Guerillas threaten gorillas!

Posted 20 Nov 2008

Language, People | 3 Comments 

Why all this guerilla on gorilla violence!? Won’t somebody please think of the homonyms?!?

Please note that the editors of chickenmonkeydog do not support violence and do not condone the endangerment of the mountain gorillas.

Thanks to a reader from Chicago for the contribution.

A marketed difference

Posted 12 Nov 2008

Daily Life, Language, Places, Signs | Leave a Comment 

When I first moved to the UK, back in 2002, I was surprised by the manner in which restaurants in particular marketed themselves on their signage and hoarding. Restaurants were claiming to be ‘probably the best’. Below is a similar sort of sign:

I used to laugh when I saw those sorts of signs. Only the best in this area? Probably the best? Yet over time, I have developed more of a sense of and appreciation for British culture. Thus, I came to appreciate their sense of understatement. Being seen as too cocky or forward might put customers off.

It was a real lesson in marketing the right message to the intended audience. Claiming to be ‘probably the best’ would never work in America; hey, America is the home of the World Series, where only American and Canadian teams compete. We like things big and loud with a showy sense of confidence. But clearly, that wouldn’t work here in the UK. It probably also wouldn’t work elsewhere as well.

So, I’d like to ask our international audience here, on chickenmonkeydog, how is marketing done in your corner of the world? What cultural differences on marketing need to be considered in your neck of the woods?

I know thee, therefore I hate thee…

Posted 7 Nov 2008

Language, The Little Things | 2 Comments 

If one is familiar with the phrase “familiarity breeds contempt“, does that mean one must be contemptuous of the phrase?

A child’s challenge

Posted 3 Nov 2008

Daily Life, Language | 3 Comments 

Earlier today, I was stumped by a question asked by a young child: What does the word ‘and’ mean?

Yes, there is the Cambridge dictionary definition, but can you come up with a succinct definition that would be comprehensible by a four year old? I really struggled with it.

A recent study reports …

Posted 27 Oct 2008

Daily Life, Language, News, The Little Things | Leave a Comment 

A recent study reports that a reference to a vague and undefined “recent study” is among the best ways to lend credence to an otherwise unsubstantiated “fact” of dubious origin.

Have you ever noticed how often one encounters the phrase “a recent study” (or a near approximation) in the news and via email? It makes me laugh because quite frequently the specific report is not referenced anywhere in the story. When creating this post I did come across arecentstudy.com, which seems to actually reference new reports when they are published — unfortunately the site hasn’t been updated since May 29, 2008.

Keep your eyes open! I have a feeling you may see “a recent study” show up soon, decrying the “disparaging remarks made on certain quirky little blogs on the topic of ‘recent studies’.”