I Don't Get It (translation thread)
 

A thread I expect to resurrect from time to time, when I don't understand a cultural reference from outside the Cellar.
Inside I am quite happy to check with the person posting.

This one is from the quote at the bottom of the page, so it's a bit disembowelled - half-in half-out.
What?
Please.

Apparently, the Coors brewing company had a beer they called Artic Ice. Here's a linky, which includes a photo of the misspelled beer sign. Too funny.

http://www.minyanville.com/businessm.../2007/id/12667

YEAH. it's juss differnt

It's that there poyetic lisen.

Cheers. Raise an Artic to me.
Here, an artic is an articulated lorry, ie a fuck-off long truck.

I'll be back.

Talking of culturally specific idioms: is that usage of 'fuck-off' a Britism, or do you guys use it too?

We're more direct and personal - 'fuck you'. Or more wordy - 'go fuck yourself'.

No, I don't mean do you use it as in telling someone to fuck off. I mean the way Sundae used it : 'a fuck-off long truck'.

'splain that one then, please. Like a 'fucking long truck'?

yes. like that.

Then no. Mostly we say 'fucking long truck'.

Sometimes we might say "longer than fuck-all," though.

"Longer than fuck-all" to me would imply not very long, as fuck-all is not very much. (i.e. "There's fuck all to eat in the house and I'm starrrrrrrrvin'!").
Then again, I am from a nation which says "Not half" to mean "Lots" ....

I'd say this one too, just without the deep Scots brogue. ;) No one ever said the slang usage of fuck made any sense.

Not a translation question, so much as a cultural one.

I was browsing a fluff article online which contained some data from a British phone survey on relationships, as part of a PR campaign for some new movie (a romantic comedy, I'm assuming.) The study claimed that

Is this really true? It stunned me. I realize that "holiday" to a Brit might mean a much less involved thing than a "vacation" to an American, but it does at least include an overnight stay, right? The survey included both married and unmarried couples, no mention of whether they had children, but still... that's a common thing? To routinely spend a weekend somewhere without your significant other?