# Clock Tells British Patient to Die **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 14, 2013, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-tells-british-patient-to-die/676301 "2013-12-14T12:09:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-tells-british-patient-to-die/676301/1 "2013-12-14T12:09:22Z")
[Really](http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-13/time-to-die-clock-tells-british-hospital-patient/5154734). That must have been an amusing scene… ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-tells-british-patient-to-die/676301/2 "2013-12-14T12:37:41Z")
"We quickly rectified this by pressing several buttons to show the English abbreviation, ‘TUE’. Fortunately, it was not the patient’s time to die at all. But unfortunately, due to the power of suggestion, he died. " ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-tells-british-patient-to-die/676301/3 "2013-12-14T13:39:37Z")
I like a comment someone on another board made: “For you, it was an omen of death. For the clock, it was Tuesday.” ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-tells-british-patient-to-die/676301/4 "2013-12-14T14:02:29Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > "We quickly rectified this by pressing several buttons to show the English abbreviation, ‘TUE’. And because the patient was French, he killed instead. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-tells-british-patient-to-die/676301/5 "2013-12-14T14:18:55Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > And because the patient was French, he killed instead. If he was French he would have surrendered. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-tells-british-patient-to-die/676301/6 "2013-12-14T14:36:42Z")
But was it the patients time to Tue? ETA: And the next day, he just HAD to get married! ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-tells-british-patient-to-die/676301/7 "2013-12-14T14:46:04Z")
It does it every day at 3:10. You’ve got the cockamamie clock upside down. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-tells-british-patient-to-die/676301/8 "2013-12-14T18:37:23Z")
I think it is the rationing caused by socialized medicine. It was no accident, it was cost control. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-tells-british-patient-to-die/676301/9 "2013-12-14T18:45:00Z")
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#): > > But was it the patients time to Tue? > > ETA: And the next day, he just HAD to get married! I want to be there to see what happens on Friday. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-tells-british-patient-to-die/676301/10 "2013-12-14T18:50:58Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > I think it is the rationing caused by socialized medicine. It was no accident, it was cost control. “Downstairs, for the first time in years, there came a knock on the door.” - points for spotting the reference. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-tells-british-patient-to-die/676301/11 "2013-12-14T20:09:40Z")
It’s just German. It means “The Bart, The”. ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-tells-british-patient-to-die/676301/12 "2013-12-14T21:34:18Z")
“No one who speaks German could be an evil man!” ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-tells-british-patient-to-die/676301/13 "2013-12-14T22:11:33Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > “Downstairs, for the first time in years, there came a knock on the door.” > > - points for spotting the reference. Spider Robinson’s short story “No Renewal” I did that without looking!😃 It’s in his collection of non-Callahan stories called Melancholy Elephants. That book also has one of my two favorite short stories ever, “True Minds” Mr. Robinson himself signed the book for me, next to that story, saying _For Denise-This is the first time anyone’s told me they like this story! Thank you, Spider Robinson_ ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-tells-british-patient-to-die/676301/14 "2013-12-14T23:15:23Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I like a comment someone on another board made: > > “For you, it was an omen of death. > For the clock, it was Tuesday.” Brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-tells-british-patient-to-die/676301/15 "2013-12-15T01:56:36Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > "We quickly rectified this by pressing several buttons to show the English abbreviation, ‘TUE’. Fortunately, it was not the patient’s time to die at all. But unfortunately, due to the power of suggestion, he died. " Who are you quoting? Not the article. The patient, like Tiny Tim, did not die. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-tells-british-patient-to-die/676301/16 "2013-12-15T02:25:45Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > And because the patient was French, he killed instead. The Englishman with the French clock wanted to kill the clock when it insulted him on Sunday. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-tells-british-patient-to-die/676301/17 "2013-12-15T03:21:58Z")
This is why you never purchase clocks from the Tyrell Corporation. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-tells-british-patient-to-die/676301/18 "2013-12-15T13:42:43Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Who are you quoting? Not the article. The patient, like Tiny Tim, did not die. Methinks you’ve been whooshed.