# A Brit vs. Yank question--minor \[meaning of "buffeting"\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 18, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-brit-vs-yank-question-minor-meaning-of-buffeting/547128 "2010-07-18T15:39:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-brit-vs-yank-question-minor-meaning-of-buffeting/547128/41 "2010-07-19T16:56:37Z")
> [@Snickers](#): > > What makes me giggle the most about that commercial is this: how many thousands (millions?) of Americans have a fan on in their room at night? The white noise seems to be a benefit, not something “unsettling” or to be avoided. IMO, of course, but there it is. > > (I’m not one of these - white noise just keeps me up at night. We prefer to sleep with the windows open, but there’s always a period of adjustment for me in the spring as I get used to the extra noise.) OTOH, maybe he can sell a mess of them in South Korea if he can make them believe they don’t cause the “fan death” they believe regular fans do. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-brit-vs-yank-question-minor-meaning-of-buffeting/547128/42 "2010-07-19T17:50:31Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > with an axial fan the pressure waves can be an unpleasant noise. And a co-axial fan will spend its whole day watching cable TV. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-brit-vs-yank-question-minor-meaning-of-buffeting/547128/43 "2010-07-19T18:53:01Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > [Unpleasent buffet](http://lileks.com/institute/gallery/brunches/7.html). Bravo! I love James Lileks’ website. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-brit-vs-yank-question-minor-meaning-of-buffeting/547128/44 "2010-07-19T19:17:25Z")
It is an awesome looking fan though ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-brit-vs-yank-question-minor-meaning-of-buffeting/547128/45 "2010-07-19T20:02:10Z")
I have Dyson vacuum. I would never have bought it at full price, but got it for less than $200 on Woot - for that price its been great. CHeck them out, Woot seems to have Dysons on sale about once a week. I have used a Dyson airblade hand dryer at the airport (I think Logan?) - the air stream actually almost pulled the wedding ring off my finger (I bent the finger in time to catch it on the distal joint)! And yes, my hands were dry afterward. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-brit-vs-yank-question-minor-meaning-of-buffeting/547128/46 "2010-07-19T20:35:22Z")
I’d like to see what his new line of spheres are going to be. Probably way overpriced as well, but I might get one. ---
**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:** [July 20, 2010, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-brit-vs-yank-question-minor-meaning-of-buffeting/547128/47 "2010-07-20T01:51:29Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I think the only Brit vs Yank issue here is the assumption by that particular Brit that his accent makes him sound more authoritative… It’s usually a good strategy. Heck, we Americans buy car insurance because a cartoon gecko has a British accent. ---
**Author:** ![Dok\_Maggot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/43a26b/32.png) [@Dok\_Maggot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dok_Maggot)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-brit-vs-yank-question-minor-meaning-of-buffeting/547128/48 "2010-08-02T05:18:45Z")
The very notion that one can perceive “buffeting” from the turbulence of an electric fan is absurd; the notion that this buffeting is “unsettling” is outrageous. What can they have had in mind to let this on the air. Why have they not yet taken it off? The world is so full of mysteries. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-brit-vs-yank-question-minor-meaning-of-buffeting/547128/49 "2010-08-02T06:05:09Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > The big advantage of Dyson’s vacuum cleaners is that you don’t need bags or filters. You spend more up front to save on the consumables later. my premium vacuum cleaner is $200 cheaper and I don’t have a dust cloud changing the bag. The “cyclone” vacuum goes back to 1928 so it’s design isn’t innovative nor does the price justify the mess or cost of replacement bags. The idea of a cooling fan costing 4 times as much as a window air conditioner seems like an attempt to sell sand in the desert. Anyone who can afford a $300 fan already has air conditioning. Anybody needing air conditioning but can’t afford it wouldn’t buy it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-brit-vs-yank-question-minor-meaning-of-buffeting/547128.md?page=2)