chrisp65 Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 Just now, BOF said: The whole Saint Patrick thing? ... errrmmmm....? I'm supposed to know something here aren't I? .......off to google..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted April 5, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted April 5, 2016 I thought everybody in the universe knew the St. Patrick snakes story. This is up there with Thom Yorke and George Orwell. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted April 5, 2016 Moderator Share Posted April 5, 2016 I thought everybody in the universe knew the St. Patrick snakes story. This is up there with Thom Yorke and George Orwell. I did too and yes it is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 ok ok I'm not very good at saints, now I've googled it, yes, I think I 'knew' that now I've read it. So did the english saint do anything special? Off the top of my head I genuinely can't think what his usp was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 I think Ruge is the VT expert on snakes, aren't you some sort of snake aficionado, RV? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted April 5, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted April 5, 2016 10 minutes ago, chrisp65 said: ok ok I'm not very good at saints, now I've googled it, yes, I think I 'knew' that now I've read it. So did the english saint do anything special? Off the top of my head I genuinely can't think what his usp was. Slayed a dragon. So nothing of note. Saint George is one of the more foolish patron saints. But strangely popular - also the saint of Georgia unsurprisingly, Barcelona, various bits of Germany, skin diseases, soldiers, leprosy and syphillis. Amongst other things. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 25 minutes ago, chrisp65 said: ok ok I'm not very good at saints, now I've googled it, yes, I think I 'knew' that now I've read it. So did the english saint do anything special? Off the top of my head I genuinely can't think what his usp was. We don't have an English Saint it's racist , hasn't the Mail taught you anything ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted April 5, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted April 5, 2016 Just now, tonyh29 said: We don't have an English Saint it's racist , hasn't the Mail taught you anything ? In fairness the man is supposed to be Palestinian, so clearly the Heil would celebrate our progressive choice of of a dirty foreign saint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 (edited) 13 minutes ago, Chindie said: Slayed a dragon. I'm fairly sure Chris was being funny here and didn't need telling there is a statue of St George in Budapest as well , at the bottom of the fishermans bastion ... Though for some reason his saints day is April 24th over there Edited April 5, 2016 by tonyh29 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 St George is a bit unusual in that he was/is better known for a fictional act of valour rather than Christian proselytising, which is what most other saints are famous for. He was made 'patron saint' by Edward III, who used him as a symbol of bravery during his successful military excursions in northern France, and I guess it stuck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 (edited) to be fair to the Daily Mail if he wasn't white, rich, or didn't have little kids in swimwear with him that they could photograph with a long lense they wouldn't see much of a story in it I've just been swatting up on saints in case there were more questions (again, I wouldn't have instantly known the dragon slaying thing, but now it's been said, I've got a recollection of seeing a picture / statue of him twatting a dragon with a lance). Welsh one is great, he was giving a talk to a crowd, not everyone could see him so he made a little hill rise up to stand on. Edited April 5, 2016 by chrisp65 educashun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PompeyVillan Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 An ex colleague of mine was bitten by an adder, at work. And it messed up his leg. Not quite sure how but it triggered other health problems and hobbles about now. He was obese and in his 50s so I suspect that made him more vulnerable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 I think Neil Young and Lauryn Hill should make a record together. I think they'd both embellish each other's sound in a very cool way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugeley Villa Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 8 hours ago, maqroll said: Do you have poisonous snakes in Britain? adders, which are from the viper family. but they have a very mild venom which is rarely dangerous to humans. there have been reports over the years of rattlesnake sightings where owners have just dumped them, but if its actually true i dont know and im not sure they would survive long either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkyvilla Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 I remember Susie Dent in dictionary corner saying adders were originally called nadders but over time people got confused and started calling them 'an adder' instead of 'a nadder' and it stuck. Happened with quite a lot of words. Probably one for the boring thread, but hey-ho. Also there's no such thing as a poisonous snake! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 8 minutes ago, sharkyvilla said: I remember Susie Dent in dictionary corner saying adders were originally called nadders but over time people got confused and started calling them 'an adder' instead of 'a nadder' and it stuck. Happened with quite a lot of words. Probably one for the boring thread, but hey-ho. Also there's no such thing as a poisonous snake! See also 'apron' and 'umpire' for other words that used to begin with 'n'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted April 6, 2016 Moderator Share Posted April 6, 2016 2 hours ago, sharkyvilla said: Also there's no such thing as a poisonous snake! Not true. This family of snakes have some species that are poisonous. Rhabdophis is a genus of snakes, generally called keelback snakes, found primarily in southeast Asia. While the term "poisonous snake" is often used for a wide variety of venomous snakes, some species of Rhabdophis are in fact poisonous. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted April 6, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted April 6, 2016 An adder bite is pretty much like influenza - for a fit, otherwise healthy adult, it will make you feel shit, but almost certainly won't kill you. But for a small child, an old person or someone with health issues, it could be fatal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 Is the trick to that statement that they're only poisonous if you were to get poisoned consuming or touching them as opposed to them actually being venomous because they administer the poison? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted April 6, 2016 Moderator Share Posted April 6, 2016 12 minutes ago, Wainy316 said: Is the trick to that statement that they're only poisonous if you were to get poisoned consuming or touching them as opposed to them actually being venomous because they administer the poison? It's not a trick. It's a specific difference. Consuming a poisonous snake would not be good. Consuming a venomous snake would probably be quite nice with a full-bodied Chianti. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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