"Do not ignore the mermaids"
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"In case of volcanic eruption, you will hear mermaids. Do not ignore the mermaids; they are there for your safety." https://t.co/8XKXu1OUk5
— Sarah Churchwell (@sarahchurchwell) September 7, 2016
AlexB said,
September 10, 2016 @ 9:12 am
Ah, le chant des sirènes!
Jim said,
September 10, 2016 @ 10:36 am
And yet, this phrase seems magical somehow, and I have an urge to adopt it as my life's motto.
Florence Artur said,
September 10, 2016 @ 11:25 am
Reminds me of some of the spam posts I get on my web site: pure poetry.
Gregory Kusnick said,
September 10, 2016 @ 11:29 am
Can't wait to see the trailer.
Margaret S. said,
September 10, 2016 @ 12:31 pm
There’s also another subtle (and more prosaic) semi-false friend buried in that sentence: "in case of" (no doubt the Spanish original was “en caso de”) more accurately means "in the event of".
TonyK said,
September 10, 2016 @ 1:29 pm
Margaret S.: We are a bit short of volcanoes here in Britain, but "in case of fire" is very common in safety notices.
Linda said,
September 10, 2016 @ 1:53 pm
On a campsite in France we were told that we would be warned of flash floods by means of "loud healers"
gribley said,
September 10, 2016 @ 2:11 pm
I'm just a little disappointed that the fantastic phrasing in the tweet you post above seems to be a made-up example based on a GT mistranslation. I would so love to see that on a sign.
Rodger C said,
September 10, 2016 @ 2:14 pm
I thought all the loud healers were in America.
Guy said,
September 10, 2016 @ 2:53 pm
"In the event of" is still a possible (albeit slightly dated and formal-sounding) English meaning of "in case of". It hasn't been completely displaced by the extended meaning "as a contingency for". In this context, that meaning is still easily accessible to me without any confusion.
E said,
September 10, 2016 @ 3:41 pm
I do not think that they will sing to me.
AntC said,
September 10, 2016 @ 8:05 pm
This is talking about undersea volcanoes, I think. Eruptions highly likely to make the mermaids sing. Explains a lot about The Odyssey.
AntC said,
September 11, 2016 @ 12:05 am
In case of ash clouds making driving conditions difficult, be sure to switch on your lighthouses.
Dan Lufkin said,
September 11, 2016 @ 8:47 pm
Speaking of pure poetry, will we hear the mermaids singing, each to each?
Kelly said,
September 12, 2016 @ 1:43 am
For a second I thought immediately of Iceland, the two twin pillars of their belief system being Eruptions and Fantasy characters….
Jen said,
September 12, 2016 @ 8:52 am
A friend of mine suggests that they would be better placed to warn of tsunamis.
Adam F said,
September 13, 2016 @ 4:47 am
"And the colors of the sea blind your eyes with trembling mermaids,
And you touch the distant beaches with tales of brave Ulysses:
How his naked ears were tortured by the sirens sweetly singing,
For the sparkling waves are calling you to kiss their white-lace lips."
Ralph Hickok said,
September 15, 2016 @ 6:15 pm
I have heard the mermaids singing each to each.
I do not think that they will sing to me.