# How to tell them apart (a public service) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 5, 2004, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497 "2004-08-05T19:16:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/301 "2004-08-14T09:45:38Z")
Ginger: shapely girl, worth having a tumble with. Ginger hair. Mary Anne: shapely girl, worth having a tumble with. Brunette. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/302 "2004-08-14T12:58:52Z")
> [@Peter Morris](#): > > Bart Simpson - the “I didn’t do it” boy. > OJ Simpson - the “I didn’t do it” adult. /Troy McClure voice/ But for that ending to work, you’d have to ignore all the Simpson DNA evidence. And that would be downright nutty. ---
**Author:** ![Triviatrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b38774/32.png) [@Triviatrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triviatrix)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/303 "2004-08-14T14:34:41Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > **Briee** is cheese. > **Bree** is a location in _Lord of the Rings_. Bree is also Jane Fonda in Klute. Was known to spread as easily as Brie. ---
**Author:** ![Triviatrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b38774/32.png) [@Triviatrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triviatrix)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/304 "2004-08-14T14:54:17Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > **Scotch** : Whiskey > **Scot** : Citizen of Scotland > **Whiskey** : Scotch > **American Whiskey:** blended whiskeys > **Bourbon** : Sour mash whiskey Scottish: the correct adjective to use when referring to people and things from Scotland. Not to be confused with Scotch, which refers specifically to the whisky. Whisky: Used only for Scotch, I believe Whiskey: used to refer to all other similar products, as in Irish Whiskey, et al. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/305 "2004-08-14T19:02:24Z")
> [@](#): > > originally posted by scotandrsn > **Centripetal Acceleration:** Acceleration of an object traveling in a circular path toward the center of the circle. Necessary to maintain circularity of the path. Usually requires the application of some kind of centripetal centripetal force. > > **Centrifugal Force:** Illusory perception of outward force resulting from being in an object undergoing centripedal acceleration. Nothing is actually pushing outward. Thanks for the clarification. I don’t thing that \*\*centrifical \*\* is a mispronunciation, though. I believe it is a twisted word that has entered the popular consciousness as ‘a force that has something to do with circular motion’. I’m prepared to be proved wrong, of course. Until I took high school physics, centrifical was the only one that I had heard. ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/306 "2004-08-15T01:46:20Z")
**Kansas City, Missouri**. In Missouri. Major city. Known for jazz and barbecue. Home of the Chiefs (football) and the Royals (American League Baseball). Not in Kansas. **Kansas City, Kansas**. In Kansas. Smaller, known for the Kansas Speedway. Home of the T-Bones (independent league baseball). They are two different cities, in two different states. They just happen to be next to each other and have the same name. Just because someone is from Kansas City does not mean they are from Kansas. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/307 "2004-08-16T13:03:52Z")
Insane–Crazy. Barmy–Crazy. Inane–Stupid. Balmy–Soothing. ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/308 "2004-08-16T14:22:36Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Star Trek Deep Space Nine (ST:DS9) > Set on a space station, not on a ship, however later episodes have much time spent on a ship called Defiant. This one has the black captain name Ben Sisco. (played by Avery Brooks) The Doctor is an Englishman. This one abandoned the stand alone episodic method favored by the first two and had long story arcs that would cover the entire season. Ben Sisco - Not how you spell it Ben Cisco - Not how you spell it Ben Cisko - Not how you spell it Ben Sisko - That’s how you spell it. Confirmed on _[Startrek.com](http://Startrek.com)_ just in case. Some more common _Star Trek_ character mis-spellings… Whorf - Sound a sea lion might make. Wharf - pier-like structure one fishes off of. Worf - Lt Cmdr Worf - Klingon Starfleet officer. Jordie - nope. Geordie - Lt Cmdr Geordie LaForge - the blind guy. Ryker - isn’t this one an island with a prison? Riker - Cmdr William Thomas Riker Can anyone think of others? ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/309 "2004-08-17T03:59:26Z")
**Wesley** - Wesley Crusher. Annoying knowitall teen from _Star Trek: The Next Generation_. **Westley** - Farm boy from _The Princess Bride_. Becomes The Man in Black/Dread Pirate Roberts. ---
**Author:** ![AzRaek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/azraek/32/16739_2.png) [@AzRaek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AzRaek)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/310 "2004-08-17T06:05:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Jordie - nope. > [@](#): > > Geordie - Lt Cmdr Geordie LaForge - the blind guy. geordie - pertaining to a person from around Newcastle upon Tyne or the accent of such a person ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/311 "2004-08-17T14:04:30Z")
> [@AzRaek](#): > > geordie - pertaining to a person from around Newcastle upon Tyne or the accent of such a person _Thank you!_ I’ve been wondering what the hell a “Geordie boy” is for years now, ever since I heard the phrase in a song. Any idea which George or Gerodie the term refers to? ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/312 "2004-08-17T16:23:25Z")
> [@Kilt-wearin' man](#): > > _Thank you!_ I’ve been wondering what the hell a “Geordie boy” is for years now, ever since I heard the phrase in a song. Any idea which George or Gerodie the term refers to? [This guy?](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048112/) ---
**Author:** ![Triviatrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b38774/32.png) [@Triviatrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triviatrix)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/313 "2004-08-18T06:53:32Z")
Slush - dirty, half-melted snow, found in New York City half-an-hour after it stops snowing. Slosh - what you do through the dirty, half-melted snow. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/314 "2004-08-26T11:26:55Z")
An American Werewolf in London: John Landis movie. Werewolves of London: Warren Zevon’s one top-40 hit. Not used in Landis’ movie. Wolverine: X-Men character. AKA Logan. Hugh Jackman: Australian. Never arrested. Played Wolverine. Hugh Grant: British. Arrested for lewd conduct with a prostitute. Wouldn’t last ten seconds after Logan got tired of his blushing and stammering. Lou Grant: Played by Ed Asner on two different shows: _The Mary Tyler Moore Show_ (comedy) and _Lou Grant_ (drama). Kate Winslet: Rose DeWitt Bukater. Also seen in _Heavenly Creatures_ and _Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind_. Usually a redhead; always voluptuous. Cate Blanchett: Galadriel. Also seen in _The Talented Mr. Ripley_. Tall, slender and blonde. Soon to appear in that Howard Hughes bio as Katherine Hepburn. Kate Hudson: Goldie Hawn’s daughter. _Almost Famous_ and _Raising Helen_. Blonde, and somebody likes her ass, because it was the main feature of the RH poster. Kate Beckinsale: _Pearl Harbor_ and _Van Helsing_. Tall, curvy and brunette. Also soon to appear in HH bio, as Ava Gardner. Dermot Mulroney: _My Best Friend’s Wedding_ Dylan McDermott: _The Practice_. Dylan: Brenda’s boyfriend (for a while). Brandon: Brenda’s brother (permanently). Harold Green: Co-host of The Red Green Show, Possum Lake, Ontario. Harold Greene: Co-anchor on KCBS News, Los Angeles, CA. Half-siblings: Have one parent in common. Step-siblings: Have no parents in common. Billie Burke: Actress. Played Glinda in _The Wizard of Oz_. One-time mistress of Florenz Ziegfeld. Billy Burke: Los Angeles DJ. Ice Cube: The large one with the ‘fro. “F— tha Police”. First film was _Boyz in the Hood_. Real name O’Shea Jackson. Ice-T: The thin one with the braids. “Cop Killer”. First film was _New Jack City_. Real name Tracy Morrow. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/315 "2004-08-26T14:55:50Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > An American Werewolf in London: John Landis movie. > Werewolves of London: Warren Zevon’s one top-40 hit. Not used in Landis’ movie. > Wolverine: X-Men character. AKA Logan. Good list; thanks for sorting out the Kate’s. But you forgot an obvious one: [Werewolf of London](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027194/) : Obscure & not-very-scary early werewolf movie. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/316 "2004-08-26T15:19:36Z")
To borrow a riff from “Get Shorty”… [Rio Bravo](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053221/) : Howard Hawks western with John Wayne as the sheriff, Dean Martin as the drunken deputy. [El Dorado](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061619/) : Howard Hawks western with John Wayne as the sheriff, Robert Mitchum as the drunken deputy. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/317 "2004-08-26T15:27:11Z")
> [@](#): > > Ryker - isn’t this one an island with a prison? Sorry but no. It’s Rikers Island. Although if the Enterprise officer bought it, it would be Riker’s Island. ---
**Author:** ![MaleBox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MaleBox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaleBox)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/318 "2004-08-26T15:29:48Z")
As I learned Tuesday: **Pixie** : bowtie **Dixie** : vest ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/319 "2004-08-26T16:08:28Z")
**Balzac** was a French journalist and writer, regarded as one of the creators of realism in literature. **Ball sack** is that hairy, wrinkly thing that hangs between my legs. ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/320 "2004-08-26T17:34:12Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > [This guy?](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048112/) Probably not. I think the term is waaaay older than that, and I doubt that a term for folks from Newcastle, England would be coined after a guy from the Highlands of Scotland. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497.md?page=17)