• A few questions

    From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/6 to All on Wed Sep 23 15:49:26 2020
    Hi, All!

    From "The Gun Seller", by Hugh Laurie.
    A few questions for the second paragraph:

    -----Beginning of the citation-----
    I was ushered into a large, oak-panelled room, with
    shelves of Regina versus The Rest Of The World on three
    walls, and a row of wooden filing cabinets along the
    fourth. There was a photograph on the desk of three
    teenage children, who looked as if they'd been bought
    from a catalogue, and next to it, a signed picture of
    Denis Thatcher. I was chewing on the peculiar fact that
    both these photographs were pointing outwards from the
    desk, when a connecting door opened, and I was suddenly
    in the presence of Spencer.

    And quite a presence it was. He was a taller version of
    Rex Harrison, with greying hair, half-moon spectacles
    and a shirt so white it must have been running off the
    mains. I didn't actually see him start the clock as he
    sat down.
    ----- The end of the citation -----

    1. What is "half-moon spectacles"?

    2. "a shirt so white it must have been running off the
    mains"?

    3. "I didn't actually see him start the clock as he
    sat down."
    Which clock?

    Bye, All!

    Alexander Koryagin

    ---
    * Origin: nntps://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to Alexander Koryagin on Sat Sep 26 14:56:36 2020
    Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to All:

    From "The Gun Seller", by Hugh Laurie.


    Ah, thank you for sourcing this excerpt at the outset. I understand much more clearly what's going on when I know the author is British.... :-)



    I was ushered into a large, oak-panelled room, with
    shelves of Regina versus The Rest Of The World on
    three walls, and a row of wooden filing cabinets
    along the fourth.


    As with Agatha Christie's stories, a person's surroundings & the way s/he is dressed speak volumes. I gather this man specializes in criminal law.



    There was a photograph on the desk of three
    teenage children, who looked as if they'd been
    bought from a catalogue,


    Or sent to the "right" schools, at least. :-Q



    and next to it, a signed picture of Denis Thatcher.


    Margaret Thatcher's husband, a political conservative.... :-)



    I was chewing on the peculiar fact that both these
    photographs were pointing outwards from the desk,
    when a connecting door opened, and I was suddenly
    in the presence of Spencer.

    And quite a presence it was. He was a taller version
    of Rex Harrison, with greying hair, half-moon spectacles
    and a shirt so white it must have been running off the
    mains. I didn't actually see him start the clock as he
    sat down.



    1. What is "half-moon spectacles"?


    Folks who have presbyopia, a type of far-sightedness associated with advancing age, may wear glasses for "close work" such as reading but push them farther down on their nose or take them off when they are speaking to somebody on the other side of the desk. If the problem is fairly minor & they can make do with whatever the local drug store has to offer, they may be able to get by that way. Prescription glasses, while they are more costly, allow for a range of options including "half-sized" lenses which make such antics unnecessary.



    2. "a shirt so white it must have been running off the
    mains"?


    The whiteness of his shirt was dazzling, like that of a bright light ... from which I conclude he could afford to have it professionally laundered.



    3. "I didn't actually see him start the clock as he
    sat down."
    Which clock?


    I imagine this man would normally charge by the hour for his work... and would be keeping track of how much time he spent with the narrator even if nobody saw him doing it. The context appears to suggest this was not a social visit & these two individuals had never met in person before.



    I hope my comments are of some assistance.... :-)




    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)
  • From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/6 to Ardith Hinton on Mon Sep 28 09:45:06 2020
    Hi, Ardith Hinton! ->Alexander Koryagin
    I read your message from 26.09.2020 14:56

    2. "a shirt so white it must have been running off the
    mains"?
    The whiteness of his shirt was dazzling, like that
    of a bright light .. from which I conclude he could afford to
    have it professionally laundered.

    What is "mains"?

    Bye, Ardith Hinton - Alexander!
    Alexander Koryagin

    english_tutor 2020

    ---
    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to ALEXANDER KORYAGIN on Mon Sep 28 15:16:00 2020
    2. "a shirt so white it must have been running off the
    mains"?
    The whiteness of his shirt was dazzling, like that
    of a bright light .. from which I conclude he could afford to
    have it professionally laundered.

    What is "mains"?

    I usually take it to mean electicity, like the main power line into an area.

    I tend to think of that as a British use of the word.

    Mike


    * SLMR 2.1a * God must love the common man; He made so many of them.
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Linux
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to Alexander Koryagin on Mon Sep 28 21:24:42 2020
    Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to All:

    1. What is "half-moon spectacles"?


    I just saw a wonderful example of what Laurie was probably referring to in THE CROWN, second season, episode 5 ("Marionettes"). The year is 1958 & various scenes take place in the London office of a magazine publisher. I see toward the end a middle-aged employee wearing eyeglasses (AKA spectacles) with lenses of a shape resembling half moons, i.e. if one imagines the half moon as we usually see it rotated 180 degrees with the flat part on top. In this case the frame holds the rounded part in place but there's no frame on top.... :-)




    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)
  • From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/6 to Ardith Hinton on Tue Sep 29 09:40:46 2020
    Hi, Ardith Hinton!
    I read your message from 28.09.2020 21:24

    1. What is "half-moon spectacles"?

    I just saw a wonderful example of what Laurie was probably
    referring to in THE CROWN, second season, episode 5
    ("Marionettes"). The year is 1958 & various scenes take place in
    the London office of a magazine publisher. I see toward the end a middle-aged employee wearing eyeglasses (AKA spectacles) with
    lenses of a shape resembling half moons, i.e. if one imagines the
    half moon as we usually see it rotated 180 degrees with the flat
    part on top. In this case the frame holds the rounded part in place
    but there's no frame on top....

    Thanks - it was Monday a hard day. I forgot to ask google "half-moon glasses". ;-)

    PS: 2Mike - but "a shirt so white it must have been running off the mains" remains strange for me. But OK, I know it probably means "very white". Google hasn't helped me at this time.

    Bye, Ardith Hinton!
    Alexander Koryagin

    english_tutor 2020

    ---
    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From Denis Mosko@2:5064/54.1315 to All on Wed Sep 30 14:38:16 2020
    FOR 3+ YEARS BABIES, PRESCHOOL AND SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN.

    Clarified. No sugar added. Contains sugars of natural origin. No GMO. Pasterized and aseptically packed.

    Why?

    --- GoldED+/W32-MINGW 1.1.5-b20120519 (Kubik 3.0)
    * Origin: В начале было слово. В конце будет ориджин. (2:5064/54.1315)
  • From Dallas Hinton@1:153/7715 to Denis Mosko on Wed Sep 30 21:12:50 2020
    Hi, Denis -- on Sep 30 2020 at 14:38, you wrote:

    Clarified. No sugar added. Contains sugars of natural origin. No
    GMO. Pasterized and aseptically packed.

    Why?

    Why what?

    Cheers... Dallas

    --- timEd/NT 1.30+
    * Origin: The BandMaster, Vancouver, CANADA (1:153/7715)
  • From Denis Mosko@2:5064/54.1315 to Dallas Hinton on Thu Oct 1 08:37:02 2020
    Clarified. No sugar added. Contains sugars of natural origin.
    No GMO. Pasterized and aseptically packed.
    Why?
    Why what?
    Why that specification of packing and how with it at Vancouver, CANADADIAN?

    --- GoldED+/W32-MINGW 1.1.5-b20120519 (Kubik 3.0)
    * Origin: В начале было слово. В конце будет ориджин. (2:5064/54.1315)
  • From Dallas Hinton@1:153/7715 to Denis Mosko on Wed Sep 30 23:49:38 2020
    Hi, Denis -- on Oct 01 2020 at 08:37, you wrote:

    Clarified. No sugar added. Contains sugars of natural origin.
    No GMO. Pasterized and aseptically packed.

    Why?
    Why what?
    D
    Why that specification of packing and how with it at Vancouver, CANADADIAN?

    Presumably this specifies the quality and preparation method of the food
    in question. Why they prepare it this way is probably a combination of
    food laws and what sells. What is this product?

    Vancouver, BC, Canada is the third largest city in Canada. Population
    is about 722,000 for the main city, and about 2.5 million for the city
    plus the surrounding suburbs (called Metro Vancouver). We consider
    ourselves Canadians.



    Cheers... Dallas

    --- timEd/NT 1.30+
    * Origin: The BandMaster, Vancouver, CANADA (1:153/7715)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to Alexander Koryagin on Mon Oct 5 22:16:01 2020
    Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

    2. "a shirt so white it must have been running off the
    mains"?

    The whiteness of his shirt was dazzling, like that of
    a bright light... from which I conclude he could afford
    to have it professionally laundered.

    What is "mains"?


    In UK & Canadian English it's the supply point for the distribution of electrical power (or water) to a building... hence my comparison involving a bright light. I imagine the author was thinking of the brightness or potential brightness of lighting powered by such an external source as opposed to that of candles, gas lamps, or the battery-powered flashlight I had as a child.... :-Q




    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to Mike Powell on Mon Oct 5 23:06:12 2020
    Hi, Mike! Recently you wrote in a message to ALEXANDER KORYAGIN:

    What is "mains"?

    I usually take it to mean electicity, like the main
    power line into an area.


    Uh-huh. :-)



    I tend to think of that as a British use of the word.


    Essentially, I agree. And my CANADIAN OXFORD DICTIONARY reinforces your idea by saying it's [esp. UK] when used in the plural with "the".... :-)




    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)