Sideswipe: August 8: Spachback service

Photo / Supplied

"This guy must be the only person in the world giving 'spachback' service," says Lali Singh.

Aussie copycat marketing

Online electricity retailer Powershop is well known in New Zealand for its eye-catching advertising. And it seems this online ad - featuring revolutionary leader Che Guevara - caught the eye of the Australian who supplied the marketing image for new energy drink "Powerbeverage".

World Cup jargon overload

Peter Lyons of Mt Albert is looking forward to the World Cup but two phrases are starting to irritate - "Once in a lifetime" and "Showcasing the country". "We last hosted the World Cup in 1987. Twenty four years is not a lifetime unless our life expectancy has fallen below that of sub-Sahara Africa. As for 'showcasing the country', sending a postcard is quicker and far less expensive. Also, Peter Dunne has an uncanny ability in making dubious activities uncool. He almost single-handedly killed off the planking craze by performing it on national TV. Now he has admitted to dope smoking in the 1970s. This will probably lead to a marked decline in drug abuse."

Edward Scissorhands did it ...

A 10-year-old German girl who gave herself a radical haircut and then feared her parents' reaction claimed she was kidnapped by a man armed with a pair of scissors. A police spokesman said the girl ran to a neighbour with the story that someone had broken into her house, threatened her with scissors and held her captive for a short time. A manhunt for a supposed perpetrator on the run was launched, but a few hours later the girl admitted that she and her brother had found the scissors in the basement and given themselves a major trim. (Source: AFP)

Aussies with our pies in the sky

On a flight with Pacific Blue, Jenny Matheson says the inflight menu read: "Luke Mangan is one of Australia's leading chefs and is highly regarded internationally." So she decided to have the Luke Mangan Premium Beef Pie. At $8 it was expensive and arrived in a cellophane bag labelled "Maketu Pies proudly made in Maketu, Bay of Plenty". Maketu Pies says it sells these pies in its shop ready to eat for $3.30.

Man up, it's not new

"Aren't the young ones sensitive!" declares Duane. "Man up is not new. My coach was yelling that out 20 years ago. And 'epic' as an intensifier was very common in the 80s. Perhaps they should consider it a compliment that the wiser heads have adopted one of the less inane phrases of the millennials and started moving it into common usage."