Thursday, July 23, 2009

Mangling the English language for fun and profit.

Read on a wall-mounted hand sanitiser in the toilets at the Cornerhouse in Manchester:

"Kills 99.9999% of many common germs".

Do you see the inherent problem with this statement?

9 comments:

Mack said...

I don't see the problem. Nearly all of that statement isn't completely ridiculous.

Laura said...

99.999% of MANY common germ!? What about the rest of them!?

Roman said...

It's generally the uncommon germs one needs to be concerned with.

K said...

I do.

I have been very busy this week, but lots of love for the Shelley drawing yesterday.

Also, been meaning to ask this for a bit - would you mind if I knitted a Space Owl, in a one-off, non-commercial fashion? Because I want one.

I could even crochet him if that's more appropriate but it would take me longer.

John A said...

K I would be FURIOUS

Or rather, no, I would not mind at all so long as you send me a photo when you're done.

Unknown said...

There is such a thing as being too crotchety, my friend. That is perfectly reasonable legalese, and means that of the common germs this sanitizer effects, which is MANY but not ALL of them, 99.999% will die. You would hate for some poor rube to get the impression that 99.999% of ALL COMMON GERMS would be effected, yer?

John A said...

Colin I think you and I need to form a committee, perhaps a quango, to get to the bottom of this. I have rented a church basement, and I am assured it will make a "reasonable" nucular bunker in the event that the germs move against us. Bring a typewriter and canned food.

Lucy said...

Fun Fact! Swine Flu is caused by a virus, not bacteria, so unless you drown yourself in batericidal soap, you're still just as likely to catch flu.

(This message brought to you by the Swine Flu Quango Member for Nottinghamshire East.)

John A said...

Thinking about viruses reminds me how little I know. All I can remember is that they have a protein coat and they shoot RNA into cells for their evil ends. And they are not really "alive". And they look like moon landers.