KEY POINTS:
Spotted at the AA Service Centre, St Lukes. "What actually is free? Lifting up your bonnet to make sure the engine is there? Or does that cost $79.90?" wonders Mike.
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Fundraising tins for Kidney Kids, a parent- driven, not-for-profit organisation to support the families of
children with kidney disorders, are circulating Sarah's office. "I was more than pleased to plonk in my spare change, but no ... the fundraising tins are to collect aluminium wine bottle screw-tops and aluminium tear-tabs from 'beverage cans' (guess that means beer, too, huh?). When one of our staff pointed out the irony of this association (given that alcohol consumption is known to knacker said kidneys and other organs of those who drink it excessively) to the Lions lady who dropped off the cans, she sighed and replied that our staff member wasn't the first one who has queried that association and all she can say is that "kids don't drink". Good point, and it's a very worthy organisation, but you've got to wonder at their marketing strategy."
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Origins of familiar phrases from The Best of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader:
* "Raining cats and dogs", meaning: Torrential rain. Origin: In the days before garbage collection, people tossed their trash in the gutter - including dead pets - and it just lay there. When it rained really hard, the garbage, including the bodies of dead cats and dogs, went floating down the street.
* "I've got a frog in my throat", meaning: I'm hoarse from a cold. Origin: Not inspired by the croaking sound of a cold-sufferer's voice, but by a weird medical practice from the Middle Ages whereby infections such as thrush were sometimes treated by putting a live frog head-first into the patient's mouth; by inhaling, the frog was believed to draw the patient's infection into its own body.
* "Son of a gun", meaning: An epithet. Origin: In the 1800s, British sailors took women along on extended voyages. When babies were born at sea, the mothers delivered them in a partitioned section of the gundeck. Because no one could be sure who the true fathers were, each of these "gunnery" babies was jokingly called a "son of a gun". (Source: Neatorama)
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How many have spotted the Kiwi connection in flavour-of-the-year film Slumdog Millionaire? asks Don Milne. "Well, at one stage when a character is watching cricket on TV, a commentator is heard to say a decision will be referred upstairs to "third umpire Billy Bowden". Six degrees of separation and so on."
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Acronyms, not always suitable: "You might be entertained to know that here at the University of Auckland, the acronym for the Staff and Organisational Development Unit in the HR department is SODU," writes an anonymous reader.
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Everyday people duped? After a lovely day out on the harbour a pensioner arrived back home on the bus to discover she had lost her car/house keys. She phoned the bus company, the restaurant, Fullers and reported the loss to the police. She went through handbags, suitcases, jackets, pants, drawers, cupboards and could not find the spare. Getting another house key was no problem, but apparently the car key is a different story. Toyota Manukau said it would cost $4500 to replace the transponder key for her 2008 Toyota Corolla. That's $4500 for a key. Surely this can't be true? If so, no one would buy the car. Come on, Toyota, what's the deal?
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Today's Webpick: An 80s ad for the revolutionary Slim Suit. You can even loose weight while you're sleeping! View here.
These are the very best online videos from Ana's online magazine Spare Room.