this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2024
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A collection of some classic Lemmy memes for your enjoyment

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[–] No_Change_Just_Money@feddit.de 85 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Til : Pterodacrylus and helicopter share a linguistic ancestry

[–] oce@jlai.lu 34 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Wait before you hear about the helicopterodactylus.

Ah yes, bane of the T-🦕

[–] pocopene@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

And so do mastodon and mastectomy (not a joke).

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Son of a bitch...

[–] Yurgenst@sh.itjust.works 76 points 1 year ago
[–] LANIK2000@lemmy.world 28 points 1 year ago (1 children)

In Czech we call it "vrtulník" (propeller thing), which I find kinda hilarious now that I think about it.

[–] e8d79@discuss.tchncs.de 15 points 1 year ago (3 children)

The german word for aeroplane is similar, "Flugzeug" directly translates to "flying thing". Helicopter is also fun, "Hubschrauber" translates to "lifting screwer".

[–] onion@feddit.de 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't think it means "thing", but rather "Gerät" as in 2 c):

https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Zeug

It evolved from a word for "pulling"

[–] e8d79@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 1 year ago

I guess for "Flugzeug", 'device' works better but I don't think I have ever thought about it in that way. From my experience usage usually goes more like this: "Pack dein Zeug zusammen wir gehen weiter." which I think best translates to 'Stuff' or 'things'. Zeug is an interesting word though. It is also used for the harness of a draft animal ("sich ins Zeug legen"), it's bridle ("Zaumzeug"), bed linen ("Bettzeug"), work tools ("Werkzeug") , or as a word for nonsense ("red kein dummes Zeug"). I would say it started, as you said, as a word for device but became a slightly negative word for 'Stuff'.

[–] MacNCheezus@lemmy.today 1 points 1 year ago

Not to be confused with Hubschraubär.

[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Now I am curious as to what the Chinese characters in their word for helicopter mean, since panda is "bear cat," owl is "cat headed eagle," and peacock is "thunder chicken," IIRC.

[–] Shardikprime@lemmy.world 27 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Pter Prker, the amazing Spderman

[–] Bgugi@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

It's actually a play on Latin: "arker" as a bastardization of "Arachne" meaning spider + "peterp" which roughly translates to "exceptional person"

[–] rsuri@lemmy.world 22 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So it should be quadpter then

[–] GreenAppleTree@lemmy.world 57 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Considering pteron is greek and quad is latin, it should probably have been tetrapter. Which actually rolls off the tongue better.

[–] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 24 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Plus sounds like a dinosaur

[–] ulterno@lemmy.kde.social 8 points 1 year ago

Sounds like 4 dinosaurs

[–] Muscar@discuss.online 6 points 1 year ago

Tetraptor would sound like a dinosaur, but tetrapter doesn't.

[–] Pat_Riot@lemmy.today 21 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Then the Pis silent and we've all been saying it wrong this whole time.

[–] cyborganism@lemmy.ca 20 points 1 year ago (2 children)
[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] surewhynotlem@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

Hello cooter

[–] pigup@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago
[–] wieson@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Nah, englishers just lack the skill.

In greek, the p is loud in pterodactyl and psychology.

Saiki for psyche, psh, that's 1/6 letters read correctly. Or with greek letters, that's 0/4 (ψυχή).

[–] Ultraviolet@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's a more subtle P sound though, blended into the next consonant. Omitting it is the lesser of two evils compared to saying "putterodactyl"

[–] wieson@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

It's possible in cleptomaniac, empty and top tier without adding an extra vowel.

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

I don't believe in silent letters!

[–] Shardikprime@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago (2 children)
[–] PetteriSkaffari@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Joyful types go helicopterodactyl.

[–] Leate_Wonceslace@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Spiraling wind finger?

Is that from Naruto?

[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Nah, Sailor Moon had something like that

[–] Rubanski@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

Or Archeopterix!

[–] Justas@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 year ago

In Lithuanian, we escaped the madness by making up our own name for it:

Sraigtasparnis = sraigtas (cog) + sparnas (wing)

Not to be confused with the word for autogyro:

Malūnsparnis = malūnas (mill) + sparnas (wing)

Which is not interesting unless you are writing some alternate history with aircraft in it and want to call them something with no Greek or Latin.

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] Jimbo@yiffit.net 2 points 1 year ago

Bottom text

[–] qevlarr@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

This is my favorite fun fact to tell. Please don't spread the word too far or it stops being amazing

[–] dysprosium@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

I dont get it. Is this read from left to right or from right to left? Manga typically reads from right to left, but judging from her reaction neither makes sense... She is not making a "wha-" expression, which indicates that it came before, but she is already turning her head, which indicates that it it came after. WHAT.

[–] samus12345@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] dysprosium@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes almost perfect, but she is already turning her head in 2nd panel, but in 3rd panel she is looking in front of her. Perhaps copy pasting the 4th panel onto the 3rd but removing the text bubble. But then again, how does the original even work? It's flawed...incurable...better we stop now.

[–] Nelots@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Left to right. The two big panels are the first and last panels respectively.

[–] dysprosium@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

But her reaction on the last big panel is more in line with her initial surprise to what she said, not the shocked reaction after having said wha-

[–] Nelots@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I think the intended idea was that she freezes mid-sentence in shock after fully comprehending what was said. Shrunken iris, mouth half open... I personally think the reaction makes sense.

[–] PapaStevesy@midwest.social 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah, the comic adds absolutely nothing to this very tired "fun fact", it's not a successful meme format at all imo.

[–] aoidenpa@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

But look at her face. That's adorable.

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[–] Heavybell@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

See also "ornitho" (relating to birds) and "pter" (wing) creating the term ornithopter for a heavier than air vehicle that flies by flapping its wings. Famously seen in Dune, but I think also back in the day people actually tried to make them, long before aircraft existed.

[–] Lionheadbud@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Yeah that's mad

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