels and such?

Yup.

Though I remember ladyfingers being there and wondering what the heck those were...

 

[exchemist]

Isaac Newton, besides discovering gravity, the laws of motion and the principles of light was also something of an inventor.
Two of his inventions were.
The milled edged coin (to prevent clipping)
And
The cat flap.

Well I knew he was Master of the Mint, but I didn't know about the cat flap.

 

[Rival]

Well I knew he was Master of the Mint, but I didn't know about the cat flap.

Mediaeval houses had cat holes,

Door with Cat Hole | The Walters Art Museum

This door, decorated with panels carved in a linen-fold pattern, was probably a back or interior door of a middle-class home. It is remarkable for its cat hole. Cats were primarily kept as working mousers at a time when there was no refrigeration and spoiling grain could tempt mice. Few doors...

art.thewalters.org

 

[SalixIncendium]

Yup.

I'll have to look next time I'm there. They look like they'd hold a lot of butter...

Though I remember ladyfingers being there and wondering what the heck those were...

I didn't know those were even legal to sell. I would also assume they'd be in the butcher's case.