https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=172.71.22.98explain xkcd - User contributions [en]2026-06-24T18:34:02ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2897:_Light_Leap_Years&diff=335505Talk:2897: Light Leap Years2024-02-22T04:02:49Z<p>172.71.22.98: </p>
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<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
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Not that it effects the joke, but the Gregorian calendar has 97 leap years per 400 year cycle. I was surprised that I was surprised by that. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.115|162.158.63.115]] 16:23, 21 February 2024 (UTC)<br />
:Another interesting number: the difference between the standard Julian year and the (AFAICT, not officially named as such) 'standard Gregorian year' (of 365.2425 days) is 648 seconds, or 10.8 minutes (10m48s) if you prefer. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.115|172.69.194.115]] 00:38, 22 February 2024 (UTC)<br />
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"...never been a papal starship..." - If this upsets you, read Hyperion! [[Special:Contributions/172.71.142.67|172.71.142.67]] 17:12, 21 February 2024 (UTC)<br />
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"Note: Lightsecond was chosen instead of the more familiar lightyear to make sure that layouts computed during leap years would be unambiguously identical to those computed during non-leap years." (from https://drafts.csswg.org/css-egg-1/#astro-units) --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.253.143|172.68.253.143]] 18:23, 21 February 2024 (UTC)<br />
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The last paragraph says Randall. It should say Cueball. Randall knows better otherwise he would not have made this joke. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.22.98|172.71.22.98]] 04:02, 22 February 2024 (UTC)</div>172.71.22.98https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2897:_Light_Leap_Years&diff=335504Talk:2897: Light Leap Years2024-02-22T04:02:13Z<p>172.71.22.98: </p>
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<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
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Not that it effects the joke, but the Gregorian calendar has 97 leap years per 400 year cycle. I was surprised that I was surprised by that. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.115|162.158.63.115]] 16:23, 21 February 2024 (UTC)<br />
:Another interesting number: the difference between the standard Julian year and the (AFAICT, not officially named as such) 'standard Gregorian year' (of 365.2425 days) is 648 seconds, or 10.8 minutes (10m48s) if you prefer. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.115|172.69.194.115]] 00:38, 22 February 2024 (UTC)<br />
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"...never been a papal starship..." - If this upsets you, read Hyperion! [[Special:Contributions/172.71.142.67|172.71.142.67]] 17:12, 21 February 2024 (UTC)<br />
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"Note: Lightsecond was chosen instead of the more familiar lightyear to make sure that layouts computed during leap years would be unambiguously identical to those computed during non-leap years." (from https://drafts.csswg.org/css-egg-1/#astro-units) --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.253.143|172.68.253.143]] 18:23, 21 February 2024 (UTC)<br />
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The last paragraph says Randall. It should say Cueball. Randall knows better otherwise he would not have made this joke.</div>172.71.22.98https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1290:_Syllable_Planning&diff=3352231290: Syllable Planning2024-02-17T16:49:02Z<p>172.71.22.98: </p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1290<br />
| date = November 13, 2013<br />
| title = Syllable Planning<br />
| image = syllable_planning.png<br />
| titletext = You absolute-fucking-... shit.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Cueball]] wants to say ''ri-fucking-diculous'', but he inserts the ''fucking'' too late in the word. Now, he has to say ''ridicu-fucking-lous'', which sounds, well, ridicu-fucking... wait.<br />
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This is an example of {{w|tmesis}}, the breaking up of a word to include another within it, and more specifically of {{w|expletive infixation}}. Normally, for rhythmic reasons the included word is inserted before the {{w|Stress (linguistics)|stressed}} syllable (''ri'''dic'''ulous'' becoming ''ri-fucking-'''dic'''ulous'') which is what Cueball messed up. However, in some cases it is also possible to break the word after a prefix instead, so for some words there are two ways to do it e.g. {{w|wikt:unbefuckinglievable|unbe-fucking-'''lie'''vable}} (before the stressed syllable) or {{w|wikt:unfuckingbelievable|un-fucking-be'''lie'''vable}}; this is because ''unbelievable'' is a combination of ''un'' and ''believable'' to negate ''believable'' which is an actual English word{{Citation needed}} and therefore it still sounds good.<br />
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The title text introduces a further example, with speaker inserting the ''fucking'' too late into the word ''absolutely''—which would have resulted in ''absolute-fucking-ly''—but leaving the word unfinished when they realize their mistake. The more usual tmesis here would be {{w|wikt:absofuckinglutely|''abso-fucking-lutely''}}. Furthermore, the speaker could be also accidentally insulting the person they're speaking to, calling them an "absolute fucking shit."<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is standing next to Megan.]<br />
:Cueball: Man, that is '''''ridicu'''''-fucking—... ...Hang on, I inserted "fucking" too late and now there's just one awkward syllable left. Can I back up?<br />
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{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]</div>172.71.22.98https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1290:_Syllable_Planning&diff=3352211290: Syllable Planning2024-02-17T16:46:10Z<p>172.71.22.98: </p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1290<br />
| date = November 13, 2013<br />
| title = Syllable Planning<br />
| image = syllable_planning.png<br />
| titletext = You absolute-fucking-... shit.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Cueball]] wants to say ''ri-fucking-diculous'', but he inserts the ''fucking'' too late in the word. Now, he has to say ''ridicu-fucking-lous'', which sounds, well, ridiculous.<br />
<br />
This is an example of {{w|tmesis}}, the breaking up of a word to include another within it, and more specifically of {{w|expletive infixation}}. Normally, for rhythmic reasons the included word is inserted before the {{w|Stress (linguistics)|stressed}} syllable (''ri'''dic'''ulous'' becoming ''ri-fucking-'''dic'''ulous'') which is what Cueball messed up. However, in some cases it is also possible to break the word after a prefix instead, so for some words there are two ways to do it e.g. {{w|wikt:unbefuckinglievable|unbe-fucking-'''lie'''vable}} (before the stressed syllable) or {{w|wikt:unfuckingbelievable|un-fucking-be'''lie'''vable}}; this is because ''unbelievable'' is a combination of ''un'' and ''believable'' to negate ''believable'' which is an actual English word{{Citation needed}} and therefore it still sounds good.<br />
<br />
The title text introduces a further example, with speaker inserting the ''fucking'' too late into the word ''absolutely''—which would have resulted in ''absolute-fucking-ly''—but leaving the word unfinished when they realize their mistake. The more usual tmesis here would be {{w|wikt:absofuckinglutely|''abso-fucking-lutely''}}. Furthermore, the speaker could be also accidentally insulting the person they're speaking to, calling them an "absolute fucking shit."<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
:Cueball: Man, that is '''''ridicu'''''-fucking—... ...Hang on, I inserted "fucking" too late and now there's just one awkward syllable left. Can I back up?<br />
:[Cueball is standing next to Megan.]<br />
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{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]</div>172.71.22.98