Handkerchief Report

[marcusmarcusrc]

arcanology, chenoameg, and I all use handkerchiefs. justom does not. Therefore not all graduates of our high school use handkerchiefs. But do _only_ graduates of our high school use handkerchiefs? This I ask of the livejournal community...

(Hmm. I realize now that justom did not attend our middle school. Perhaps this is the key!)

ps. More random Spanish notes: Handkerchief in Spanish is "pañuelo". Diapers are "pañales". Bedroom slippers, on the other hand, are "pantuflos".

pps. If one doesn't remember the word "pañales", but one desperately needs some, store owners on random streets in Mexico City will, in fact, understand the poor gringo who says "calzoncillos para bebes". And this ends, hopefully, not only random Spanish reports of the night, but livejournal posting from me in general, as I am going to bed!

Comments

Handkercheifs, etc.

[desireearmfeldt]

I was loaned handkercheifs by two seperate men at U of Chicago, netiher of whom went to school with you as far as I know.

Slippers are also Pantoufles in French.

When I was 12, I went to France with my family for the first time. While puttering down a canal on a little barge/houseboat thing, I found myself in need of feminine hygiene products. This led to much merriment in the bar we wandered into, attempting to find out where to purchase such a thing, because who knows how to say *that* in a foreign language? (The people in the bar, according to my dad, were on to what was going on, but teased us by offering us paper napkins. I find this an amusing tale in retrospect, but it was Not Funny at the time. :) )

Re: Handkercheifs, etc.

[shumashi.livejournal.com]

I had to do that once in Amsterdam for a friend. She stayed in the hotel and took a shower while I went and foraged. And the Dutch speak excellent English, but all the terms I was using were sort of euphemistic, not that I was trying to be vague, just that the English phrases are sort of obscure. Feminine hygiene products. Sanitary napkins. Maxi-pads. I think I finally said, "For women, once a month" and looked rather embarrassed, and the clerk was finally able to understand and help me.