# Do we have a thread for SlackerInc yet? Maybe we should **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 2, 2018, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-thread-for-slackerinc-yet-maybe-we-should/825461 "2018-12-02T20:21:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 40
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2020, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-thread-for-slackerinc-yet-maybe-we-should/825461/782 "2020-09-05T17:09:26Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > The reason my translations are so fucking sweet is that the paragraphs I write in English are stellar literary creations _in their own right._ 🕶 Thus, completely different from any of your posts on this messageboard. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2020, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-thread-for-slackerinc-yet-maybe-we-should/825461/783 "2020-09-05T17:28:19Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I take it you’ve never read Tolkien, then? One of the places I picked it up, though I’d heard it even before then, God knows where. I guess it is claimed to be more of a Britishism, but I’ve been very occasionally and jokingly saying “why don’t you teach your grandmother to suck eggs” for decades. Sometimes to blank looks to be sure, but that’s part of the charm 🙂. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2020, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-thread-for-slackerinc-yet-maybe-we-should/825461/784 "2020-09-05T17:39:02Z")
What I remember is that the idiom originally stood as a notice to newbies to respect the experience of the elders and also to remark that they were looking foolish in their attempts to teach people with plenty of knowledge on a matter. Later it became a note to point out to newbies that they should better bother others with their ignorant condescension and leave alone the ones that have plenty of experience or expertise in a matter. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2020, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-thread-for-slackerinc-yet-maybe-we-should/825461/785 "2020-09-05T17:40:05Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > I don’t even claim to be the most “accurate” translator, just the translator who makes _the best English sentences_ —while not straying too far from the literal meaning. I do translation from Spanish to English myself, and have done a lot of bilingual publications and exhibitions. I would fire any translator who did that. A competent translator can be both accurate, and write good English sentences. Trying to “improve” the original text is not something a competent translator does. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2020, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-thread-for-slackerinc-yet-maybe-we-should/825461/786 "2020-09-05T17:42:53Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > > [@SlackerInc](#): > > > > They don’t know any more than I did. I just googled it, and it’s some 18th-century English language idiom that no one uses anymore. Seriously. I have never ever heard of this, and the only citations for it mentioned online are more than 200 years old. Another perilous thing about trying to use idioms in a foreign language: you don’t know which ones are actually current. > > You just are displaying your utter ignorance. I’ve heard the idiom for many years, and use it occasionally myself. Yeah, it’s humorously archaic. No, it’s not from Spanish. **GIGObuster** knows English a lot better than you do For what it’s worth, I’m familiar with the phrase “Don’t teach yer grandma to suck eggs”, as well. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2020, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-thread-for-slackerinc-yet-maybe-we-should/825461/787 "2020-09-05T17:44:22Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > A l’eau. C’est l’heure. Well, a direct translation is _In the water. It’s time._ If it’s really the motto of the French Navy, a good idiomatic translation might be _Anchors aweigh!_ ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2020, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-thread-for-slackerinc-yet-maybe-we-should/825461/788 "2020-09-05T18:02:53Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Well, a direct translation is _In the water. It’s time._ > > If it’s really the motto of the French Navy, a good idiomatic translation might be _Anchors aweigh!_ Don’t tell others, 🤫, it is a joke. [Try to say that in French](https://translate.google.co.uk/#fr/en/a%20l'eau%2C%20c'est%20l'heure). Click on the speaker under the French language. [“Hello, Sailor!”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello,_sailor) The motto of the French Navy is actually: > **[Honneur, patrie, valeur, discipline](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honneur,_patrie,_valeur,_discipline)** > > Honneur, patrie, valeur, discipline (Honour, fatherland, valour, discipline) is the motto of the French Navy. It is found inscribed on all ships and buildings, sometimes with each word on its separate plaque at a corner of the superstructure. > The motto uses words found in traditional mottos of French institutions: "Honneur - Patrie", and "Valeur - Discipline" > Probably under the Second French Empire, these two mottos fused and became features of French naval ships. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2020, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-thread-for-slackerinc-yet-maybe-we-should/825461/789 "2020-09-05T18:09:30Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Whenever you try to boast about your supposed intellectual achievements, I can’t help but think of [this.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgHXHtHSsNo) That’s not fair, and as a longstanding mod you should know better. I feel genuine sympathy when I watch that scene, knowing the context of how he got there and what sort of a man he is. Had his father not been so given over to corruption, he and his brothers together might have been good men. So to compare Fredo to **SlackWit** really isn’t fair to Fredo, or to the [brilliant actor who portrayed him, and died too soon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cazale). In short, I think you owe the estate of John Cazale an apology. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2020, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-thread-for-slackerinc-yet-maybe-we-should/825461/790 "2020-09-05T18:14:02Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > I guess it is claimed to be more of a Britishism It’s certainly a very familiar idiom to me (born in London). ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2020, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-thread-for-slackerinc-yet-maybe-we-should/825461/791 "2020-09-05T18:18:00Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > > > Well, a direct translation is _In the water. It’s time._ > > > > If it’s really the motto of the French Navy, a good idiomatic translation might be _Anchors aweigh!_ > > Don’t tell others, 🤫, it is a joke. [Try to say that in French](https://translate.google.co.uk/#fr/en/a%20l'eau%2C%20c'est%20l'heure). > > Click on the speaker under the French language. > > [“Hello, Sailor!”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello,_sailor) > > The motto of the French Navy is actually: > > [Honneur, patrie, valeur, discipline - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honneur,_patrie,_valeur,_discipline) Note to **@codinghorror** : We need our headsmack smilie back. As quickly as possible, please. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2020, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-thread-for-slackerinc-yet-maybe-we-should/825461/792 "2020-09-05T18:22:52Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Note to **@codinghorror** : We need our headsmack smilie back. As quickly as possible, please. Sticking with the nautical theme, now try the first line of this French sea shanty: > Pas d’elle yeux Rhône que nous. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2020, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-thread-for-slackerinc-yet-maybe-we-should/825461/793 "2020-09-05T18:28:04Z")
Careful! First it’s French, then it’s some ancient, cosmic rhyme that will summon Cthulhu if said \*allowed. \*That’s not a typo. It’s “allowed,” not “aloud.” How exactly one might do such a thing is part of the mystery. ---
**Author:** ![codinghorror](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/codinghorror/32/4242_2.png) [@codinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/codinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2020, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-thread-for-slackerinc-yet-maybe-we-should/825461/794 "2020-09-05T18:28:53Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > headsmack smilie back. As quickly as possible, please. It’s available in the regular unicode emoji set as 🤦‍♂️ `It's available as :man_facepalming:` ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2020, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-thread-for-slackerinc-yet-maybe-we-should/825461/795 "2020-09-05T18:30:04Z")
> [@codinghorror](#): > > It’s available in the regular unicode emoji set as 🤦‍♂️ > > `It's available as :man_facepalming:` Why didn’t I think of that? 🤦‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2020, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-thread-for-slackerinc-yet-maybe-we-should/825461/796 "2020-09-05T18:34:22Z")
> [@codinghorror](#): > > > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > > > headsmack smilie back. As quickly as possible, please. > > It’s available in the regular unicode emoji set as 🤦‍♂️ > > `It's available as :man_facepalming:` Yeah, I saw that one. It strikes me as the headsmack version of the watered-down eyeroll smilie that was foisted off on us back in the vBB days. But thanks anyway. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2020, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-thread-for-slackerinc-yet-maybe-we-should/825461/797 "2020-09-05T19:36:21Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > So to compare Fredo to **SlackWit** really isn’t fair to Fredo, or to the [brilliant actor who portrayed him, and died too soon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cazale). In short, I think you owe the estate of John Cazale an apology. I have the greatest respect for John Cazale. In fact, I think if he were alive he would be a great choice to play **Slacker** in his bio-pic, _The Dunning-Kruger Effect._ ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2020, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-thread-for-slackerinc-yet-maybe-we-should/825461/798 "2020-09-05T19:56:04Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > The Dunning-Kruger Effect Well, I’m pleased that you’ve expressed your respect for Mister Cazale, but I’m afraid you’ve got the part in quotes wrong. It’s The Dunning-Kruger _Affect_. I know, because I read about it a while back, and I’m pretty sure that’s how it goes. Not just pretty sure, super sure! ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2020, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-thread-for-slackerinc-yet-maybe-we-should/825461/799 "2020-09-05T20:18:34Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > For what it’s worth, I’m familiar with the phrase “Don’t teach yer grandma to suck eggs”, as well. I know the phrase as well. ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2020, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-thread-for-slackerinc-yet-maybe-we-should/825461/800 "2020-09-05T20:31:05Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > Well, I’m pleased that you’ve expressed your respect for Mister Cazale, but I’m afraid you’ve got the part in quotes wrong. It’s The Dunning-Kruger _Affect_ . I know, because I read about it a while back, and I’m pretty sure that’s how it goes. Not just pretty sure, super sure! I only find it as The Dunning-Kruger _Effect_ when googling? ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2020, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-thread-for-slackerinc-yet-maybe-we-should/825461/801 "2020-09-05T20:33:53Z")
You have to Google it in the original French, not the shitty translation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-thread-for-slackerinc-yet-maybe-we-should/825461.md?page=39) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-a-thread-for-slackerinc-yet-maybe-we-should/825461.md?page=41)