Batgung

PatriarchB and ToddlerB found this one on an expedition to the local shopping arcade this week:

Have you ever had trouble getting to sleep on a plane because the temperature was set too cold? South African Airways' latest bus adverts proudly show their solution to the problem. Toasty!

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This advert appeared in the window of a local Watsons shop over the Christmas holidays.

As the American Heritage® Dictionary says, the word "sod" is "Chiefly British Vulgar Slang", and gives a definition as "A person regarded as obnoxious or contemptible." So I was surprised to see the word sod used in an advert for this family store, especially when the model in the picture looks neither obnoxious nor contemptible.

Looking more carefully at the window, it became clear this is not some random carelessness, but part of Watson's concerted "I dare to swear" campaign :

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Why be content with shampoo that only promises healthy hair, when you can demand smoothy and shinely?

 

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In my schooldays, a visit from the "nit lady" was bad news - it meant that the teacher had found some of the pupils with headlice, and we'd all need a checkup. So I was surprised to see this advert drive past today, apparently offering 200 nits with every notebook computer :

 

After scratching my head (sorry!) to try and understand what they meant, a quick google showed that in these days of squeaky-clean students, Nits "is the standard which LCD manufacturers rates the brightness of their panels". The next time you meet someone new, why not impress them by letting them know that one nit = 0.2919 foot -lambert (F/ L).

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The message of our next sign, also spotted by Mr B: Leave your paraphernalia at home !

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The people writing the covernotes for locally produced fake DVDs have their own special way of mangling the English language. Whoever wrote the cover of this disc (The Secret Society) seems to have chosen the "Yoda" option on his automatic translator program. (Click the photo for a closer look.)

If you're curious to know what the film is really about, check out the unmangled synopsis here.

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The next sign of shame comes from Mr B, via -- a tube of toothpaste? Single ? Wondering - "Where have all the good White Men gone ?" In a news exclusive, we uncovered reasons for a worldwide shortage of White Men. In Mr & Mrs B's Honeymoon trip to Thailand, something gruesome was waiting in the bathroom ...

Yes, shocking but true - White Men are being forced into small blue toothpaste tubes. We're not yet sure how it is done, but White Men travelling in Thailand should be cautious of any offers from local people with brilliant white smiles.

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But remember that it's not just Thailand that has its signs of shame. Hong Kong also abounds in inaccurate, amusing, and sometimes just absurd signs. Here's another contribution from Mr B. It speaks for itself:

Here's one from Mr T, on a related theme:

Isn't being opened what doors are, ummm, for?

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If you've got any contributions, let the batgung know. More funny signs here...