# 9 Chickweed Lane - The Plot Thickens **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 4, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-chickweed-lane-the-plot-thickens/549160 "2010-08-04T16:04:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-chickweed-lane-the-plot-thickens/549160/41 "2010-08-10T14:54:45Z")
> [@lawoot](#): > > Well that’s not going to happen…Kiesl’s been dead for a week (or about 7 months, in OUR time). Gran read his obit in the paper. Now it’s going to be even more maudlin. Kiesl’s going to appear in Gran’s dream. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-chickweed-lane-the-plot-thickens/549160/42 "2010-08-10T17:24:41Z")
Now Juliette and Edda will go to Vienna and get to meet their previously unknown Austrian relatives! And hilarity ensues! ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-chickweed-lane-the-plot-thickens/549160/43 "2010-08-10T17:45:49Z")
> [@photopat](#): > > Now Juliette and Edda will go to Vienna and get to meet their previously unknown Austrian relatives! And hilarity ensues! Here’s [Kiesl](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cd/Fritzl.jpg) in later life. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-chickweed-lane-the-plot-thickens/549160/44 "2010-08-10T23:40:40Z")
Gaaah! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-chickweed-lane-the-plot-thickens/549160/45 "2010-08-11T13:41:55Z")
[Fake out!](http://comics.com/9_chickweed_lane/2010-08-11/) ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-chickweed-lane-the-plot-thickens/549160/46 "2010-08-11T14:49:32Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > [Fake out!](http://comics.com/9_chickweed_lane/2010-08-11/) That’s plural, isn’t it? So if Unidentified Old Dude (most of McEldowney’s men look very similar facially) is talking about the once-happy couple, why does he have that picture? Or if it’s Kiesl, how did his fake death get reported? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-chickweed-lane-the-plot-thickens/549160/47 "2010-08-11T15:05:37Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > > [@silenus](#): > > > > [Fake out!](http://comics.com/9_chickweed_lane/2010-08-11/) > > That’s plural, isn’t it? So if Unidentified Old Dude (most of McEldowney’s men look very similar facially) is talking about the once-happy couple, why does he have that picture? Or if it’s Kiesl, how did his fake death get reported? If it IS plural, and it IS Kiesl, then he could very well be calling both he and Edna idiots for throwing away the possibility so long ago. Or maybe it’s Kiesl’s brother, who was told the whole story a long time ago, getting dressed for the funeral at Kiesl’s house and that’s why the picture is on the dresser. Either way, that’s more defending of McEldowney than I’ve done ever, so I’m finished. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-chickweed-lane-the-plot-thickens/549160/48 "2010-08-11T17:15:14Z")
[Monty Python] I’m not dead yet! [/MP] It could be Kiesl’s brother (Diesl?) or the obit could have been in error. I guess we’ll find out soon\*. This could be one of those previously unknown Austrian relatives I was talking about before. For a given definition of “soon.” I figure, October 18. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-chickweed-lane-the-plot-thickens/549160/49 "2010-08-11T18:02:24Z")
> [@photopat](#): > > For a given definition of “soon.” I figure, October 18. 2013 ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-chickweed-lane-the-plot-thickens/549160/50 "2010-08-16T23:56:16Z")
Okay, so Edda’s at the grave, presumably with Kiesl’s brother\*. Can anybody help with the translations? Or lover. Either’s cool. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-chickweed-lane-the-plot-thickens/549160/51 "2010-08-16T23:59:03Z")
Someone over at Comics Curmudgeon translated today’s German lesson as “What is your name?” She’s gonna tell him “Edda” and since he’s old and therefore half-deaf, he’ll hear “Edna” and have a heart attack from the shock of her obvious immortality. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-chickweed-lane-the-plot-thickens/549160/52 "2010-08-17T00:00:50Z")
I thought it might be “what happened to you?” But only because I couldn’t find a specific translation of “heiben” anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-chickweed-lane-the-plot-thickens/549160/53 "2010-08-17T00:08:05Z")
Someone elsewhere pointed out the “B” is actually a “ß”, which is written as “ss” if you don’t have that character available. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-chickweed-lane-the-plot-thickens/549160/54 "2010-08-17T00:27:15Z")
> [@photopat](#): > > Can anybody help with the translations? He asked her, “Who are you?” Or lover. Either’s cool. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-chickweed-lane-the-plot-thickens/549160/55 "2010-08-17T00:36:04Z")
Or lover. Either’s cool. [/quote] I missed deleting that. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![sevenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-chickweed-lane-the-plot-thickens/549160/56 "2010-08-17T00:37:00Z")
> [@photopat](#): > > Can anybody help with the translations? I’ve been using the [Google translator](http://www.google.com/ig). ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-chickweed-lane-the-plot-thickens/549160/57 "2010-08-17T00:50:00Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > > [@silenus](#): > > > > [Fake out!](http://comics.com/9_chickweed_lane/2010-08-11/) > > That’s plural, isn’t it? So if Unidentified Old Dude (most of McEldowney’s men look very similar facially) is talking about the once-happy couple, why does he have that picture? Or if it’s Kiesl, how did his fake death get reported? What Kiesl has been saying in the last few strips: Idiots. (11 Aug) Dimwits. (12 Aug) Idiots. (then) Excuse me please, I have… (13 Aug) What is your name? (14 Aug) The “idiots”, “dimwits” part is talking about whoever made a mistake and ran his obituary. Sometimes newspapers make mistakes. [List of prematurely reported obituaries - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_premature_obituaries) The “What is your name” part is because he sees a young girl that looks exactly like the girl he was in love with during World War II. He must know that he has a granddaughter in the USA, knows the granddaughter’s name, and is wondering if this young english-speaking girl at his gravesite is the granddaugther. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-chickweed-lane-the-plot-thickens/549160/58 "2010-08-17T00:54:40Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > What is your name? (14 Aug) I thought “Wie heissen Sie?” was literally, "What are you calle ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-chickweed-lane-the-plot-thickens/549160/59 "2010-08-17T01:03:25Z")
“Wie heissen Sie”, literally, is “How do you call yourself?” But it’s what you would ask someone if you wanted to ask “What’s your name?” Things I don’t understand fully: Why did the general or whoever it was wait until grandma was seeing someone else before deciding to tell her that Bill was still alive? Why did grandma feel that she had more of an obligation to Bill than Kiesl? Was Bill faking his mental issues, or were they for real? Why did Juliette (the daughter) and Edda (the grand-daughter) both make a fist pump ( a gesture implying jubilation ) when learning that Juliette was a love child? What’s so great about that? Is it because Juliette didn’t like her dad, and Edda didn’t like her grandfather? Or is it extramarital sex in general that gets them all pumped up? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-chickweed-lane-the-plot-thickens/549160/60 "2010-08-17T01:07:10Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > “Wie heissen Sie”, literally, is “what are you called?” But it’s what you would ask someone if you wanted to ask “What’s your name?” Thanks! I haven’t a clue for your questions. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-chickweed-lane-the-plot-thickens/549160.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-chickweed-lane-the-plot-thickens/549160.md?page=4)