Forums » Smalltalk » Oh, the mysteries of life

Why are miniguns called miniguns if they're not mini at all?

(If you're wondering why I'm asking such a thing, I had a dream about the Terminator last night, so I've been thinking about it ever since I woke up)

Ah.

...

Wait a minute.
There are larger guns than the minigun?
HOLY CRAP

Why was it called a television set if you only got one?

THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.

It's a set because your typical television set includes a screen and a satellite for actually watching the shows.

(At least that's my guess.)

Why are apartments called apartments if they're so close together?

And why do we drive on parkways and park on driveways?

Apartments are stil separate...?
I have no answer for the roads. That's boggling my mind.
As one of my friends once said:
Why is tuna called tuna fish, but we don't say pork pig or beef cow?

The buildings that have the apartments in them might be separated by a meager ten foot driveway, yes.

But the apartments themselves are separated only by walls, floors, and ceilings.

And fish itself is a kind of animal. There are other kinds of animals. Tuna fish are a specific kind of fish, just like pigs are a certain kind of animal! There isn't a very wide range of varieties of pigs, but there are fish. That make sense?

Yes, but you could simply say tuna and people will get what you mean. Adding the extra "fish" on the end is merely redundant, so why do we add that unnecessary bit of information?

Do you have the right to write about rites? Can you not tie a knot? Or do you know no ewes whose ore taxes are due?

English be crazy.

Gosh

Why do people ask "what came first, the chicken or the egg"?

Well, the egg. They never specified it was a chicken egg!

This guy.

I have a question...

If the ph in philosophy makees an 'f' sound,
The o in women makes an 'i' sound,
and the ti in fiction makes a 'sh' sound,

Then shouldn't 'PHOTI' be fish?

Welcome to the English Language...

English is jacked up.