In recent times, I’ve noticed that the shirts I wear to the gym are developing holes under the armpits. The seams there are failing. Is this just mechanical wear, or is there something about armpit sweat that breaks down cloth?
Do you use deodorant when you wear these shirts?
Yes.
WAG: How do you remove your shirts? Do you pull on the sleeves to get the shirt over your head? If you are, then aren’t you putting a lot of stress on the seams under the armpit, that attach your sleeve to the rest of the shirt?
Come to a place like Bangkok, especially now with the hot season. I’m very hot-natured to begin with and often sweat like a pig, especially at this time of year. Many a shirt here has been ruined with armpit stains. No holes, though.
However, I discovered the main culprit to be the chemicals in deoderant. I experimented with different brands, but I finally began using deoderizing body spray in place of deoderant. Works the same and I have not ruined a shirt since. Forget anti-perspirants, they haven’t made one yet that can keep me from sweating. The body spray keeps the shirts presentable.
Specifically, I now use fcuk brand, from the UK. They sell it here. Don’t know if they have it in the US yet, but I assure you that’s a real brand and not a joke.
Interesting. Siam Sam. There are several French Connection (“FCUK”) stores in Toronto; I’ll check one out. (I, too, sweat like a pig when the temperature goes above 28C.) And I’ll pay more attention to the way I take shirts off.
Ah, yes, I meant I didn’t know if they were in Canada yet. 
But I’m glad they’re there. You know I’m not making a rude joke. When they first started selling the brand in Thailand, I’d never heard of it before and was highly amused. There was a very pretty girl in the store aisle helping customers, and I asked her in Thai: “An nee cheu ‘fuck’?” Meaning: “Is this called ‘fuck’?” Using the English word. I guess she knew THAT word, though, because she hurriedly said: “MAI CHAI, KHA! f-c-u-k.” Meaning: “NO IT’S NOT!” Then spelling it. Still with a smile, though. But I took it she kept getting asked that.
We certainly do have FCUK here, and IIRC it’s been the subject of controversy in a few places.
Oh? Animal testing? Global warming?
Whatever it is, at least it keeps my shirts okay.
The ones in Toronto are labeled ‘French Connection’ with ‘fcuk’ in script off to the side; I thought maybe they’d been de-emphasising the ‘uk’ part of it. Even so, the name sounds like some kind of cross-Channel youth hostel service, not a clothing store.
I’m fairly certain that taking a tee shert on and off is the cause of arm pit seam failure. Many a time I’ve had to dicard t shirts due to this. I just examined my current under garments and while I’ve noticed fledgling arm pit seam failure seam falure, my brief crotch seams are just fine. The crotch, sweat and deoderant, experience the same environment as armpits.
The name.
Oh yeah. There IS that.
Thais don’t really understand how bad the English word “fuck” can be. The Thai equivalent – *yet * – is considered just as obscene, but they don’t quite understand that this is the same as yet. On regular prime-time television, it became standard for some soap-opera characters to tell others “Fuck you!” in English. It was considered cool to throw in an English-language insult. They thought it was like “Drop Dead” or something. Have not heard of that for a while, so maybe someone clued them in.
I vaguely recall the name French Connection. They proudly proclaim “fcuk” over here.
Same here. The “French Connection” part was news to me in this thread.
Here’s the Canadian site.
The Thai equivalent of ‘fuck’ is pronounced ‘yet’? I wonder whether they warn English-speaking tourists of that. I’m going to have a hard time not remembering that when I go to Thai restaurants, etc, in the future.
That’s nothing. The Thai word for “squash” or “pumpkin” is “Fahck.” An A-sound as in “father.” Sounds very close to “fuck.” (Actually, “pumpkin” is specifically “Fahck thong,” or literally “golden squash.”) I knew a lady who was practicing her Thai in the market, and she’d ask the vendors, “Nee arai? Nee ara?” (“What’s this?”) She said she about freaekd when she pointed to squash and the guy looked right at her and said what she heard as: “Fuck!”
Almost as bad is the English “too late.” The Thais always hear it as “too rate,” which is an extreme degree of scolding. Similar to saying, “You stupid fucking bastard!” It doesn’t help that Thais often really do get their Ls and Rs mixed up. I have noticed Thais whipping their heads to look at me when I’m having a conversation with a fellow farang (Westerner) and “too late” pops up.