Stone Soup by Jan Eliot for November 09, 2010

wish I had this support when I had my bangs cut. Curly hair and short bangs looked like I had a poodle on my head.

I can’t believe you never heard of bangs—-oh well, at least you’re honest about it.

Hey, Guys, “bangs” is very North American. We Aussies refer to having a “fringe” as well. Took me some time (far too many years ago) to work out what these “bangs” were :)

Is that Fringe or Minge? Sometimes I don’t know which end’s up…

In ANY country, cutting your own hair is usually a disaster, no matter how much your friends tell you, “it’s not too bad…..

A middle-schooler cutting her own hair is an emergency? Talk about messed-up priorities… it’s hair, it will grow back in a few weeks, get over it. How about taking that same level of panic over the homework Holly never does???

I agree with you, Duffer37. I was hoping that Evie would be the voice of reason, but she went with the irrational hysteria. Kind of disappointed in this one. Holly should be doing her homework.

fer lefer, I think you’re doing a bang up job on those pesky idioms

For females bangs does refer to front of hair. Not sure for mens hair. I’ve had to trim mine. I can make a suggestion for women who can’t afford to get hair done, skip shampooing, just let professional wet your hair then trim. Just shampoo your own hair at home. Since umemplyment is so high.

Mr. Doom- EXACTLY!!!!!!

Yes, a bad haircut will EVENTUALLY grow back. HOWEVER women’s hair styles have historically played a VERY significant role in their lives and how they were viewed by society. For example women of the higher classes would wear very intricate and elaborate updo’s while “ladies of the evening” were often forced by the local government to wear their hair down. It was how men were able to tell which was which & who was who. While I realize this is a comic, and therefore it is a gag/joke (and one I’m really enjoying), it is also wonderful to see the empathy between generations of women.

Hey, you bangy?

As a person who has cut her own her in middle school it is not a pretty sight. YOur friends try t o be nice but then there are the people who are not so nice. Being a good friend is always good and you know what she is in middle school this should be the worst thing she has to worry about.

That’s so funny. Just last week, my daughter and I were going thru one of her photo albums and up comes this picture of my poor Linda with her bangs cut so short, it was awful. All this thanks to me who had cut it crooked and tried to redeem myself by going higher. Poor thing. Thanks God hair grows back. :-D

I think the reason all the fuss is about bangs is that it’s used as a satire. Yes, normally more serious things get this kind of attention. So what makes it funny here is the attention paid vs the importance of the issue.

Yesterday in our local paper there was an announcement that the bridge across the river had been reopened after being closed for hours. A man had climbed up (it’s a very LARGE bridge) and was threatening to jump off. So they (police &?) were trying to persuade him to come back down (i.e. the slow way). My point is, this was a suitable emergency, worthy of causing the bridge to be closed and inconveniencing thousands of people.

Though they are going over the top (it IS a comic after all), it IS an emergency. Men may think it’s trivial and superficial, but middle school girls are cruel. Look at this seriously, the Isabel character is hurting, thinking that some sort of change will make it better, and, as for many women, finds that a drastic change to her hair will be it. Doing it yourself is ALWAYS a disaster and Holly and her mom realize it. They are rushing to save her from what could be the source of major childhood trauma.

Those of you from Commonwealth nations - do you refer to some horses as “bangtails”? That means the tail is cut straight across, just below the haunches (longer than a bobtail, I think). The meaning as to horses and to humans are related, but it’s unclear which came first.

Actually, a lot of what the English denigrate as “creeping Americanisms” (such as “Fall” for “Autumn”, “mad” as “angry” rather than “crazy”, “mean” as “cruel” rather than “stingy”) are usages that originated in England, but died out over there even as they survived over here.

Personally, I love this plotline. Go Val and Holly! Save the day!

I have been cutting my own hair for years and have no problem with it - but a teenager will undoubtedly make a total mess of it. Kids DO those things, like when Holly and Alex decided to dye things in the bathroom. I just used thinned down gesso myself today to “size” a piece of percale. My recreation group wants to paint some strips in the style of the Bayeux tapestry for an event we will have on 11/20. I found that the acrylic paint was rather unmanageable on plain unstretched fabric so decided to seal it with the gesso (thinned it so it still has a feel of fabric, but a little body). I will start to sketch on it when dry tomorrow. I like to do this kind of project “on the fly”. Both things in quotes may need explanation for some of you (if anyone reads so late).

Fritzoid - don’t know “bangtails” - I used to hack standard breds but they didn’t need that level of grooming.

Certainly Aussies use “mad” to mean angry as well as crazy, e.g. “mad as a wet hen”. Also “mean” can mean either cruel or stingy, depending on context, but we don’t use “fall” for autumn

I agree with you - these usages are older than the more common “commonwealth” ones.

Interestingly, everyone pokes fun at the Kiwi accent but some linguists hold that it is more representative of the older English accents than current accents. The ‘purist’ English accent, if you like.

Of course, even with English accents you’ve gotta ask “WHICH English?” BBC English? RSC English? Upper Class? Middle? Lower? And that’s without even taking into account regional accents. BBC English is becoming “standard” (for rather obvious reasons), but that developed largely because it it was the least incomprehensible to the greatest number of people. For the same reasons, regional American accents are flattening out towards Midwestern/”Californian” (i.e. what most people on TV speak).

Most Americans can’t distinguish between Australians and New Zealanders by accent; I can only do it if I hear them side-by-side and know in advance that one is an Aussie and one is a Kiwi (or if the Aussie is speaking pure Strine). As far as most Americans are concerned, New Zealand is Australia’s Canada. I’m pretty good at identifying South Africans, though; even among those for whom English is their first language, it sounds like they’ve been influenced by the inflections of Afrikaans speakers.

My last girlfriend was Australian, but she watched a lot of American TV (actually, they ALL watch a lot of American TV, but only a few will admit it). She has the habit of addressing her friends and family as “you guys”, which is a total Americanism. Her family, at least, would have been more indulgent about it except that her 4 year-old neice has picked it up from her. :-)

Two of my FAVORITE examples of the “divided by a common language” concept are the different meanings we give to the phrase “I’m pissed”, and the so-close-yet-so-far difference in the meaning of “a pat on the fanny.”

Such an interesting topic. I can usually pick NZ accents, even from people who have been in Aussie since childhood which really pisses (one meaning:)) them off. But I totally agree with the flattening of the Yank accent. We do get inundated with American TV (and I don’t watch it) much but we are breeding a whole tribe of Aussies actors who can take it off to the satisfaction of the American public.

I’m also pretty good on S Africans, in part due to my husband working with them for some years.

“Fanny” - wow, such a divide. In America an innocent reference to the bum/bottom/gluteous maximus- in Aussie a reference to something much more intimate and unmentionable.