Ageing

[brightncheerful]

Dear Americans past the age of ten.

It is unnecessary when telling us your age to include the words 'years old' at the end of the sentence, as we will generally assume that you didn't mean minutes, days or months.

Love from your superiors.

[csearle]

Dear Americans past the age of ten.

It is unnecessary when telling us your age to include the words 'years old' at the end of the sentence, as we will generally assume that you didn't mean minutes, days or months.

Love from your superiors.

Provocative stuff! You on the sauce? C.

[Lootman]

Dear Americans past the age of ten.

It is unnecessary when telling us your age to include the words 'years old' at the end of the sentence, as we will generally assume that you didn't mean minutes, days or months.

Love from your superiors.

Ah, but how would you know they are talking about their age if they just state "I am sixty"?

Could be their height in inches, their weight in kilograms or their IQ.

[Watis]

Also, when introducing yourself, it is unnecessary to provide the initial of your middle name.

Why do they do that?

Watis

[Mike4]

Also, when introducing yourself, it is unnecessary to provide the initial of your middle name.

Why do they do that?

Watis

Isn't it because the egocentricity of Americans leads them to naming their offspring after themselves?

Hence Hyram B Rickenbacker needs to include the "B" to distinguish himself from his father, Hyram J Rickenbacker.

[Urbandreamer]

Also, when introducing yourself, it is unnecessary to provide the initial of your middle name.

Why do they do that?

Watis

You mean like the former US president

George Bush.

Oh sorry I was talking about president George W Bush, not president George H W Bush. Sorting who the post was for at their home must have been interesting when they lived together.

[Watis]

Also, when introducing yourself, it is unnecessary to provide the initial of your middle name.

Why do they do that?

Watis

You mean like the former US president

George Bush.

Oh sorry I was talking about president George W Bush, not president George H W Bush. Sorting who the post was for at their home must have been interesting when they lived together.

I would prefer the George Bush / George Bush Senior designations.

You have a point though. Mrs Watis' mother and brother (before he left home) both received mail addressed to P. M. <surname> and had to guess which of them it was for, based on who sent the letter.

Watis

[brightncheerful]

…had to guess which of them it was for, based on who sent the letter.

Does that mean each sender would be advised to put their name on the reverse/back of the envelope or else the envelope would have to be opened so as to ascertain who it would be for?

[Lootman]

Also, when introducing yourself, it is unnecessary to provide the initial of your middle name.

Why do they do that?

Isn't it because the egocentricity of Americans leads them to naming their offspring after themselves?

Hence Hyram B Rickenbacker needs to include the "B" to distinguish himself from his father, Hyram J Rickenbacker.

Americans usually get around that dilemma by appending numbers to the name, as in "Henry Ford the Second" AKA "Henry Ford II". Somehow when British monarchs do the same thing, nobody quibbles.

[XFool]

Dear Americans past the age of ten.

It is unnecessary when telling us your age to include the words 'years old' at the end of the sentence, as we will generally assume that you didn't mean minutes, days or months.

Love from your superiors.

Ah, but how would you know they are talking about their age if they just state "I am sixty"?

Could be their height in inches, their weight in kilograms or their IQ.

Definitely wouldn't be "their weight in kilograms", if they are American!

[Lootman]

Dear Americans past the age of ten.

It is unnecessary when telling us your age to include the words 'years old' at the end of the sentence, as we will generally assume that you didn't mean minutes, days or months.

Love from your superiors.

Ah, but how would you know they are talking about their age if they just state "I am sixty"?

Could be their height in inches, their weight in kilograms or their IQ.

Definitely wouldn't be "their weight in kilograms", if they are American!

I believe that after the NASA Mars Climate Orbiter crashed due to a confusion between imperial and metric measurements, at least Americans in engineering and technology have been more willing to accept the metric system. Although I do still love how they adhere to gallons, pounds and yards even whilst the mother nation has depressingly gone all French on us.

[brightncheerful]

I believe that after the NASA Mars Climate Orbiter crashed due to a confusion between imperial and metric measurements, at least Americans in engineering and technology have been more willing to accept the metric system. Although I do still love how they adhere to gallons, pounds and yards even whilst the mother nation has depressingly gone all French on us.

A friend, who was good with wood, worked as shipwright. When he went to builders' merchants to buy materials for a project he would ask for 2 metres of 2*2. The young assistants were flummoxed, the old lags knew what he was talking about.

[jfgw]

he would ask for 2 metres of 2*2.

That would probably be 2.1Metres. Wood is sold in metricated feet (0.3m) which are slightly shorter than real feet. To confuse things, it is priced in whole metres.

Julian F. G. W.

[quelquod]

Isn't it because the egocentricity of Americans leads them to naming their offspring after themselves?

Hence Hyram B Rickenbacker needs to include the "B" to distinguish himself from his father, Hyram J Rickenbacker.

Oh dear! I hadn’t realised how egocentric my family is as I have the same name as my father, grandfather and great-grandfather. My eldest son has the same name too, a bit of an egocentric tradition I guess but it’s never confused us.

[Dod101]

My wife's family solved that problem by using James, Jamie, Jim and Jim B. They were all called James Bate.

Dod

[GrahamPlatt]

Young single mother of six in Liverpool has the locum doc attending one child with a rash. He asks to see the others. Mum yells “Jimmy!” and they all come running in. “How is it they’re all here when you’ve only shouted one name out?” Well, they’re all called Jimmy. “So how do you address them individually?” Oh then, I use their surnames.

[brightncheerful]

Young single mother of six

Six is young to be a mother