Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for November 26, 2019

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    BE THIS GUY  almost 5 years ago

    Wonder what Rat does to drivers of Porsche SUVs?

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    einarbt  almost 5 years ago

    Suspect Rat gives everyone the finger plus a few $#%#. Very fair of him.

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    Bilan  almost 5 years ago

    Rat must need more hands for the new Porsche Taycan.

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    juncarlo  almost 5 years ago

    It’s intriguing as when we drive many we become aggressive people, no matter the education, profession or level of wealth. Our primitive instincts emerge, ironically these are a consequence of modern life.

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    Robin Harwood  almost 5 years ago

    According to my dictionary*, “prius” is an adverb (meaning “previously, before”), and so it does not have a plural.

    “Prius” as the name of the car is a noun, and so, regardless of whether it is taken from the adverb or not, it will have a plural. But how can we decide whether it is a second declension noun, and thus take the nominative plural “prii” (as Rat suggests), or a fourth declension noun, and thus take the nominative plural “priūs”?

    Can anyone help?

    (*D. A. Kidd, 1959, Collins Latin Gem Dictionary, Collins, London and Glasgow.)

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    sirbadger  almost 5 years ago

    The plural of octopus is octopi, octopuses, or octopodes. I think that octopuses is the preferred plural.

    https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/the-many-plurals-of-octopus-octopi-octopuses-octopodes

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    some idiot from R'lyeh Premium Member almost 5 years ago

    Nothing binds people together like a common enemy.

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    gopher gofer  almost 5 years ago

    the collective noun for prius is a “smug of priuses”…

    even smugger if you say “prii”…

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    Gent  almost 5 years ago

    What was Rat driving, a little tricycle?

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    wrloftis  almost 5 years ago

    We have a Prius, and last month I went by a fella on I-75 who was driving a Mustang 500 GT. If it’s going slowly, it’s by choice.

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    roaming26-37  almost 5 years ago

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Prius#Etymology_and_terminology

    In February 2011, Toyota USA asked the US public to decide on what the most proper plural form of Prius should be, with choices including Prien, Prii, Prium, Prius, or Priuses. The company announced on 20 February that “Prii” was the most popular choice, and the new official plural designation in the US.

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    Breadboard  almost 5 years ago

    Wow … Rat told somebody they were #1 then changed it to #2 ;-) … Croc Power !

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    everett_r0  almost 5 years ago

    Another life lesson, everything is a matter of perspective, and everyone has a different one….

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    walstib Premium Member almost 5 years ago

    “My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends.”

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    Ellis97  almost 5 years ago

    Some chick in high school did that to me every time I walked out of the school.

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    3hourtour Premium Member almost 5 years ago

    … actually, my Prius gets better fuel economy going 80mph than it does at 65mph…

    …I went to St.Louis from Columbus on a single 10 gallon tank of gas and didn’t have to fuel up until after crossing the Mississippi…

    … I’ve been rolling coaled numerous times

    …and always laugh with it…

    …54 mpg, baby!…

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    uniquename  almost 5 years ago

    I once had a very funny “argument” with my daughter about whether the plural of “cactus” was “cactuses” or “cacti” (I said it was “cactuses” just to get her going). We had a grand time making fun of each other over it. Every once in a while, one of us still says “cactuses” (or “cacti”) and we giggle.

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    mogenhan  almost 5 years ago

    I’m going with my gut feeling for Prius drivers and a plural should just be “Penii”

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    Zebrastripes  almost 5 years ago

    Omg what a sing song!

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    Jethro Flatline  almost 5 years ago

    I never see Porsches speeding and I have never seen a Prius obeying the speed limit. I imagine the police pay too much attention to the wrong cars.

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    Masterskrain  almost 5 years ago

    By the way… is it “Pree-us”, or “Pry-us”???

    And I’ve seen MANY a Prius blow past me on the interstate pushing 90+, so they AREN’T slow…“Net hybrid system output is 134 bhp, allowing the Prius Plug-in to accelerate from 0 to 62 mph (0 to 100 km/h) in 10.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 180 km/h (112 mph).”

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    dogbreath84  almost 5 years ago

    It’s greek to me.

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    Agapostemon  almost 5 years ago

    Is Rat bonding with that guy? How sweet!

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    Call me Ishmael  almost 5 years ago

    Primus inter pares , perhaps ?

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    Major Matt Mason Premium Member almost 5 years ago

    Remember: The difference between Porsches and porcupines is that with porcupines, the pricks are on the OUTSIDE…

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    LKrueger41  almost 5 years ago

    I’ve known several Prius owners that I suspected are Jef’s brothers.

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    willie_mctell  almost 5 years ago

    If it’s second declension neuter it would be pria.

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    JoePaulson2  almost 5 years ago

    Notably restrained Rat — him and the driver basically agree.

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    tinner2000  almost 5 years ago

    I just flip off everyone!

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    gwillis1  almost 5 years ago

    As a practical matter, “Prii” might be hard to understand. If the goal of words is to use them to communicate, it makes sense to use “Prius” and let the plural be understood from the context.

    RobinskiAnother nerd who took four years of Latin

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    Snoots  almost 5 years ago

    My idea for the plural of Prius: Prius cars. :D

    Dwagons is smarts. Dat cos we got two brains.

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    gerrishde  almost 5 years ago

    Toyota conducted a survey several years ago of Prius owners (including me) on the plural of Prius. Overwhelming vote for Prii as in I was harassed by a gang of Prii on the highway

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    zeexenon  almost 5 years ago

    Be thankful he didn’t add the toes too.

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    Herb L 1954  almost 5 years ago

    Was it a front Porsche,or a back Porsche ;)

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    rick1881  almost 5 years ago

    At this point, what does it matter?

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    asmbeers  almost 5 years ago

    Top Gear UK did a test. The conclusion was an 8-cylinder Jag got better gas mileage than a Prius when both did a trip going 55 mph.

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    RobertLawton  almost 5 years ago

    It’s not necessary to put Latin (or Greek) suffixes on English words. However, if you do want to do that, then you should also put the word in italics to indicate that it’s foreign.

    I realize that’s old-school.

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    Scott S  almost 5 years ago

    I do that with bicyclists who blow the stop signs.

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    Publican999  almost 5 years ago

    Robin you need a life!

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    comic4matt  almost 5 years ago

    I would say ‘’people in Prius’’, because you have to be mighty fat to fit in two Prius at once…

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    Concretionist  almost 5 years ago

    My stepson damaged his left hand when a piece of wood he was working on jammed in the table saw and flung itself with great force, impacting that hand. He lost most of his pointer finger, and damaged the middle finger pretty badly. When the doctor unwrapped his hand to look at it, and mentioned that he was going to lose one, maybe two fingers, my stepson said “You gotta save that middle finger doc… I need it for driving!”. The doctor apparently had to stop working for a moment until he got his laughter under control.

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    jonnytest  almost 5 years ago

    I never feel guilty about cutting off German imports that are frequently found passing people on the right at insanely unsafe rates of speed, because those jerks have been cutting me off for 50 years. Karma’s a bitch, ain’t it? If they flash lights at me, I drop 10MPH. If they honk, I role down the window and stick my arm out just to make sure that they can see my finger. If they pull up and give me that BS line that they are doctors and are racing to save a life, I give ‘em the other finger too, just for lying. The moral? Never mess with an old man in a big Buick, because we’ve seen it all, and heard it all, and just don’t give a rat’s ass anymore.

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    Sisyphos  almost 5 years ago

    I’ve read that the Prii have surprisingly good acceleration and good high speed as well. But I don’t know.

    Porsches are kinda meh to me. But I did see a Maserati in the grocery store parking lot Sunday (and we are not living in a Maserati-kind of neighborhood). I sympathize with Rat, and admire how he deflected Shades-Guy-with-a-Porsche from potential violence….

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    whelan_jj  almost 5 years ago

    A third hand is then needed for those driving a Tesla.

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    whelan_jj  almost 5 years ago

    Extrapolating from Lexus commercials, it has to be Priuses.

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    rgcviper the black cat  almost 5 years ago

    If the correct plural form isn’t “Prii”, it should be! It always has been for me, anyway …

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