How a Portuguese-to-English Phrasebook Became a Cult Comedy Sensation
Meet 1883's most absurd language guide.
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Café Life is the Colony's main hangout, watering hole and meeting point.
This is a place where you'll meet and make writing friends, and indulge in stratospherically-elevated wit or barometrically low humour.
Some Colonists pop in religiously every day before or after work. Others we see here less regularly, but all are equally welcome. Two important grounds rules…
- Don't give offence
- Don't take offence
We now allow political discussion, but strongly suggest it takes place in the Steam Room, which is a private sub-forum within Café Life. It’s only accessible to Full Members.
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Dandelion Break What Made Mark Twain Laugh?
- Thread starter Pamela Jo
- Start date
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Terry Lowell
Full Member
Very funny. I once decided to brush up my schoolboy French and bought a second hand phrase book. It was published in 1947 and had translations for 'were you u boat captain, 'was your house bombed', and 'can you recommend a good Swedish gymnast'.
'Take out the live coals with the hand of a cat' seems excellent advice to me.
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