# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9dc877/32.png) [@Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightwatch_Trailer)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2004, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/121 "2004-08-07T22:57:55Z")
**Dan O’Brian** - American athlete (pentathlon) **Tim O’Brian** - writer (_The Things They Carried_) **Pat O’Brian’s** - a famous bar in New Orleans ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2004, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/122 "2004-08-07T23:11:05Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > **epitath** is what they write on your grave. epita **p** h. **interment** : the act or ritual of interring or burying. **internment** : The act of interning or confining, especially in wartime. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2004, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/123 "2004-08-07T23:52:35Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > **Nederlander** –Small NYC theatre, mostly unused until “Rent” moved there from off-Broadway. Also name of theatrical family who own it. **Ned Nederlander** : A character in “The Three Amigos”, played by Martin Short. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2004, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/124 "2004-08-07T23:54:56Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > **Tatar** , a nomadic people of central Asia > **tartar** a hard brownish or yellow-brownish deposit on the teeth > **tartar sauce** a mayonnaise dressing usually with chopped pickles, onions, olives and green herbs. > **steak tartare** chopped beefsteak served uncooked. > **Tartarus** In Greek mythology, a sunless abyss below Hades; the underworld **Taters** : Slang for po-ta-toes. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/125 "2004-08-08T00:05:13Z")
**Mater** (pronounced ma ter) - latinate way to refer to one’s mother **mater** (pronounced may ter) - tomatoes ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/126 "2004-08-08T00:14:45Z")
The camel has a single hump The dromedary two. Or else… the other way around… I’m never sure … are you? ========================= **ship** ment - goods transported by **road**. **car** go - goods transported by **water**. ========================= Leela from Futurama - has one eye. Leela from Doctor Who - has two eyes. ========================= Davros - appeared on Doctor Who. Stephen Hawking - Appeared on Star Trek : TNG ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/127 "2004-08-08T00:16:28Z")
Napoleon ought never to be confused with Nelson, in spite of their hats being so alike; they can easily be distinguished from one another by the fact that Nelson always stood with his arm like _this_, while Napoleon always stood with his arms like _that_. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/128 "2004-08-08T00:38:21Z")
**Doc Severinson** was Johnny Carson’s bandleader on _The Tonight Show_. **Doc Holliday** was in the gunfight at the OK Corral. **Doc Brown** built a time machine out of a DeLorean. **Doc Graham** played in his first and only major league baseball game for five minutes and never got a chance at bat. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Dirx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b77776/32.png) [@Sir\_Dirx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Dirx)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/129 "2004-08-08T01:05:34Z")
> [@](#): > > Leela from Futurama - has one eye. > Leela from Doctor Who - has two eyes. Leeloo - Orange-haired chick from the movie _The 5th Element_ The Fifth Elephant - A Disworld book by Terry Pratchett [Coral snake](http://www.stetson.edu/~pmay/woodruff/coral.jpg) - deadly [Milk snake](http://www.snakeworld.com/pictures/mexicanmilk.jpg) - harmless “Red on yellow, kill a fellow. Red on black, venom lack.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Zamboni)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/130 "2004-08-08T01:20:19Z")
**Graf Zeppelin** was a Nazi German battleship used in World War II. **Led Zepplin** was a British Rock and Roll band formed well after WW2, and is one of the greatest bands ever. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/131 "2004-08-08T01:51:05Z")
**Bill Graham** : Rock promoter **Billy Graham** : God promoter **Graham Chapman** : Famous Python **Graham Kerr** : Famous chef **Graham cracker** : Famous snack **OJ Simpson** : killed two people (?) **Homer Simpson** : killed many boxes of doughnuts **Jessica Simpson** : kills 30 minutes of air time each week ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/132 "2004-08-08T01:53:44Z")
> [@The Great Zamboni](#): > > **Graf Zeppelin** was a Nazi German battleship used in World War II. > **Led Zepplin** was a British Rock and Roll band formed well after WW2, and is one of the greatest bands ever. Umm… **Ferdinand, Graf von Zeppelin** was the man who founded the first, and largest, company to manufacture rigid airships. Hence the whole class of machines acquired the name Zeppelin. During the 'tween War years the airship company formed by the Graf Zeppelin built several passenger airships - the two kings of the passenger service were the **Hindenburg** and the **Graf Zeppelin**. My quick Googling hasn’t brought me an end of service date for the airship, but I suspect the passenger load died away to nothing after the **Hindenburg** disaster. In the German military build up of the late 1930’s the _planned_ aircraft carrier of the newly reborn Kriegsmarine was going to be called **Graf Zeppelin** in honor of the pioneering work done with airships by the original Graf Zeppelin. However, because of the political difficulties in getting the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe to cooperate, the **Graf Zeppelin** was never given a high priority for completion. It was launched in 1938, however, launching a hull only rarely completes the construction process. (For example, there are many pictures of the launching of the **Bismark** which show that nothing above the weather deck had yet been installed.) There are reports that the **Graf Zeppelin** was moved to a Norweigian fjord around the same time as the Tirpitz, but the political tug of war between the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe, kept Goering from being willing to allow for even the construction of planes or training of pilots for \ Naval duty. Nor was this the only facet of the the Battle of the Atlantic which suffered from the Axis POV because of the rivalry betweeen the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine - as bad as the Murmansk run was for Allied convoys, had the Luftwaffe and Dornitz’ unterzeeboten been able to coordinate their efforts it would have been im-frigging-possible to get anything through. (With _possibly_ catastrophic consequences for the war as a whole for the Allies.) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/133 "2004-08-08T02:04:45Z")
> [@The Great Zamboni](#): > > **Graf Zeppelin** was a Nazi German battleship used in World War II. > **Led Zepplin** was a British Rock and Roll band formed well after WW2, and is one of the greatest bands ever. Are you possibly thinking of the [**Admiral Graf Spee**](http://www.ocean98.org/spee.htm), a pocket battleship? ---
**Author:** ![Another\_Primate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Another\_Primate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Another_Primate)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/134 "2004-08-08T06:38:19Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Two of my pet peeves: > > **Effect** is a noun. > **Affect** is a verb. Actually, ivylass, “effect” is also a verb, in the sense of “to bring about” – as in “to effect a change”. (Sorry; not a very good example, but it’s almost midnight and I’m old and tired.) And I think “affect” is also a noun. But I’ll have to look that one up… yeah, it’s “an emotion or feeling attached to a response…” – whatever the hell that means. Had you inserted the word “usually” in each sentence, though, I wouldn’t have quibbled. But, then, I like to quibble. So, thank you. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/135 "2004-08-08T07:02:07Z")
A **blond** is a male; a **blonde** is a female. A **fiancé** is a male; a **fiancée** is a female. A **masseur** is a male; a **masseuse** is a female. **René** is a male; **Renée** is a female. It’s Lord Beaconsfield, **né** Disraeli; Mrs. Clinton, **née** Rodham. ---
**Author:** ![Another\_Primate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Another\_Primate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Another_Primate)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/136 "2004-08-08T07:04:14Z")
> [@Cockatiel](#): > > . > > Monkeys- Have tails. > Apes- Don’t. I sure wish someone had taught this to H.A. Rey. I worry that Curious George had a nasty accident in his infancy. Hey, here are some monkey differences for y’all: New World (South and Central American) monkeys: Have nostrils far apart. Have 36 teeth. All live in the trees. Some can grasp with their tails. No New World monkeys have cheek pouches. Thumbs are usually only partly opposable (but spider monkeys have no thumbs). Old World (African and Asian) monkeys: Have nostrils close together. Have 32 teeth, like apes (including humans) do. Some live in the trees; some live on the ground. {Of the ground-livers, males are often twice as large as the females; okay, I’m outside of the New World/Old World comparison here; just think this is interesting.} None can grasp with their tails. {Here I go again: Ground-livers have shorter tails than arboreal monkeys.} Some Old World monkeys have cheek pouches. Thumbs are fully opposable (except for the poor thumbless colobus). ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/137 "2004-08-08T08:21:41Z")
> [@Kat](#): > > **Douglas Adams** Author of works such as _The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy_ and _Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency_. > **Scott Adams** Creator of the Dilbert comic. **Scott Adams** : writer of classic 1980’s text adventures (not related to Scott Adams above. This thread is informative if confusing. How come in the whole Marlowe/Marley explanation above no-one mentioned Marlowe the playwright? ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/138 "2004-08-08T12:42:53Z")
**Roddy McDowall** : British actor. Starred in _How Green Was My Valley_ and _Planet of the Apes_. Died in 1998. **Malcolm McDowell** : British actor. Starred in _A Clockwork Orange_. Currently alive. Real name is Malcolm Taylor. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/139 "2004-08-08T14:24:11Z")
> [@Rabid Child](#): > > **Roddy McDowall** : British actor. Starred in _How Green Was My Valley_ and _Planet of the Apes_. Died in 1998. > **Malcolm McDowell** : British actor. Starred in _A Clockwork Orange_. Currently alive. Real name is Malcolm Taylor. **Andi McDowell:** Crappy American actress. ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497/140 "2004-08-08T15:02:18Z")
> [@Earl Snake-Hips Tucker](#): > > A group of midget Mensans is a bunch of cunning runts. > A women’s relay team. . . In a similar vein: A **rooster** clucks defiance. A **lawyer** … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-them-apart-a-public-service/258497.md?page=8)