How a Portuguese-to-English Phrasebook Became a Cult Comedy Sensation
Meet 1883's most absurd language guide.
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Dandelion Break What Made Mark Twain Laugh?
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Terry Lowell
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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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