Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 23:55:36 +0530 From: Rahul Siddharthan <rsidd@physics.iisc.ernet.in> To: Dag-Erling Smorgrav <des@flood.ping.uio.no> Cc: Brett Taylor <brett@peloton.runet.edu>, Christian Weisgerber <naddy@mips.rhein-neckar.de>, freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Spellings [was Re: BSDCon East] Message-ID: <20000410235535.B1339@theory1.physics.iisc.ernet.in> In-Reply-To: <xzpk8i6micg.fsf@flood.ping.uio.no>; from des@flood.ping.uio.no on Mon, Apr 10, 2000 at 11:10:55AM %2B0200 References: <xzp3dovno4r.fsf@flood.ping.uio.no> <Pine.BSF.4.10.10004091541050.3039-100000@peloton.runet.edu> <20000410101700.B317@theory8.physics.iisc.ernet.in> <xzpk8i6micg.fsf@flood.ping.uio.no>
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Dag-Erling Smorgrav said on Apr 10, 2000 at 11:10:55: > > > > > apparently French physicists were annoyed when John Wheeler coined > > > > > the word "black hole" because it translated to anus. > > I just asked a French teacher of my acquaintance. She said it's true, > > it can be interpreted in that way. > > No more than the english term "black hole" can be interpreted as > meaning "anus". Looks like DES is right. I described this thread to a Paris-based French physicist and got the following reply. Regarding "black holes": I agree basically w/the norwegian point of view. It doesnt obviuosly mean anything dirty in French except if you really stretch things, and in any case its unclear what you would make it sound like. So I dont know what the story is based on. I'll ask around my (French) astrophysics friends ! -Rahul. To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
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