explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3229: Grammar

2026-04-08T11:46:04Z

Flipping Mackerel:

E3EeE E3eE!! [[User:Logalex8369|Logalex8369]] ([[User talk:Logalex8369|talk]]) 22:26, 6 April 2026 (UTC)
: E [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 19:54, 7 April 2026 (UTC)

I created a transcript, but used OCR for all the E's because I kept losing count of how many there were. If someone wants to factcheck that, please do. [[Special:Contributions/104.28.215.220|104.28.215.220]] 22:45, 6 April 2026 (UTC)
: Factchecked 19 E's counted in the image and 19 E's counted in the transcript. [[Special:Contributions/12.155.149.34|12.155.149.34]] 23:00, 6 April 2026 (UTC)

It looks like the bot picked up the April Fool's "feature" as interactive, should we keep it or remove? [[Special:Contributions/104.28.215.220|104.28.215.220]] 22:46, 6 April 2026 (UTC)

Side note: I have heard people using both alternate niche methods of language structure, kinda like those people who adopt a losing format even after it's clear it has lost. On character who has on occasion dabbled in both is Homer Simpson, BTW. --[[Special:Contributions/94.73.49.13|94.73.49.13]]
:I still say that Video2000 was the superior home VCR format, in every way...[[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 23:55, 6 April 2026 (UTC)
: Not really niche - a significant proportion of spoken language is non-grammatical. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 16:27, 7 April 2026 (UTC)

Any "competitors" to grammar would still be grammars since a grammar, by definition, describes how a language is structured. [[Special:Contributions/75.248.235.98|75.248.235.98]] 00:00, 7 April 2026 (UTC)
:Well, the Random Words one ''seems'' to have no particular structure beyond being word-utterances, and the EEEEEEEEEEEEEE one doesn't even have much that ''can'' be structuralised (though I'm half expecting it to actually supposed to be a modem 'yowl', it needn't even be that), so I'm willing to bet that this exempts them from any consistent quality of being grammar. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 00:08, 7 April 2026 (UTC)
: The second example used the term word-s which in itself is a structure with grammar. And the last example might well have grammar, if eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee is a single morpheme, we siply wouldn't be able to recognize the grammar. [[Special:Contributions/195.65.24.115|195.65.24.115]]

I interpreted "words order words random words words random good" differently. I assumed it was missing commas and should be read as "words-order", "words-random" "words-words" "random-good". Maybe(probably?) not what Randall intended, but if anyone interpreted it the same as me, you're not alone! {{unsigned ip|69.204.108.174|00:23, 7 April 2026 (UTC)}}

i reconsider this: non-verbal communication isn't another rival for communication, as it is a subset (after seeing and liking [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3229:_Grammar&diff=next&oldid=409748 this anon's edit]), but i'm not sure what other methods there could be than just communication and non-communication; Lenhart says "rivals" plural -- [[User:Somefan|somefan]] ([[User talk:Somefan|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Somefan|contribs]]) 00:45, 7 April 2026 (UTC)
:Pretty sure the joke is that any alternative to communication would by definition be impossible to communicate. --[[User:Biotronic|Biotronic]] ([[User talk:Biotronic|talk]]) 08:18, 7 April 2026 (UTC)
::Actually, I worded that wrong - what I meant is that '' is an example of non-communication, which is not very effective at transmitting information --[[User:Biotronic|Biotronic]] ([[User talk:Biotronic|talk]]) 08:58, 7 April 2026 (UTC)

give orange me give eat orange me eat orange give me eat orange give me you [[Special:Contributions/137.25.230.78|137.25.230.78]] 00:54, 7 April 2026 (UTC)
:steal orange me steal eat orange me eat orange steal me eat orange steal me you [[User:King Pando|King Pando]] ([[User talk:King Pando|talk]]) 02:34, 7 April 2026 (UTC)

orange orange orange
orange orange orange
orange orange orange
yellow
orange you glad I didn't say orange? [[Special:Contributions/98.22.184.160|98.22.184.160]] 11:27, 7 April 2026 (UTC)

I would suggest that light/photons are the most popular way of transmitting information? to (most) humans anyway... {{unsigned ip|2a02:a468:b8cb:0:5a82:a830:1528:55af|13:15, 7 April 2026 (UTC)}}
: Only up until the last mile. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 14:15, 7 April 2026 (UTC)

Why waste time use good grammar when bad grammar do trick? [[Special:Contributions/70.40.121.82|70.40.121.82]] 15:08, 7 April 2026 (UTC)
:Cuz if you're doing too bad grammar, sometimes you'll see some sentences that triggers Uncanny Valley effect (or related stuff). (I would guess this way) [[User:Cream Starlight|Cream Starlight]] ([[User talk:Cream Starlight|talk]]) 15:25, 7 April 2026 (UTC)

::It's a reference to [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bctjSvn-OC8 this scene] from the American version of The Office. [[User:MeZimm|MeZimm]] ([[User talk:MeZimm|talk]]) 16:08, 7 April 2026 (UTC)

In Cookie Clicker, there’s a news ticker message that says “Neeeeews : "neeeew EEEEEE keeeeey working fineeeeeeeee", reeeports gleeeeeeeeful journalist.” Might be a reference to that. [[Special:Contributions/185.124.31.68|185.124.31.68]] 15:41, 7 April 2026 (UTC)

Erm, isn't the current description kind of missing the point? "Grammar is one of the most popular ways to structure a language" is a tautology. "Grammar" studies how languages are structured, so ANY organization scheme of a language (from random to highly structured) would be classified as that language's grammar. Trying to say there are "other ways to structure a language" would just be a different form of grammar. Same thing with the title text. "Communication" is transmitting information from one individual to another. Any alternative to "Communication" isn't transmitting information. [[Special:Contributions/57.140.32.31|57.140.32.31]] 16:32, 7 April 2026 (UTC)

The "words order random words" part may be a reference to {{w|Nim Chimpsky}}'s sign language "sentences" like "Give orange me give eat orange me eat orange give me eat orange give me you". [[Special:Contributions/193.179.120.253|193.179.120.253]] 18:22, 7 April 2026 (UTC)

I figured the EEE....EEE was referring to the screeching of a modem trying to establish communication. --[[User:Jimmosk|Jimmosk]] ([[User talk:Jimmosk|talk]]) 22:07, 7 April 2026 (UTC)

Farm Macdonald farm old farm farm had farm a, EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE [[User:King Pando|King Pando]] ([[User talk:King Pando|talk]]) 02:53, 8 April 2026 (UTC)

Somebody should make a version of scream cypher where it's E instead of A. [[Special:Contributions/216.25.182.141|216.25.182.141]] 04:43, 8 April 2026 (UTC)

Oh btw, in Chinese translation of What If? 2, the amount of E's featured in the question were 1083. I counted lol [[User:Cream Starlight|Cream Starlight]] ([[User talk:Cream Starlight|talk]]) 04:46, 8 April 2026 (UTC)

This reminds me of a linguistics forum post a professor showed my class once. "I respect Chomsky, but Universal Grammar isn't all it's cracked up to be," it read. "The best way to learn a language is through immersion!" [[User:Flipping Mackerel|Flipping Mackerel]] ([[User talk:Flipping Mackerel|talk]]) 11:46, 8 April 2026 (UTC)

2039: Begging the Question

2026-02-22T02:20:58Z

Flipping Mackerel: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2039
| date = August 29, 2018
| title = Begging the Question
| image = begging_the_question.png
| titletext = At least we can all agree on the enormity of this usage.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic makes fun of the constant battle between those who maintain a {{w|Linguistic prescription|prescriptive view of language}} and those who have a {{w|Linguistic description|descriptive view}}. In the prescriptive view, language has fixed rules and fixed usage, and any usage that does not adhere to established rules is incorrect. In the descriptive view however, language is malleable and any usage can be correct if it is common and understood by most people.

The comic specifically calls out two phrases which are commonly misused in the prescriptive sense, and whose meanings have changed in modern usage in the descriptive sense:

;Nauseous
''Nauseous'' in its supposedly 'proper' form means "causing {{w|nausea}}", while ''nauseated'' means affected with nausea.

Prescriptively speaking, it is only correct to use the word "nauseous" to describe the food item since that was the cause of Ponytail's nausea. Saying "the food made her nauseous" would be interpreted, by a prescriptivist, as meaning the food somehow caused her (her body, her appearance, etc.) to become so disgusting that she now causes other people to feel nausea. As White Hat states, the proper phrasing is that the "the food was nauseous", and it "made [her] nauseated".

Both historically and in modern usage, however, "nauseous" is a valid synonym of "nauseated". It is difficult, if not impossible, to cite an era of history when most people would not understand "she is nauseous" to mean she does not feel well.

In an [https://litreactor.com/columns/20-common-grammar-mistakes-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong article from 2012 on common grammar mistakes], this "mistake" is described as "almost ubiquitous", which to a descriptivist is ironically an endorsement of its correctness.

;Begging the question
{{w|Begging the question}} originally referred to a logical fallacy where an argument assumed its conclusion. The phrase first meant to question (beg) the original question. In modern usage, it has come to mean to "raise a question or point that has not been dealt with". This is often a point of contention for prescriptivists. However, as the caption explains, Cueball has an entirely different meaning for this phrase that he created himself: "fight a losing battle against changing usage". This is actually a meta-meaning, as that is actually the common activity of prescriptivists who complain about incorrect usage; it's a losing battle, because language change is inevitable and unstoppable. And specifically, trying to preserve the original meaning of "begging the question" is a losing battle.

Ponytail might recognize that her exposure to nauseous food has both nauseated her and caused her to become nauseous to Cueball. The question is not merely begged, it is missed.

The title text also plays on another word commonly argued over by prescriptivists. "Enormity" in its classical usage means either extreme wickedness or a monstrous offense or evil, though it is more commonly used in modern writing as a synonym for enormousness (i.e. largeness in size). The title text exploits the lexical ambiguity that this creates.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail and White Hat standing next to each other talking. White Hat has raised his hand while Cueball stands behind him.]
:Ponytail: That food made me nauseous.
:White Hat: No, the ''food'' was nauseous. It made you ''nauseated''.
:Cueball: Come on, you're just begging the question.

:[Caption below the frame:]
:I annoy people on all sides by using "beg the question" to mean "fight a losing battle against changing usage".

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:How to annoy]]

2260: Reaction Maps

2026-01-31T00:09:31Z

Flipping Mackerel: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2260
| date = January 27, 2020
| title = Reaction Maps
| image = reaction_maps.png
| titletext = If Google Maps stops letting you navigate to (Clay County District) A in West Virginia, you can try Jump, OH -> Ina, IL -> Big Hole, TX.
}}

==Explanation==
This is another one of [[Randall|Randall's]] [[:Category:Tips|Tips]], this time a Texting Tip.

Randall suggests that readers send a set of driving directions as an intense / extremely annoyed response (a "Reaction Map", named after the "[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/computer-reaction-faces Reaction Face]", "Reaction Gif", and other memes). The words "Reaction Map" in Chemistry refer to a diagram that shows how compounds react to form different compounds; an example can be found [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citric_acid_cycle here].

In this comic, [[Ponytail]] texts the following car pun/joke:
:You should name your new Honda Civic ''The Treaty of Edinburgh''
:Because it's a Tudor compact ["Tudor" pronounced "two-door" in some USA accents, "tyudor" elsewhere.]

The {{w|Treaty of Edinburgh}} was a treaty drawn up in 1560, which falls during the {{w|Tudor period}} of the history of {{w|England}}, while a compact is another word for a treaty -- hence a Tudor compact. A {{w|Honda Civic}} is a {{w|compact car}}, which has a {{w|coupé}} body model with only two doors (there are also hatchback and 4-door sedan versions) -- hence a two-door compact. The joke is thus a double pun on the similarity of the words "Tudor" and "two-door", as well as a pun on the words "treaty" and "compact."

Pronouncing "Tudor" as "Tyoo-dor" (i.e. without American-style [[wikipedia:Yod-dropping|yod-dropping]]) rather than "Too-" may hinder comprehension of this pun.

Puns rise and fall in popularity, and some people dislike them at all times. Recipients [https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/07/why-do-puns-make-people-groan/398252/ often groan], sometimes even while laughing or smiling. Because of this pun, [[Cueball]] gets so mad at Ponytail that he replies twice, first that their friendship is over and second that he hopes she falls in a lake. Both times he uses driving directions to do so because he wishes to show how mad he is by spending time finding cities with relevant names just to do it.

The [https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Truly,+MT+59421/Saari,+L'Anse+Township,+MI+49946/Toulouse,+Kentucky/A,+Clay+County,+WV/Friendship,+South+Carolina/This+Way,+Lake+Jackson,+TX+77566/@37.9396464,-104.4176717,5z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m38!4m37!1m5!1m1!1s0x53424d6552eab029:0xb7fcd8937da3ec25!2m2!1d-111.4413578!2d47.3557881!1m5!1m1!1s0x4d50e1468af1ce9b:0xb02e7ce99f9e641a!2m2!1d-88.3092692!2d46.8784933!1m5!1m1!1s0x8844b40da22762bf:0xee4cd8dba67a2afa!2m2!1d-83.3269444!2d37.1766667!1m5!1m1!1s0x884943786da899b1:0x5eb17b45f77f3480!2m2!1d-81.0533854!2d38.5410076!1m5!1m1!1s0x88ffff04df8a3dc1:0x2e50cd1fdf10df52!2m2!1d-79.4353317!2d34.0168293!1m5!1m1!1s0x864043e6372e0009:0x1372621459655543!2m2!1d-95.4597276!2d29.0382495!3e0 list of map destinations], Truly (MT), Saari (MI), Toulouse (KY), A (WV), {{w|Friendship,_South_Carolina|Friendship}} (SC), This Way (TX) is a way of saying, "Truly sorry to lose a friendship this way".
The [https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Hope,+NY+12134/Yoe,+PA/Fallin+Lake,+Magnolia+Township,+AR/@38.214792,-88.0772473,6z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m20!4m19!1m5!1m1!1s0x89df00206dc519a7:0x8c095186fc80dee1!2m2!1d-74.2431907!2d43.3036812!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c8886da851113b:0x96fa3e47edbd1953!2m2!1d-76.6369116!2d39.9089887!1m5!1m1!1s0x8633c43fa49e5997:0x864650e233fea97b!2m2!1d-93.3167015!2d33.2840166!3e0 list of map destinations], {{w|Hope, New York|Hope}} (NY), {{w|Yoe, Pennsylvania|Yoe}} (PA), Fallin Lake (AR) is a way of saying, "Hope you fall in [a] lake".

[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sorry In some dialects], "sorry" is pronounced /sɔri/ or even /sori/ rather than general US /sɑri/ or UK /sɒɹi/ (essentially with the vowel of "story" rather than that of "starry"), which may also hider recognition of the pun value of "Saari".

"A" is [https://goo.gl/maps/sUm6MtwEvpsBbfLX8 one] of the three districts in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay_County,_West_Virginia#Geography Clay County, WV]. The others are "B" and "C".

In the title text, [[Randall]] offers a different option if "A" is removed from Google Maps, {{w|Ina, Illinois|Ina (IL)}}, to make [https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Jump,+McDonald+Township,+Ohio,+USA/Ina,+IL,+USA/Big+Hole,+Texas,+USA/@35.8263797,-93.8102845,6z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m20!4m19!1m5!1m1!1s0x883edadb5282cd7d:0xbd26e9e97ce76762!2m2!1d-83.79438!2d40.6158849!1m5!1m1!1s0x8876cfd2b9f24b79:0xa00498b7be5e90c4!2m2!1d-88.9039554!2d38.1511606!1m5!1m1!1s0x863813224a969417:0x61e1c3c664eadc63!2m2!1d-94.8453391!2d31.1918015!3e0 this response]: Jump (OH), {{w|Ina, Illinois|Ina}} (IL), Big Hole (TX) ("Jump in a big hole".)

In [[2245: Edible Arrangements]], Cueball was irritated by a pun from [[Megan]] which was also themed on English history ("Vore of the Roses"), but in that strip, he evidently didn't get angry enough to send a map expressing that he would "[https://www.google.com/maps/dir/29688+Cancelada,+M%C3%A1laga,+Spain/Arrangements+Brown+Sea,+Calle+de+Francisco+Silvela,+Madrid,+Spain/@38.609612,-5.2412907,7.5z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0xd732ad66c172565:0x65fb5ee2794f4f9d!2m2!1d-5.0540138!2d36.4614784!1m5!1m1!1s0xd4228b822e25179:0xf8f412a49085dc85!2m2!1d-3.6730066!2d40.4327046!3e0 Cancelada Arrangements]" ("Cancel all the arrangements") that he had bought for her -- he simply told her so in person and then walked away when she kept punning.

==Transcript==
:[Caption to the left of the comic. There is a sign looking like an infinity sign with two lines near the middle below the heading:]
:<big>Texting Tip</big>

:Is your reaction too intense to be expressed in an emoji or gif?
:Try using driving directions!
:The extra research it requires shows how strongly you feel.

:[A split panel showing Ponytail in the top part holding her smartphone up while texting, as shown with movement lines on either side of her hands holding the phone. Her text messages are shown above her in gray frames. In the bottom part Cueball is shown reading her messages on his smart phone he holds up in one hand. His reaction is shown as a dark cloud above his head.]
:Ponytail's text: You should name your new Honda Civic ''The Treaty of Edinburgh''
:Ponytail's text: Because it's a Tudor compact
:Ponytail's text: Get it

:[Cueball replies to Ponytail, with his text message shown above him as he types on his smartphone held up in both hands, with movement lines on either side of the phone. He is looking to the left. Ponytail's last text in a gray frame is shown above his reply. Cueball sends Ponytail a screenshot of driving directions between two cities with four stops on the way. Each of the stops as well as the starting point are marked with a circle. A blue line connects the dots and the destination is marked with a red Google pin. The map beneath it is drawn with gray lines and outlines most of the mainland USA except for the western most part and the tip of Texas. The country boarders are drawn with thick gray lines and the US state boarders are drawn with thin gray lines. Some parts of Canada and Mexico are also included. The six destinations used in the direction is named, using normal black font, with the state or other specification written in gray text after the destination name. Here written in the driving order from start to destination:]
:Ponytail's text: Get it
:Map destinations: Truly MT Saari MI Toulouse KY A Clay Co, WV Friendship SC This Way Lake Jackson, TX

:[Cueball continues to text Ponytail, with his text message shown above him as he types on his smartphone held up in both hands, with movement lines on either side of the phone. He has turned to look straight out of the panel. He sends Ponytail another screenshot of driving directions with a similar map type as in the previous panel, but this time with only three destinations. The map this time only shows the middle to eastern part of the USA, with more focus on for instance the Great Lakes. Here written in the driving order from start to destination:]
:Map destinations: Hope NY Yoe PS Fallin Lake AR

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Tips]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Google Maps]]
[[Category:US maps]]
[[Category:Smartphones]]
[[Category:Puns]]

2260: Reaction Maps

2026-01-31T00:09:06Z

Flipping Mackerel: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2260
| date = January 27, 2020
| title = Reaction Maps
| image = reaction_maps.png
| titletext = If Google Maps stops letting you navigate to (Clay County District) A in West Virginia, you can try Jump, OH -> Ina, IL -> Big Hole, TX.
}}

==Explanation==
This is another one of [[Randall|Randall's]] [[:Category:Tips|Tips]], this time a Texting Tip.

Randall suggests that readers send a set of driving directions as an intense / extremely annoyed response (a "Reaction Map", named after the "[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/computer-reaction-faces Reaction Face]", "Reaction Gif", and other memes). The words "Reaction Map" in Chemistry refer to a diagram that shows how compounds react to form different compounds; an example can be found [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citric_acid_cycle here].

In this comic, [[Ponytail]] texts the following car pun/joke:
:You should name your new Honda Civic ''The Treaty of Edinburgh''
:Because it's a Tudor compact ["Tudor" pronounced "two-door" in some USA accents, "tyudor" elsewhere.]

The {{w|Treaty of Edinburgh}} was a treaty drawn up in 1560, which falls during the {{w|Tudor period}} of the history of {{w|England}}, while a compact is another word for a treaty -- hence a Tudor compact. A {{w|Honda Civic}} is a {{w|compact car}}, which has a {{w|coupé}} body model with only two doors (there are also hatchback and 4-door sedan versions) -- hence a two-door compact. The joke is thus a double pun on the similarity of the words "Tudor" and "two-door", as well as a pun on the words "treaty" and "compact."

Pronouncing "Tudor" as "Tyoo-dor" (i.e. without American-style [[wikipedia:Yod-dropping|yod-dropping]]) rather than "Too-" may hinder comprehension of this pun.

Puns rise and fall in popularity, and some people dislike them at all times. Recipients [https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/07/why-do-puns-make-people-groan/398252/ often groan], sometimes even while laughing or smiling. Because of this pun, [[Cueball]] gets so mad at Ponytail that he replies twice, first that their friendship is over and second that he hopes she falls in a lake. Both times he uses driving directions to do so because he wishes to show how mad he is by spending time finding cities with relevant names just to do it.

The [https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Truly,+MT+59421/Saari,+L'Anse+Township,+MI+49946/Toulouse,+Kentucky/A,+Clay+County,+WV/Friendship,+South+Carolina/This+Way,+Lake+Jackson,+TX+77566/@37.9396464,-104.4176717,5z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m38!4m37!1m5!1m1!1s0x53424d6552eab029:0xb7fcd8937da3ec25!2m2!1d-111.4413578!2d47.3557881!1m5!1m1!1s0x4d50e1468af1ce9b:0xb02e7ce99f9e641a!2m2!1d-88.3092692!2d46.8784933!1m5!1m1!1s0x8844b40da22762bf:0xee4cd8dba67a2afa!2m2!1d-83.3269444!2d37.1766667!1m5!1m1!1s0x884943786da899b1:0x5eb17b45f77f3480!2m2!1d-81.0533854!2d38.5410076!1m5!1m1!1s0x88ffff04df8a3dc1:0x2e50cd1fdf10df52!2m2!1d-79.4353317!2d34.0168293!1m5!1m1!1s0x864043e6372e0009:0x1372621459655543!2m2!1d-95.4597276!2d29.0382495!3e0 list of map destinations], Truly (MT), Saari (MI), Toulouse (KY), A (WV), {{w|Friendship,_South_Carolina|Friendship}} (SC), This Way (TX) is a way of saying, "Truly sorry to lose a friendship this way".
The [https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Hope,+NY+12134/Yoe,+PA/Fallin+Lake,+Magnolia+Township,+AR/@38.214792,-88.0772473,6z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m20!4m19!1m5!1m1!1s0x89df00206dc519a7:0x8c095186fc80dee1!2m2!1d-74.2431907!2d43.3036812!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c8886da851113b:0x96fa3e47edbd1953!2m2!1d-76.6369116!2d39.9089887!1m5!1m1!1s0x8633c43fa49e5997:0x864650e233fea97b!2m2!1d-93.3167015!2d33.2840166!3e0 list of map destinations], {{w|Hope, New York|Hope}} (NY), {{w|Yoe, Pennsylvania|Yoe}} (PA), Fallin Lake (AR) is a way of saying, "Hope you fall in [a] lake".

[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sorry In some dialects], "sorry" is pronounced /sɔri/ or even /sori/ rather than general US /sɑri/ or UK /sɒɹi/ (essentially with the vowel of "story" rather than of "starry"), which may also hider recognition of the pun value of "Saari".

"A" is [https://goo.gl/maps/sUm6MtwEvpsBbfLX8 one] of the three districts in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay_County,_West_Virginia#Geography Clay County, WV]. The others are "B" and "C".

In the title text, [[Randall]] offers a different option if "A" is removed from Google Maps, {{w|Ina, Illinois|Ina (IL)}}, to make [https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Jump,+McDonald+Township,+Ohio,+USA/Ina,+IL,+USA/Big+Hole,+Texas,+USA/@35.8263797,-93.8102845,6z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m20!4m19!1m5!1m1!1s0x883edadb5282cd7d:0xbd26e9e97ce76762!2m2!1d-83.79438!2d40.6158849!1m5!1m1!1s0x8876cfd2b9f24b79:0xa00498b7be5e90c4!2m2!1d-88.9039554!2d38.1511606!1m5!1m1!1s0x863813224a969417:0x61e1c3c664eadc63!2m2!1d-94.8453391!2d31.1918015!3e0 this response]: Jump (OH), {{w|Ina, Illinois|Ina}} (IL), Big Hole (TX) ("Jump in a big hole".)

In [[2245: Edible Arrangements]], Cueball was irritated by a pun from [[Megan]] which was also themed on English history ("Vore of the Roses"), but in that strip, he evidently didn't get angry enough to send a map expressing that he would "[https://www.google.com/maps/dir/29688+Cancelada,+M%C3%A1laga,+Spain/Arrangements+Brown+Sea,+Calle+de+Francisco+Silvela,+Madrid,+Spain/@38.609612,-5.2412907,7.5z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0xd732ad66c172565:0x65fb5ee2794f4f9d!2m2!1d-5.0540138!2d36.4614784!1m5!1m1!1s0xd4228b822e25179:0xf8f412a49085dc85!2m2!1d-3.6730066!2d40.4327046!3e0 Cancelada Arrangements]" ("Cancel all the arrangements") that he had bought for her -- he simply told her so in person and then walked away when she kept punning.

==Transcript==
:[Caption to the left of the comic. There is a sign looking like an infinity sign with two lines near the middle below the heading:]
:<big>Texting Tip</big>

:Is your reaction too intense to be expressed in an emoji or gif?
:Try using driving directions!
:The extra research it requires shows how strongly you feel.

:[A split panel showing Ponytail in the top part holding her smartphone up while texting, as shown with movement lines on either side of her hands holding the phone. Her text messages are shown above her in gray frames. In the bottom part Cueball is shown reading her messages on his smart phone he holds up in one hand. His reaction is shown as a dark cloud above his head.]
:Ponytail's text: You should name your new Honda Civic ''The Treaty of Edinburgh''
:Ponytail's text: Because it's a Tudor compact
:Ponytail's text: Get it

:[Cueball replies to Ponytail, with his text message shown above him as he types on his smartphone held up in both hands, with movement lines on either side of the phone. He is looking to the left. Ponytail's last text in a gray frame is shown above his reply. Cueball sends Ponytail a screenshot of driving directions between two cities with four stops on the way. Each of the stops as well as the starting point are marked with a circle. A blue line connects the dots and the destination is marked with a red Google pin. The map beneath it is drawn with gray lines and outlines most of the mainland USA except for the western most part and the tip of Texas. The country boarders are drawn with thick gray lines and the US state boarders are drawn with thin gray lines. Some parts of Canada and Mexico are also included. The six destinations used in the direction is named, using normal black font, with the state or other specification written in gray text after the destination name. Here written in the driving order from start to destination:]
:Ponytail's text: Get it
:Map destinations: Truly MT Saari MI Toulouse KY A Clay Co, WV Friendship SC This Way Lake Jackson, TX

:[Cueball continues to text Ponytail, with his text message shown above him as he types on his smartphone held up in both hands, with movement lines on either side of the phone. He has turned to look straight out of the panel. He sends Ponytail another screenshot of driving directions with a similar map type as in the previous panel, but this time with only three destinations. The map this time only shows the middle to eastern part of the USA, with more focus on for instance the Great Lakes. Here written in the driving order from start to destination:]
:Map destinations: Hope NY Yoe PS Fallin Lake AR

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Tips]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Google Maps]]
[[Category:US maps]]
[[Category:Smartphones]]
[[Category:Puns]]

2260: Reaction Maps

2026-01-31T00:07:44Z

Flipping Mackerel: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2260
| date = January 27, 2020
| title = Reaction Maps
| image = reaction_maps.png
| titletext = If Google Maps stops letting you navigate to (Clay County District) A in West Virginia, you can try Jump, OH -> Ina, IL -> Big Hole, TX.
}}

==Explanation==
This is another one of [[Randall|Randall's]] [[:Category:Tips|Tips]], this time a Texting Tip.

Randall suggests that readers send a set of driving directions as an intense / extremely annoyed response (a "Reaction Map", named after the "[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/computer-reaction-faces Reaction Face]", "Reaction Gif", and other memes). The words "Reaction Map" in Chemistry refer to a diagram that shows how compounds react to form different compounds; an example can be found [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citric_acid_cycle here].

In this comic, [[Ponytail]] texts the following car pun/joke:
:You should name your new Honda Civic ''The Treaty of Edinburgh''
:Because it's a Tudor compact ["Tudor" pronounced "two-door" in some USA accents, "tyudor" elsewhere.]

The {{w|Treaty of Edinburgh}} was a treaty drawn up in 1560, which falls during the {{w|Tudor period}} of the history of {{w|England}}, while a compact is another word for a treaty -- hence a Tudor compact. A {{w|Honda Civic}} is a {{w|compact car}}, which has a {{w|coupé}} body model with only two doors (there are also hatchback and 4-door sedan versions) -- hence a two-door compact. The joke is thus a double pun on the similarity of the words "Tudor" and "two-door", as well as a pun on the words "treaty" and "compact."

Pronouncing "Tudor" as "Tyoo-dor" (i.e. without American-style [[wikipedia:Yod-dropping|yod-dropping]]) rather than "Too-" may hinder comprehension of this pun.

Puns rise and fall in popularity, and some people dislike them at all times. Recipients [https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/07/why-do-puns-make-people-groan/398252/ often groan], sometimes even while laughing or smiling. Because of this pun, [[Cueball]] gets so mad at Ponytail that he replies twice, first that their friendship is over and second that he hopes she falls in a lake. Both times he uses driving directions to do so because he wishes to show how mad he is by spending time finding cities with relevant names just to do it.

The [https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Truly,+MT+59421/Saari,+L'Anse+Township,+MI+49946/Toulouse,+Kentucky/A,+Clay+County,+WV/Friendship,+South+Carolina/This+Way,+Lake+Jackson,+TX+77566/@37.9396464,-104.4176717,5z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m38!4m37!1m5!1m1!1s0x53424d6552eab029:0xb7fcd8937da3ec25!2m2!1d-111.4413578!2d47.3557881!1m5!1m1!1s0x4d50e1468af1ce9b:0xb02e7ce99f9e641a!2m2!1d-88.3092692!2d46.8784933!1m5!1m1!1s0x8844b40da22762bf:0xee4cd8dba67a2afa!2m2!1d-83.3269444!2d37.1766667!1m5!1m1!1s0x884943786da899b1:0x5eb17b45f77f3480!2m2!1d-81.0533854!2d38.5410076!1m5!1m1!1s0x88ffff04df8a3dc1:0x2e50cd1fdf10df52!2m2!1d-79.4353317!2d34.0168293!1m5!1m1!1s0x864043e6372e0009:0x1372621459655543!2m2!1d-95.4597276!2d29.0382495!3e0 list of map destinations], Truly (MT), Saari (MI), Toulouse (KY), A (WV), {{w|Friendship,_South_Carolina|Friendship}} (SC), This Way (TX) is a way of saying, "Truly sorry to lose a friendship this way".
The [https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Hope,+NY+12134/Yoe,+PA/Fallin+Lake,+Magnolia+Township,+AR/@38.214792,-88.0772473,6z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m20!4m19!1m5!1m1!1s0x89df00206dc519a7:0x8c095186fc80dee1!2m2!1d-74.2431907!2d43.3036812!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c8886da851113b:0x96fa3e47edbd1953!2m2!1d-76.6369116!2d39.9089887!1m5!1m1!1s0x8633c43fa49e5997:0x864650e233fea97b!2m2!1d-93.3167015!2d33.2840166!3e0 list of map destinations], {{w|Hope, New York|Hope}} (NY), {{w|Yoe, Pennsylvania|Yoe}} (PA), Fallin Lake (AR) is a way of saying, "Hope you fall in [a] lake".

[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sorry In some dialects], "sorry" is pronounced /sɔri/ or even /sori/ rather than general US /sɑri/ or UK /sɒɹi/, which may also hider recognition of the pun value of "Saari".

"A" is [https://goo.gl/maps/sUm6MtwEvpsBbfLX8 one] of the three districts in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay_County,_West_Virginia#Geography Clay County, WV]. The others are "B" and "C".

In the title text, [[Randall]] offers a different option if "A" is removed from Google Maps, {{w|Ina, Illinois|Ina (IL)}}, to make [https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Jump,+McDonald+Township,+Ohio,+USA/Ina,+IL,+USA/Big+Hole,+Texas,+USA/@35.8263797,-93.8102845,6z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m20!4m19!1m5!1m1!1s0x883edadb5282cd7d:0xbd26e9e97ce76762!2m2!1d-83.79438!2d40.6158849!1m5!1m1!1s0x8876cfd2b9f24b79:0xa00498b7be5e90c4!2m2!1d-88.9039554!2d38.1511606!1m5!1m1!1s0x863813224a969417:0x61e1c3c664eadc63!2m2!1d-94.8453391!2d31.1918015!3e0 this response]: Jump (OH), {{w|Ina, Illinois|Ina}} (IL), Big Hole (TX) ("Jump in a big hole".)

In [[2245: Edible Arrangements]], Cueball was irritated by a pun from [[Megan]] which was also themed on English history ("Vore of the Roses"), but in that strip, he evidently didn't get angry enough to send a map expressing that he would "[https://www.google.com/maps/dir/29688+Cancelada,+M%C3%A1laga,+Spain/Arrangements+Brown+Sea,+Calle+de+Francisco+Silvela,+Madrid,+Spain/@38.609612,-5.2412907,7.5z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0xd732ad66c172565:0x65fb5ee2794f4f9d!2m2!1d-5.0540138!2d36.4614784!1m5!1m1!1s0xd4228b822e25179:0xf8f412a49085dc85!2m2!1d-3.6730066!2d40.4327046!3e0 Cancelada Arrangements]" ("Cancel all the arrangements") that he had bought for her -- he simply told her so in person and then walked away when she kept punning.

==Transcript==
:[Caption to the left of the comic. There is a sign looking like an infinity sign with two lines near the middle below the heading:]
:<big>Texting Tip</big>

:Is your reaction too intense to be expressed in an emoji or gif?
:Try using driving directions!
:The extra research it requires shows how strongly you feel.

:[A split panel showing Ponytail in the top part holding her smartphone up while texting, as shown with movement lines on either side of her hands holding the phone. Her text messages are shown above her in gray frames. In the bottom part Cueball is shown reading her messages on his smart phone he holds up in one hand. His reaction is shown as a dark cloud above his head.]
:Ponytail's text: You should name your new Honda Civic ''The Treaty of Edinburgh''
:Ponytail's text: Because it's a Tudor compact
:Ponytail's text: Get it

:[Cueball replies to Ponytail, with his text message shown above him as he types on his smartphone held up in both hands, with movement lines on either side of the phone. He is looking to the left. Ponytail's last text in a gray frame is shown above his reply. Cueball sends Ponytail a screenshot of driving directions between two cities with four stops on the way. Each of the stops as well as the starting point are marked with a circle. A blue line connects the dots and the destination is marked with a red Google pin. The map beneath it is drawn with gray lines and outlines most of the mainland USA except for the western most part and the tip of Texas. The country boarders are drawn with thick gray lines and the US state boarders are drawn with thin gray lines. Some parts of Canada and Mexico are also included. The six destinations used in the direction is named, using normal black font, with the state or other specification written in gray text after the destination name. Here written in the driving order from start to destination:]
:Ponytail's text: Get it
:Map destinations: Truly MT Saari MI Toulouse KY A Clay Co, WV Friendship SC This Way Lake Jackson, TX

:[Cueball continues to text Ponytail, with his text message shown above him as he types on his smartphone held up in both hands, with movement lines on either side of the phone. He has turned to look straight out of the panel. He sends Ponytail another screenshot of driving directions with a similar map type as in the previous panel, but this time with only three destinations. The map this time only shows the middle to eastern part of the USA, with more focus on for instance the Great Lakes. Here written in the driving order from start to destination:]
:Map destinations: Hope NY Yoe PS Fallin Lake AR

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Tips]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Google Maps]]
[[Category:US maps]]
[[Category:Smartphones]]
[[Category:Puns]]

Talk:326: Effect an Effect

2025-05-16T21:44:02Z

Flipping Mackerel:

Can someone explain the title text, thanks! –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 14:20, 22 March 2013 (UTC)
:Yeah, I'd like to see that get added as well. I kind of assumed it was like taking a kill-count; one painting for each victim. I'm not sure what it specifically refers to, or what the origin of the term is. [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 05:55, 28 March 2013 (UTC)
:seen the silhouette images of enemy planes painted next to the pilots canopy on mid 20th century fighter planes? its a reference to that. i've only seen it in films but presumably where there's smoke there's fire. *edit for improved explanation: the images are painted by the pilot to show how many 'bogies' he's shot down,much like how cueball will paint the grammarian on his desktop as another victim. [[User:Xseo|Xseo]] ([[User talk:Xseo|talk]]) 10:02, 15 April 2013 (UTC)
::"mid 20th century fighter planes"?? As opposed to what? Late 18th century fighter planes?[[Special:Contributions/86.44.215.73|86.44.215.73]] 02:44, 23 April 2013 (UTC)
:::As opposed to late 20th and 21st century fighter planes perhaps? [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 08:20, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
::::And assuming "mid 20th century" refers to World War II of 1939-45 (less years for Americans, arguably more so for some other countries), there were already gun-attached 'fighter aircraft' in WWI and onward (though often technically called "scouts" or "pursuit" aircraft, in English and American terminology, respectively... other countries/languages having their own varients). Maybe not from the ''very'' start of the 1914-18 conflict, as opposing aircrews were apparently quite friendly to each other for a while until some air-reconnaissance pilot took a pistol up with him (or perhaps it was originally a solution against airships, leastwise those that they could get high enough to attack). And then some people had the idea to hard-attach various projectile weapons to the planes. And, oh boy, they had fun for a while trying to mount them to fire through their own front propellers, didn't they? ;)
::::Anyway, the concept definitely had become engrained before the 'mid' 20thC, by whatever name. Did the Red Baron paint kills on his triplane? Did Biggles (fictionally) do so? Someone ought to actually research this. ;) [[Special:Contributions/178.98.31.27|178.98.31.27]] 16:27, 19 June 2013 (UTC)
:::::At least in his autobiography "Der rote Kampfflieger" (The red Fighter pilot) Manfred von Richthofen (the actual name of the Red Baron) did not tell about that. And he did not mention any other pilot doing so, either. But since he considered being a fighter pilot as a sport such as hunting and he was very proud of his "score" it is most likely he would have telled if there were such a rite, I guess. As such I would consider "mid 20th century" as correct, since most if not all actual evidences of that tradition I am aware of are from WWII or later. Unfortunately I did not found any information about the origin of that tradition. The only wikipedia entry is the German article about "Abschussmarkierung" which has no links to translations of other languages and does not contain any information about the origin and searching for "kill marks" or "kill scores" leads to nothing but hobbyist forums or World of Tanks/World of Warplanes (both being more or less WWII games) and similar. Maybe I do some more research on this, later. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 15:48, 4 December 2014 (UTC)

Effects effecting affects affect effects effectively. Also, Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo. --naginalf [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.40|108.162.216.40]] 20:29, 12 March 2014 (UTC)
:: Wouldn’t the sentence “I want to put a hyphen between the words Fish and and and and and Chips in my Fish-and-Chips sign” have been clearer if quotation marks had been placed before Fish, and between Fish and and, and and and and, and and and and, and and and and, and and and and, and and and Chips, as well as after Chips? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.14|172.68.141.14]] 19:54, 24 December 2020 (UTC)
: Sure, but really, if an effect can effect affects effectively, how many affects can an effect effectively effect? [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 14:46, 3 October 2014 (UTC)
:: As many affects as an effect can effect if an effect can effect affects effectively. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.162|108.162.238.162]] 04:09, 4 November 2014 (UTC)
::: What that is that that is is that that is what that is, I guess. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.174|173.245.56.174]] 19:42, 14 February 2015 (UTC)

I was in a meeting once where a guy said, "I am effected by my environment." I replied, "Oh? We think, therefore you are?" Nobody laughed. Sigh. {{unsigned|CoderLass}}

Can someone simplify the meaning / alternative words for the two variants and verb/noun uses in a spreadsheet? --[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Lazer%20erazer Björn Eberhardt] 14:50, 3 June 2015 (CEST)

:You shouldn't need a spreadsheet, since it's only a 2x2 matrix, meaning just 4 meanings. Briefly:
:* Effect (noun): result
:* Effect (verb): cause
:* Affect (noun): visible sign of mood
:* Affect (verb): change

:There are additional meanings for all of these, but they're generally related to the main meaning in obvious ways. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.69|162.158.255.69]] 07:28, 16 September 2015 (UTC)

Bjorn- if you find anyone to do that, I'm getting it as a tattoo.
[[User:Gwynfshae|Gwynfshae]] ([[User talk:Gwynfshae|talk]]) 15:01, 1 September 2015 (UTC)

The spelling of "foreign" was corrected several hours after it was posted, according to [http://blog.xkcd.com/2007/10/08/embarassing-typo/ the XKCD blog]. Anyone know how it was initially spelled? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.148|162.158.255.148]] 23:34, 31 March 2016 (UTC)

:"Foriegn". (The 'e' and 'i' are transposed.) [https://web.archive.org/web/20071008161224/http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/effect_an_effect.png Here]'s a Wayback Machine link.
:I imagine ''someone'''s gonna want this. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.230.157|172.70.230.157]] 06:05, 4 January 2022 (UTC)

Does the plane-painting thing actually ever happen? I have heard people say the practice exited from well before WWII, but in almost every case both before and after I think it’s an urban legend. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.214.137|108.162.214.137]] 17:03, 22 April 2016 (UTC)

To be honest, "effect a situation" is a pretty odd collocation. One usually effects changes, I think. [[User:Flipping Mackerel|Flipping Mackerel]] ([[User talk:Flipping Mackerel|talk]]) 21:44, 16 May 2025 (UTC)

612: Estimation

2024-07-23T17:58:51Z

Flipping Mackerel: /* Explanation */ Given David Plummer's video, it's clear that claiming that Windows (even early versions) only used the current transfer rate would be disingenous.

{{comic
| number = 612
| date = July 20, 2009
| title = Estimation
| image = estimation.png
| titletext = They could say "the connection is probably lost," but it's more fun to do naive time-averaging to give you hope that if you wait around for 1,163 hours, it will finally finish.
}}

==Explanation==
When moving or copying files using {{w|File Explorer|Windows Explorer}}, a dialog box opens to inform the user how long it would take. However, to the bafflement of many the time often keeps wildly fluctuating. This comic pokes fun at this quirk of Windows.

One possible cause of this behavior is an estimation where the current transfer rate is given the most weight, which if we were to continue with the car scenario put forth by Randall, is like giving an ETA based on the speed the car is currently at with no consideration of the future, such as traffic lights, traffic jams, or expressways. File transferring is limited by various factors such as how fast the files can be read, how quickly the disk can be written to, and even the size of each file themselves (think the difference between carrying a large box versus having to carry a hundred miscellaneous items).

A better implementation would keep track of the average file transfer rate over the entire operation, which would even out the bumps and give a more accurate estimate. Windows 8 avoids the problem by doing away with the time estimate.

The title text refers to the fact that if the connection is lost, and data can no longer be transmitted, the estimation just gets larger and larger as time goes on rather than realizing that no data being sent means there is no connection. This is a behavior that occurs on {{w|Microsoft}} network connections even when the connection is not lost. Kubuntu avoids this problem, but not that of wide fluctuations, by including only the past few seconds in its estimate. If there has been zero progress within the averaging interval, it reports "Stalled".

==Recognition==
In 2021, [[:wikipedia:Dave Plummer|Dave Plummer]], whose team worked on the Windows progress dialog, created a [//youtu.be/9gTLDuxmQek video in response to this strip]. It further explains why the estimate can be wrong and fluctuate extremely.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is in a car, talking on his phone.]
:Cueball: I'm just outside town, so I should be there in fifteen minutes.
:Cueball: Actually, it's looking more like six days.
:Cueball: No, wait, thirty seconds.

:[Caption below the frame:]
:The author of the Windows file copy dialog visits some friends.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

2743: Hand Dryers

2023-03-01T12:32:09Z

Flipping Mackerel: fun(?) addition

{{comic
| number = 2743
| date = February 27, 2023
| title = Hand Dryers
| image = hand_dryers_2x.png
| imagesize = 618x309px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I know hand dryers have their problems, but I think for fun we should keep egging Dyson on and see if we can get them to make one where the airflow breaks the speed of sound.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a DYSON ENGINEER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
A {{w|hand dryer}} is an electrical device which uses air flow, typically of hot air, to dry the user's hands after they have just washed them. In the 30 or so seconds it takes to dry the hands, the user may feel as though the air coming from the hand dryer isn't actually warm,{{citation needed}} hence seeming like they "take forever to heat up," while in reality the water evaporating from the user's wet hands absorbs heat from them, as well as the possibly heated air, as {{w|evaporation}} is an endothermic process. Thus the user does not ''feel'' that the air from the dryer is warm, even though it is, and will only start to do so once their hands have been significantly dried. Interestingly, this absorption of heat through evaporation is how human {{w|sweat}} has its cooling effect, which means that even warm ambient air can be made to feel colder by being wafted across a person's dampened skin (which is how a regular fan works).

Randall has procured a small airplane, accompanied by a banner with a message explaining this phenomenon. He elaborates in the caption that he's spent dozens of years angry at the engineers of these hand dryers, as he was under the comic's erroneous impression that the air from the dryers was not actually warm. In an act of justice for hand dryer engineers everywhere, he now considers it his personal mission to explain to the public why this is actually a misconception. And indeed, it seems to be working - a person on the ground has already been [[1053: Ten Thousand|enlightened]] by Randall.

In the title text, the {{w|speed of sound}} is the speed of a sound wave{{citation needed}} in a given medium, usually air. Breaking the {{w|sound barrier}} is often touted as a significant achievement for powered aircraft (this was first safely achieved in the 1940s, and became significantly 'easier' with the development of the jet engine). Here, Randall thinks it would be a good idea to try and get the {{w|Dyson (company)|Dyson company}} (a technology company known for making high-tech, fancy and expensive air-moving devices such as vacuum-cleaners, fans and hand dryers) to design a hand dryer whose airflow would exceed the sound barrier. This would be technically difficult to achieve with such a relatively small device as a typical wall-mounted hand dryer. Nor would such a hand dryer really be practically useful, given that air currents faster than the speed of sound could cause injury to the hands of the dryer's users,{{Citation needed}} amongst other unintended effects.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[An airplane tows a banner. In the distance, there are three small clouds and three birds]

:[On the banner is written:] It seems like hand dryers take forever to heat up, but that's because the evaporation cools your skin, so the hot air feels cold until the water is gone.

:Voice coming from the bottom of the panel: Ohhh!

:[Caption below the panel:] I spent decades mistakenly annoyed at hand dryer engineers, so now I'm on a mission to save others from the same fate.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Engineering]]
[[Category:Aviation]]
[[Category:Airplane banner]]

1499: Arbitrage

2016-08-17T16:26:07Z

Flipping Mackerel: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1499
| date = March 16, 2015
| title = Arbitrage
| image = arbitrage.png
| titletext = The invisible hand of the market never texts me back.
}}

==Explanation==
In {{w|economics}} and {{w|finance}}, {{w|arbitrage}} is the practice of buying cheaply on one market whilst immediately selling at a higher price on another market, taking advantage of the price difference to make relatively risk-free profit.

In real-world {{w|Market liquidity|liquid financial markets}}, arbitrage ensures that there is only one price for a product. Arbitrageurs are the individuals performing this act to equalize the prices in those markets and hopefully make a profit.

The place where [[Cueball]] and [[Hairy]] are eating is giving away unlimited free {{w|potato chip|potato}}/{{w|tortilla chip}}s (probably serving the same function as a bread basket, a cheap but welcome appetizer while patrons wait for their orders). Hairy is acting as an arbitrageur by collecting the chips to later resell them. This is much to the consternation of Cueball, who is (depending on how you interpret the simple art-style) holding his hands up in front of his mouth in shock, covering the lower half of his face in shame, covering his eyes out of denial, sliding his palms down the front of his face in disgust, or eating chips. Possibly all in sequence.

Trying this strategy in the real world would not work. Customers leaving the restaurant with bags of chips would presumably be barred from the establishment, limiting supply as a result. And then there's the matter of a lack of demand, given the absence of a {{w|secondary market}}. Case in point: would ''you'' buy open bags of perishable, presumably hand-soiled chips? We didn't think so.

In the caption below the comic, [[Randall]] suggests that society only functions because we don't take people like Hairy "out to dinner", i.e., we generally have an aversion to dealing with people with such extreme self-interest, bordering on {{w|Psychopathy#Sociopathy|sociopathic}} behavior. We see from Cueball's reaction that he is appalled by what Hairy is doing believing he can profit from the apparent generosity.

A distinguishing feature of {{w|social animals}}, rather than animals simply sharing a {{w|habitat}}, is that they perform tasks that benefit their group. All such societies rely on some situations where the individual is not working purely on short term self-interest. The payoff for this is generally that co-operation makes things better for the group as a whole. Most people would find Hairy's behavior embarrassing and shameful, and thus would not socialize with people who behave like that. By rejecting such individuals, society protects itself from such people.

The title text mentions the ''{{w|invisible hand}}''. In economics this is a metaphor used by {{w|Adam Smith}} to describe unintended social benefits resulting from the individual actions of self-interested parties. In the context of arbitrage, the "invisible hand" compels all of a given fungible substance to be sold for the same price, as a result of the actions of individuals like Hairy who are only seeking personal profit. The Invisible Hand is a sort of personification of the market; in the title text, the person has become so real that it can be sent a text message, but despite presumably being able to hold a phone, the Hand doesn't reply (it IS on a hand). It is tempting to wonder why Randall/Cueball is texting it in the first place - not, presumably, to invite it to dinner, since the market would doubtless behave just as Hairy is doing. As it is invisible, though, perhaps it would at least be less embarrassing to sit at a table with. The invisible hand of the market is also mentioned in [[958: Hotels]].

[[1721: Business Idea]] implies a similar plan to extract wealth out of a small market inefficiency that, in reality, would be far too onerous to exploit. See also the [[what if?]] ''{{what if|22|Cost of Pennies}}'' regarding why it would not be worth trying these kind of ventures out.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Hairy are sitting at a table with a bowl of chips in the middle. Hairy is taking chips from the bowl on the table with one hand, and his other hand is dropping chips into a large bag behind him. Cueball is double facepalming.]
:Hairy: ''They're'' the ones giving chips away!
:Hairy: If they don't see the arbitrage potential, sucks for them.
:[On the bag is written: Chips.]

:In a deep sense, society functions only because we generally avoid taking these people out to dinner.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]

1697: Intervocalic Fortition

2016-06-23T03:57:26Z

Flipping Mackerel:

{{comic
| number = 1697
| date = June 22, 2016
| title = Intervocalic Fortition
| image = intervocalic_fortition.png
| titletext = These pranks happen all the time. English doesn't allow one-syllable words to end in a lax vowel, so writers on The Simpsons decided to mess with future linguists by introducing the word "meh."
}}

==Explanation==
The linguistic processes of {{w|lenition}} ("weakening") and {{w|fortition}} ("strengthening") refer to a sound becoming, respectively, either more or less vowel-like. {{w|Intervocalic}} means "between two vowels." An unvoiced consonant like ''f'' in between two vowels (which are {{w|Voicelessness#Voiceless_vowels_and_other_sonorants|almost always}} voiced) is more noticeable and takes more effort to pronounce than the voiced version ''v'' of the same sound in that position, so a change from ''v'' to ''f'' in this context would be an example of fortition. As a rule, however, lenition is much more common, and in fact one of the most common regular changes observed across languages is the kind of lenition that is the precise opposite of Cueball's prank: An unvoiced consonant between two vowels comes to be spoken, over time, as a voiced consonant, such as the middle consonant in the word "butter" that in American English is now pronounced as a brief {{w|alveolar tap}} [ɾ] rather than [t]. Observing a pattern of fortition rather than lenition in that position (especially for just one particular consonant) would be a very puzzling phenomenon to future linguists.

'''Examples for the suggested change are:'''
*''"Beafer"'' instead of ''beaver''
*''"Nofember"'' instead of ''November''
*''"Luffing"'' instead of ''loving''

The title text refers to the fact that English {{w|phonotactics}} [http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/169429/are-there-any-words-in-english-pronounced-with-e-at-the-end tend to discourage final or unstressed /ɛ/]. Exceptions tend to be monosyllabic interjections, such as:
* meh
* heh
* eh
* yeh

The word 'meh', is an interjection used to express boredom or indifference. The suggestion that it was originated by the writers of the animated TV show, {{w|The Simpsons}}, [http://www.slate.com/blogs/lexicon_valley/2013/09/06/meh_etymology_tracing_the_yiddish_word_from_leo_rosten_to_auden_to_the_simpsons.html is incorrect]. However, its use surged in popularity following its use in various episodes of the show, beginning with the 1994 episode "Sideshow Bob Roberts".

==Transcript==
:[Cueball holding his hands in front of his mouth is whispering into his Cueball-like friend's ear. The friend turns his head towards Cueball.]
:Cueball: Psst - Teach your kids to pronounce V's in the middle of words as F's, but don't write down why you're doing it.
:Cueball: Pass it on.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:My hobby: Playing pranks on future linguists

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:My Hobby]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Language]]

1676: Full-Width Justification

2016-05-08T03:29:29Z

Flipping Mackerel: /* Explanation */ Clarification of letter spacing and removal of "incomplete" tag

{{comic
| number = 1676
| date = May 4, 2016
| title = Full-Width Justification
| image = full_width_justification.png
| titletext = Gonna start bugging the Unicode consortium to add snake segment characters that can be combined into an arbitrary-length non-breaking snake.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic refers to an irritating problem in laying out text to fit from margin to margin, the problem of {{w|justification (typesetting)|justification}}, where you want multiple-line text to line up on the left side (common), the right side (less common), or both sides, which is commonly called full justification. This strip is dealing with how to make text fit such that it lines up on both sides while still looking good. Sometimes, as before a long word like "[[:wikt:deindustrialization|deindustrialization]]," there's no universal good way to make the typography work. It is a difficult problem to make text look good and be easily legible especially in a narrow space, with the biggest issue being how to handle words that are too long to fit nicely.

The comic shows several solutions to this problem, some realistic and others less so, but each partly or wholly unsatisfying.

"'''Giving up'''" essentially means not attempting full justification for a particular line, which means it will not fit with the rest of the layout.

"'''Letter spacing'''" involves an conspicuously large amount of whitespace between letters, suggesting a reading where each letter is a word until the reader recognizes what is intended. This method is in somewhat common use in newspaper and magazine layout, where it is generally known by the name "tracking" (distance between all letters) and "kerning" (distance between particular pairs of letters that fit together easily). However, letter spacing is unavailable for justification purposes in some languages (such as German), in which it is used for emphasis, as italics are in English.

"'''Hyphenation'''" is confusing because it requires suspended recognition of the full word, confusing the eye into seeing, in the given case, the non-words "deindus" and "trialization". This creates difficulty in both pronouncing and parsing the word. Moreover, the decision of when and where to hyphenate is non-trivial, particularly for automated text layout; for example, breaking a word and leaving only two "orphaned" letters on the following line is generally considered an illegal hyphenation. Nevertheless, hyphenation is a very common means of handling extreme cases.

"'''Stretching'''" appears visually unnatural and unfamiliar, and may present technical difficulties in rendering.

Adding "'''filler'''" words is generally undesirable: in the worst case, the meaning may be unintentionally altered, or the tone might be rendered too informal, as in the given example, and even in the best case, the text becomes less concise and potentially more difficult to read. Automation is also difficult. However, filler words added by a human, especially the original author of the text, are the least visually conspicuous, and may be the most practical solution in some scenarios.

Finally, adding a decorative image like "'''snakes'''" (but not necessarily snakes in particular) to fill the extra space is a justification practice of significant historical interest (it was particularly common for illuminated manuscripts in the medieval era and remained prominent until the invention of the printing press) but little modern relevance. There may be a particular absurdity to using a snake as it can be read as a word, such as "the relationship between snake industrialization" as would be done similar to a {{w|rebus}}.

In modern text layout programs, some combination of the above strategies may be used to achieve the most visually consistent effect. For example, in one case, hyphenation might be the best option to split a very long word, while another line might be too long by only one or two letters, in which case the program could apply a very slight degree of extra letter spacing, too small for the average reader to notice.

The title text suggests that in order to facilitate the "snakes" method of "solving" the problem, the {{w|Unicode Consortium}}, the organization in charge of the common text standard {{w|Unicode}}, should add "snake-building characters" (similar in concept to the existing {{w|Box Drawing}} block), to allow variable-length snake images to be used as filling. Currently, there are four snake characters in Unicode: [http://unicode-search.net/unicode-namesearch.pl?term=SNAKE]
*[https://codepoints.net/U+1DC2 U+1DC2]   <big>᷂</big>   <big>[S᷂]</big>
**A diacritical {{w|combining character}} used in Americanist phonetic notation to indicate lenis (weak) articulation.
*[https://codepoints.net/U+2E92 U+2E92]   <big>⺒</big>
**A {{w|CJK character}} which might be interpreted as "snake".
*[https://codepoints.net/U+1D9DC U+1D9DC]   <big>𝧜</big>
**One of the poorly-supported characters in the {{w|signWriting|signwriting block}}.
*[https://codepoints.net/U+1F40D U+1F40D]   <big>🐍</big>
**An {{w|emoji}} snake.

"Non-breaking" in the title text refers to a similar process as zero-width joiners and no-break HTML and CSS; the whole snake would shift down if it were too wide to fit on a given line. This suggestion would likely be rejected; the Unicode consortium is very specific about which characters are added{{Citation needed}}, and always require a good reason{{Citation needed}} before adding a character or set of characters to the standard. Strange decisions by the consortium have previously been referenced in [[1253: Exoplanet Names]], [[1513: Code Quality]], and [[1525: Emojic 8 Ball]].

Within an hour or two of this comic being published, a thread on the subject started on the Unicode Consortium’s official Unicode Mailing List. As of two days later, it’s still running.

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the panels:]
:Strategies for full-width justification

:[Below the caption is a column with six boxes, each showing a different "strategy" for justification which is annotated beside it. Here the annotation is written at the top and the text below. The top and bottom of the text is cut of in the middle, but as it can be "read" this is written anyway. Only for hyphenation does an extra word appear at the end. In the last with snakes, a snake is drawn to cover the entire space from the end of between to the right border.]

:Giving up
::their famous paper
::on the relationship
::between
::deindustrialization
::and the growth of

:Letter spacing
::their famous paper
::on the relationship
::b  e   t   w   e  e   n
::deindustrialization
::and the growth of

:Hyphenation
::their famous paper
::on the relationship
::between deindus-
::trialization and the
::growth of ecological

:Stretching
::their famous paper
::on the relationship
::<big><big><big>between</big></big></big>
::deindustrialization
::and the growth of

:Filler
::their famous paper
::on the relationship
::between crap like
::deindustrialization
::and the growth of

:Snakes
::their famous paper
::on the relationship
::between 🐍 [a snake filling the gap]
::deindustrialization
::and the growth of

==Trivia==
*The full text (with alternate changes) reads:
::''...their famous paper on the relationship between [crap like]/[ 🐍 ] deindustrialization and the growth of [ecological]...''
*An approach not depicted is to treat justification as part of a global typesetting strategy which allows words to move between lines even where this is not locally optimal. This approach is used by {{w|TeX}}.
*In Arabic, it is common to stretch the lines connecting letters as a relatively elegant and satisfying resolution to this problem. This trick is called "{{w|kashida}}" (كشيدة). There does in fact exist a Unicode character, U+0640: (ـ), to help with this: using it to extend "كشيدة" would result in something like "كشـــــــــــيدة" (which, incidentally, looks a lot like a snake).
*Jim Chapman, developer of Windows 10 e-reader app Freda, has implemented snake-justification in the app, now available on the [https://www.microsoft.com/store/apps/9wzdncrfj43b Windows Store]. For best results, use the 'settings' screen to switch 'hyphenation' to 'no', 'use snakes' to 'yes', and choose a large font size (33 or so). Then pick a book with long words and justified text, and read it in a narrow window.
*The comic has been discussed on the [http://www.unicode.org/mail-arch/unicode-ml/y2016-m05/0004.html Unicode Mailing List].
*The typesetting system [http://www.sile-typesetter.org/ SILE] implemented snake justification on the same day the comic was published.
*"Line Fillers" depicting animals (including snakes) were widely used in [http://www.medievalcodes.ca/2016/04/line-fillers.html medieval book art].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Animals]]

Talk:1676: Full-Width Justification

2016-05-06T03:32:19Z

Flipping Mackerel:

I added the emoji snake. Is emoji snake the same as a Unicode snake would be? [[User:Azule|Azule]] ([[User talk:Azule|talk]]) 05:46, 4 May 2016 (UTC)
:I assumed Unicode snakes would use three different characters: a head, a body segment, and a tail. Your solution is good, but objectively not perfect compared to what's shown in the comic.
:So what ''would'' be the optimal snake transcription method here? A parenthetical aside saying "''A drawing of a snake stretches to the right end of the line.''"? Or should we just blackmail the Unicode consortium again? [[User talk:AgentMuffin|~AgentMuffin]]
::The correct solution is obviously to include a 16 Mpixel image of a snake.[[User:Henke37|Henke37]] ([[User talk:Henke37|talk]]) 07:41, 4 May 2016 (UTC)
:::Emoji full snake is already in Unicode as Azule knows. &#x1f40d = 🐍
:::Segmented snake needs at least three characteres: head, e.g. °, body e.g ~ and tail, e.g. ◝.
:::Three segment snake °~◝
:::Four segment snake: °~~◝
:::[[User:Demro|Demro]] ([[User talk:Demro|talk]]) 12:45, 4 May 2016 (UTC)

Could the title text also be a reference to the snake in umwelt? [[User:Azule|Azule]] ([[User talk:Azule|talk]]) 05:46, 4 May 2016 (UTC)

Amazon is notorious for being bad at this. Here's a somewhat related [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzdugwr4Fgk Computerphile video]. [[User:Eno|Eno]] ([[User talk:Eno|talk]]) 06:32, 4 May 2016 (UTC)

Also, funnily enough, the filler text and the snakes were used in medieval (hand-written) manuscripts. Although it's not a snake but usually a nondescript wriggle that could only pass as a snake when you're squinting really hard. For filler text it's usually low-content words like "truly", "verily", "indeed", "without fail", "in truth" or stuff like that. So it's really an old problem with no satisfactory solution developed in hundreds of years... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.85.93|162.158.85.93]] 08:19, 4 May 2016 (UTC)
:This practice of filling the line with a dingbat carried on into the days of handset letterpress (i.e. up until the early 1900's), although it gradually became more whimsical and so less frequent in serious works.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.123|108.162.241.123]] 12:28, 4 May 2016 (UTC)

In practice you reformulate. Not necessarily insert filler words, but just reorder the sentence enough that justification works. That is assuming the automated justification doesn't work, which will try a combination of multiple methods like word-spacing, letter-spacing and hyphenation. Imagine hyphenating at "de-" instead, but adding a little bit extra letter space in "between", and almost double normal word space between "between" and "de-".[[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.222|162.158.114.222]] 08:20, 4 May 2016 (UTC)
:Reformulating can only be done with the (tacit or explicit) permission of the author. There are situations where rewording would not be allowed.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.123|108.162.241.123]] 12:28, 4 May 2016 (UTC)

While the arabic part is interesting, I don't feel it to be very relevant here. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.156|108.162.249.156]] 09:11, 4 May 2016 (UTC)
:It is relevant because is yet another solution (useful only in Arabic). [[User:Demro|Demro]] ([[User talk:Demro|talk]]) 12:47, 4 May 2016 (UTC)

Sorry- how do add a [citation needed] in superscript? [[User:Transuranium|Transuranium]] ([[User talk:Transuranium|talk]])Transuranium

The "snake" option is actually less out there than the current explanation indicates. Snakes proper were not necessarily the go-to, but the same general strategy (decorative filling) was used heavily in illuminated manuscripts in the medieval period.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.217|162.158.214.217]] 14:36, 4 May 2016 (UTC)
:Came here just to say that. The current explanation needs reworking because that's actually one of the oldest ways of dealing with text justification. Check for example [https://nelabligh.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/book-of-kells-1.jpg the Book of Kells] [[Special:Contributions/162.158.203.141|162.158.203.141]] 20:15, 4 May 2016 (UTC)

:Modified the explanation accordingly.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.217|162.158.214.217]] 21:44, 4 May 2016 (UTC)

"the Unicode consortium is very specific about which characters are added[citation needed], and always require a good reason[citation needed] before adding a character or set of characters to the standard." Seriously? Then what are all the emoji pages added for? U+1F459 (Bikini) 👙, for example... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.98|108.162.221.98]] 04:05, 5 May 2016 (UTC)

:In case of bikini, I would suspect the gender of Unicode consortium members is the reason ... -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 17:52, 5 May 2016 (UTC)

I changed "'''Hyphenation''' is also confusing as it often leaves two partial non-words" with "'''Hyphenation''' is confusing in English because its spelling requires full-word recognition". In many (if not most) languages two partial non-words can be easily read. The hyphenation problem is probably unique to English. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.13|108.162.221.13]] 13:06, 5 May 2016 (UTC)

:In most languages, the cases where the hyphenation will be confusing will be rare. In English, the cases where the hyphenation will NOT be confusing will be rare. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 17:52, 5 May 2016 (UTC)
:: On the contrary, it will generally result in non-words (and hence difficulty reading) regardless of which language you're writing in. Unless maybe you're dealing with logographs, e.g. in written Chinese languages. [[User:Flipping Mackerel|Flipping Mackerel]] ([[User talk:Flipping Mackerel|talk]]) 03:32, 6 May 2016 (UTC)