Respectful Insolence
"A statement of fact cannot be insolent." The miscellaneous ramblings of a surgeon/scientist on medicine, quackery, science, pseudoscience, history, and pseudohistory (and anything else that interests him)
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Orac is the nom de blog of a (not so) humble pseudonymous surgeon/scientist with an ego just big enough to delude himself that someone, somewhere might actually give a rodent's posterior about his miscellaneous verbal meanderings, but just barely small enough to admit to himself that few will. (Continued here, along with a DISCLAIMER that you should read before reading any medical discussions here.)
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« Quackery promotion zones? | Main | Is there publication bias in animal studies? »
Best sign ever?
Category: Humor • Skepticism/critical thinking
Posted on: March 30, 2010 3:00 PM, by Orac
Comments
Somehow, I KNEW you were going to post that!!!
Posted by: BlueMaxx | March 30, 2010 3:10 PM
Always have someone check your French when you are not a native speaker. I think what they were angling for was "la petite mort," a euphemism for "orgasm" more used in English than in French, but what they got was "the little corpse."
Posted by: RobNYNY1957@aol.com | March 30, 2010 3:22 PM
@2:
Given that the phrase in question appears next to what appear to be three stylized coffins, "the little corpse" may have been intentional.
Posted by: Scott | March 30, 2010 3:25 PM
If there are three of them, it would be "les petits morts." But it's not impossible.
Posted by: RobNYNY1957 | March 30, 2010 3:29 PM
Down the street the foreskin fair was cancelled due to unforeseen circumcisions.
Posted by: Ornage Lantern | March 30, 2010 3:35 PM
'"...but what they got was "the little corpse."'
I thought that would be "le petit cadavre."
Posted by: mk | March 30, 2010 3:36 PM
@4 Well, the comments at Orac's source indicate the sign is from Atlanta, and a bit of google-foo finds this: http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/UrbanExplorer/HotSpot?oid=oid%3A446564
Hopefully the sign above the store with only a single coffin satisfies your inner L'Academie Francaise.
Posted by: Dave | March 30, 2010 3:41 PM
On a similar note, from the Astrological Magazine:
"We regret to announce that due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, the publication of The Astrological Magazine will cease with the December 2007 issue."
I blogged on this back in 2008. I initially thought it to be an urban legend, but checked their website, it seemed legit.
Posted by: Leon Stander | March 30, 2010 3:42 PM
Awesome!
Posted by: bioephemera | March 30, 2010 3:44 PM
Very Far Side.
-r.c.
Posted by: daijiyobu | March 30, 2010 3:46 PM
"Le mort" means dead man, dead person or dead body, depending on context. The store's URL is "little female corpse," which still leaves me wondering if they meant "la mort." But the store seems to sell goth gear, including erotica, so maybe instead of bad French it is sophisticated French wordplay that leaves goths rolling in the aisles.
http://www.petitemorte.com/
Posted by: RobNYNY1957 | March 30, 2010 3:52 PM
Ah, but if they'd put up a sign saying psychic fair cancelled due to foreseen circumstances, then the police or somebody would be after them for taking in advance bookings in the full knowledge it wasn't going to happen.
Posted by: blf
| March 30, 2010 3:55 PM
Ornage Lantern, shouldn't that be unforeskin circumstances?
Posted by: rob | March 30, 2010 3:56 PM
no, it's unforeskin circumcisions.. Which, i suppose is redundant as well as repetitive..
Posted by: bri | March 30, 2010 4:09 PM
@RobNYNY1957 -- I vote either wordplay or simple alternative to "petit mort", as that domain name appears to have been parked on.
Posted by: Luna_the_cat | March 30, 2010 4:28 PM
@Dave #7
And located in Little Five Points, no less, probably the major hub of all things alt in ATL.
Ya'll drop in fer all yer Goth gear! Ya hear?
Posted by: The Gregarious Misanthrope
| March 30, 2010 6:52 PM
That reminds me of way back when I worked for a newspaper, sometimes filling on the desk. Every time a local psychic group announced a meeting, which we ran in little fillers, I wanted to headline it "Psychic group predicts meeting". But they wouldn't let me.
Posted by: Mark P | March 30, 2010 9:26 PM
Maybe the owner's name is Mortimer, and he's short.
Posted by: speedwell | March 30, 2010 10:48 PM
Now that is very cool. It will take them a while to live that one down.
Posted by: Deb | March 31, 2010 3:31 AM
It's priceless!
Posted by: DLC
| March 31, 2010 8:23 AM
I assume everyone's already linked you to Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal:
http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=1836#comic
Posted by: Silič O'Nopolitanopoulos, Färschdbischuf Beesknees aus Ulm und Klein Elguth, Elector Pharynguline.
| March 31, 2010 9:14 AM
That was good for a coffee sinus wash.
But isn't it legally risky (i.e. like malpractice) for these particular professionals to admit unforseen circumstances?
Posted by: Dr. Mary Johnson | March 31, 2010 12:41 PM
In Kitchener, Ontario, there was a psychic named Gina (in the mid- to late-80s). She used to have a big advertising sign outside her shop saying, Gina Physic. It stayed there for many a month. Maybe she doubled as an aerobic instructor? :)
--dan
Posted by: Daniel J. Andrews | March 31, 2010 12:46 PM
Very funny sign...BTW, speaking of the french term on the sign, in French an orgasm is called "Le petit mort" or the little death.
Posted by: PW Hendon | March 31, 2010 1:13 PM
Oh my goodness this cracked me up...love me some good irony ;)
Posted by: Heather @ Side of Sneakers | March 31, 2010 1:15 PM
Without having any great french linguistics skills I'm pretty sure it is saying "The little death" refering to an orgasm
Posted by: chainman1982 | April 1, 2010 1:38 AM
@chainman & PW Hendon: Did either of you even read the earlier posts regarding the French language usage, or do you both just write comments with utter disregard for the entire human race going on around you? Oblivious, meet Clueless. Clueless, Oblivious. Now go take these earplugs and blindfolds and go play in the street or something. Have fun you two!
Posted by: Dude | April 1, 2010 11:18 AM
I thought 'le petit mort' wasn't the orgasm itself, but the period of collapse/exhaustion just afterwards - the little death - from which one hopefully quickly recovered.
Posted by: Zeno | April 3, 2010 7:00 AM
@Dude: Unfortunately chainman and PW Hendon will never read your scolding.
Posted by: Marvin | April 9, 2010 5:22 PM
ROTFPMFHOL!
Posted by: David N. Andrews M. Ed., C. P. S. E. | August 6, 2010 11:59 AM
Classic :)
Posted by: BrightMinds | August 26, 2011 6:30 AM