What the hell does this mean?

[fireheart]

Potential for an ongoing thread, but it's entirely up to you.


Similar to how we have the "tell me something I don't know thread", here is your chance to ask questions to be answered by someone else who may actually know the answer. It can be questions relating to another country (given we have what...4-5 different countries on here?), stuff about particular careers, terminology you don't understand, particular subcultures etc. entirely up to you.

The only rule is that the question has to actually be about something, not like the "Ask the Kiwi guy" pages.

So to kick things off, here's what prompted this thread:

Question:

So I was watching Project Runway the other night (an older episode) and it was one where they were designing outfits for Drag Queens. Very interesting stuff and the runway show was one of the most fun ones I've ever seen (coupled with the one five seasons later where the contestants had to design outfits for BABIES ).

When the drag queens are introducing themselves however, Acid Betty admits that she's a "hybrid" drag queen. As someone who has never seen a drag performance, what the hell is a "hybrid" drag queen?

[NecessaryCatharsis]

Maybe an Answer?

I don't know what a 'hybrid' drag queen is, although according to google it is someone who keeps some male characteristics, (possibilities include arm/leg hair, male muscle definition, lack of breasts) while adopting some female characteristics when dressed in drag. I have no idea how accurate that is....

I do have something I have wasted many an hour wondering about (Question Time

In The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, when the characters are in danger they decide to hold a séance to call Zaphod Beeblebrox's great-grandfather for help. The following conversation takes place (character names supplied by me):

Zaphod 'Zaphod Beeblebrox the Fourth. Concentrate!'
Arthur 'The Fourth?'
Zaphod 'Yeah. Listen, I'm Zaphod Beeblebrox, my father was Zaphod Beeblebrox the Second, my grandfather Zaphod Beeblebrox the Third....'
Arthur 'What?'
Zaphod 'There was an accident with a contraceptive and a time machine. Now concentrate!'

Given the possibility of time travel and whatever in the book I still can't wrap my head around a possible series of events (regardless of how implausible) that could make that statement (I bolded) true. Any ideas?

(Sorry if that doesn't follow your rule about actually being about something, since it relates to fiction, feel free to delete if not in the spirit of your thread)

[Chromatix]

Sounds like Zaphod is his own great-great-great-great-grandfather. Since he knows how many intervening generations there are, he set up a countdown...

[EricKei]

If Zaphod and his line aged backwards a la Benjamin Button...wait, no, I still can't make that work. x.x

He would literally have to be progressing "backwards" in time, like Chronos (Time himself. Literally. As he personally went forward (he technically aged, but didn't actually grow any older -- he's immortal), relative time appeared to move from the end of the world (universe?) to its beginning) from Piers Anthony's "Incarnations of Immortality" books. (note -- good reads, especially for someone who likes PA's style but can't stand the pun-filled Xanth books).

Of special note -- it's possible that ...

- The Infinite Improbability Drive is involved in some way. After all, the LESS likely something is to happen, the greater the chances that the ID will make it happen
- Zaphod is full of shit, as usual ^_^
- The memory was implanted
- The actual explanation is technically still inside ZB's brain(s?0, but in the section that was sealed off by that rat bastid who burned his initials into it/them.

======================

I suppose I should add a question here:

What, exactly, does "Bah weep grah naa weep nini bon" mean? I know that it's a universal greeting or something in the Trans Formers 'verse, but what does it literally mean?

[Seshat]

the Universal Greeting can be roughly translated into "We come in peace", "Take me to your leader", "Care to dance?", or whatever seems appropriate

That's from one of the (many) Transformers wikis.

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What does it really mean when a non-geek says "I don't know anything about computers"? Or something similar. It seems to be something commonly said when they want geeks to shut up about them .. but why say that? It sounds to ME like an invitation to explain!

[NecessaryCatharsis]

What does it really mean when a non-geek says "I don't know anything about computers"? Or something similar. It seems to be something commonly said when they want geeks to shut up about them .. but why say that? It sounds to ME like an invitation to explain!

I don't know about other people but I say it a fair bit and it can mean one of three things

1) I don't understand what you are asking me to do/tell you. Talk down to me please (from IT support type things), usually preluded by 'So sorry but...'

2) Tell me what to buy, download, click, do, I'm trusting you to make this decision for me, or, if you have the time and energy, actually educate me enough to do it myself (usually said to computer store salesmen or techs, friends I've sought help from or techy type coworkers)

3) I don't give a rat's ass (usually said to people who are telling me about wonderful new things computers I will never see or use or need can do by people who lead very different lives from mine, used primarily in social situations)

tl/dr It can mean either shut up about it, or explain it to me more. Polite society can be confusing sometimes

[Sarlon]

since no one posted a question....I'll place one.

My friend and I were talking the other day, and got around to the phrase persona nongrata (or similar spelling), and he asked me what I meant...he knows what it refers to...but what does it mean?

I said it means a person of no name, which back in the day if you were an orphan or a bastard, you had no family name and therefore no worth.

Am I wrong or right? or so far out of left field I'm in the soccer fields?

[Chanlin]

Actually it means Person who is not acceptable, agreeable, welcome

In diplomatic terms it is a way to kick a foreign diplomat out of a country. Since most diplomats have diplomatic immunity and can't be legally punished a government can declare them Persona non Grata and have them kicked out of the country.

In a non-legal sense it can be used to mean any person that has been ostracized from a group for one reason or another. According to most dictionaries I looked at the phrase's first recorded uses was in 1904.

I don't have my own question, so if someone wants to toss one out there...

[morgana]

Literally, person not welcome.

[fireheart]

OK, new one prompted by a discussion with a child today.

What team does the NY logo (on baseball caps) stand for?

Also, what the hell does pumpkin spice TASTE like?!

[Chromatix]

What team does the NY logo (on baseball caps) stand for?

It's probably not a team at all. Baseball caps' designs aren't all about baseball. For example, I have one with the TrackIR logo on it - it's designed to have the trio of reflectors needed for 3D head-tracking fitted on top, but it could just as easily be substituted by another baseball cap.

[fireheart]

It's probably not a team at all. Baseball caps' designs aren't all about baseball. For example, I have one with the TrackIR logo on it - it's designed to have the trio of reflectors needed for 3D head-tracking fitted on top, but it could just as easily be substituted by another baseball cap.

It looks like the letters N and Y on top of each other.

[dalesys]

It looks like the letters N and Y on top of each other.

Niew Junk Jounkees, off course.

[Chanlin]

It looks like the letters N and Y on top of each other.

Yankees and the Mets both use a similar logo.

http://www.sportslogos.net/logos/vie.../2007/Cap_Logo

http://www.sportslogos.net/logos/vie.../2012/Cap_Logo

[AccountingDrone]

Pumpkin spice is a set of spices normally found in pumpkin pie - cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, cloves.