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The supposed "commoner name" of the reigning Monarch of England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Commonwealth Realms.
People who call Queen Elizabeth II "Betty Windsor" are either anti-monarchy, small-r republican, apathetic, or satirists.
People who call Queen Elizabeth II "Betty Windsor" are either anti-monarchy, small-r republican, apathetic, or satirists.
English monarchist: Her Royal Highness will visit this august country of Canada in a fortnight.
American: Dude, I just go to school here. I'm not Canadian. Why should I care anyway? Betty Windsor's just a person, like anyone else.
English monarchist: How dare you sully our most Serene and Exalted Monarch of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth Realms with a made-up commoner name!
American: Let's get real. She eats out of Tupperware every morning at breakfast.
American: Dude, I just go to school here. I'm not Canadian. Why should I care anyway? Betty Windsor's just a person, like anyone else.
English monarchist: How dare you sully our most Serene and Exalted Monarch of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth Realms with a made-up commoner name!
American: Let's get real. She eats out of Tupperware every morning at breakfast.
by poorbrokegradstudent December 28, 2011
Get the Betty Windsor mug.A marriage of a man and a woman where one spouse is heterosexual and one spouse is homosexual.
Often the homosexual marries the heterosexual in an attempt to "cure" their sexual attraction to the same sex. Religion, family expectations, and a desire to have children often influence a homosexual person's decision to wed a person of the opposite sex.
I use the term "homosexual" and not LGB because many same-sex attracted people that marry a person of the opposite sex do not self-identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Many also prefer to stay in the closet.
Many, but not all, of these marriages end in severe marital conflict, separation, or divorce.
Often the homosexual marries the heterosexual in an attempt to "cure" their sexual attraction to the same sex. Religion, family expectations, and a desire to have children often influence a homosexual person's decision to wed a person of the opposite sex.
I use the term "homosexual" and not LGB because many same-sex attracted people that marry a person of the opposite sex do not self-identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Many also prefer to stay in the closet.
Many, but not all, of these marriages end in severe marital conflict, separation, or divorce.
Sandy suspected that Steve was gay for a long time, but couldn't tell for sure until she found his Manhunt account on the family computer. Now she's certainly in a mixed orientation marriage. Sandy's hired a lawyer without Steve's knowledge.
by poorbrokegradstudent July 23, 2010
Get the mixed orientation marriage mug.Brutal Spanish dictator (1947-1975) that ran a fascist nightmare police state. Also known as Generalissimo or El Caduillo (The Leader). Admirer of Hitler and Mussolini.
Also: Darling of the hyper-right Catholic Traditionalist or Integrist set. Franco was a great patron of the Roman Catholic Church. Some extreme fundamentalist Catholics candy coat Franco's regime as a Catholic monarchical paradise on earth, when in fact it was just another example of a soul and life crushing totalitarian state.
Also: Darling of the hyper-right Catholic Traditionalist or Integrist set. Franco was a great patron of the Roman Catholic Church. Some extreme fundamentalist Catholics candy coat Franco's regime as a Catholic monarchical paradise on earth, when in fact it was just another example of a soul and life crushing totalitarian state.
Catholic fundie: Generalissimo Francisco Franco's reign was a great example of a Catholic Monarchy! Democracy is selfish since most people vote for their depraved self-interests. A benevolent Catholic king will create a moral state!
Sane agnostic: (sarcasm) Yeah! A murderous secret police, extreme censorship, death camps, arbitrary imprisonment and execution, and a megalomaniacal despot! Yep, sure beats free speech, freedom of religious assembly, and due process any day!
Sane agnostic: (sarcasm) Yeah! A murderous secret police, extreme censorship, death camps, arbitrary imprisonment and execution, and a megalomaniacal despot! Yep, sure beats free speech, freedom of religious assembly, and due process any day!
by poorbrokegradstudent August 15, 2010
Get the Francisco Franco mug.Currently, the world's favorite Linux distribution. Ubuntu is a free distribution developed and managed by Canonical. There are many different Ubuntu packages that are customized for PC or server use, different microprocessors, RAM levels, hard drive space, and video. Ubuntu is a derivative of the Debian distribution of Linux. It uses the Debian package system (*.deb, dpkg) and repository system (apt-get, aptitude).
Ubuntu is the most viable open source competitor against Windows and Mac OSX to date. Sure, 31337 #4XX0rZ might compile a Linux kernel from scratch or custom configure their own Debian system. A Ubuntu distribution offers a one-stop installation that can be later customized according to user preferences or used as is. Almost everything can be done through the graphical interface rather than through text commands. Ubuntu can be a non-intimidating graphical GUI for casual computer users or a robust Debian-based distribution for computer nerds.
Ubuntu is the most viable open source competitor against Windows and Mac OSX to date. Sure, 31337 #4XX0rZ might compile a Linux kernel from scratch or custom configure their own Debian system. A Ubuntu distribution offers a one-stop installation that can be later customized according to user preferences or used as is. Almost everything can be done through the graphical interface rather than through text commands. Ubuntu can be a non-intimidating graphical GUI for casual computer users or a robust Debian-based distribution for computer nerds.
I've been programming computers for twenty years. I use Ubuntu on all of my computers because it's easy to install, easy to customize, and has great user forum support.
If you're tired of Windows viruses, crashes, and slowdowns, try Ubuntu. It has the same look and feel of Windows, but is more resistant to buggy programs.
If you're tired of Windows viruses, crashes, and slowdowns, try Ubuntu. It has the same look and feel of Windows, but is more resistant to buggy programs.
by poorbrokegradstudent December 26, 2010
Get the Ubuntu mug.Before 15 February 1971, the British pound was divided this way:
12d (pence) = 1s (shilling)
20s = one pound.
"penny" is the singular of "pence", as today. There were 240 pennies in a pound.
Why 'd'? One penny (1d) was formally called a 'denarius' after the Roman coin. This term was never used in popular language.
Sums below one pound (and sometimes over) were written s/d, such as 12/6 (said: twelve and six) or 5/- (said: five shillings).
There were a whole slew of interesting coins, including:
1/4d = farthing (from Anglo-Saxon, 'a fourth')
1/2d = ha'penny (half a penny)
3d = thruppence (a fourth of a shilling)
6d = sixpence (half a shilling)
2s = florin ("two bob bit"). A tenth of a pound.
2/6 = half crown ("two and six"). An eighth of a pound.
At the time of conversion, one shilling equaled 5p and one florin (two shillings) equaled 10p. A shilling in 1970 had approximately the value of 84p or $1.25 today.
The old pounds, shillings, pence system was a remnant of the early Middle Ages and Charlemagne! Continental Europe was all decimal coinage by the end of the 19th century. Tradition-bound Britain soldiered on until the beginning of the 70s.
12d (pence) = 1s (shilling)
20s = one pound.
"penny" is the singular of "pence", as today. There were 240 pennies in a pound.
Why 'd'? One penny (1d) was formally called a 'denarius' after the Roman coin. This term was never used in popular language.
Sums below one pound (and sometimes over) were written s/d, such as 12/6 (said: twelve and six) or 5/- (said: five shillings).
There were a whole slew of interesting coins, including:
1/4d = farthing (from Anglo-Saxon, 'a fourth')
1/2d = ha'penny (half a penny)
3d = thruppence (a fourth of a shilling)
6d = sixpence (half a shilling)
2s = florin ("two bob bit"). A tenth of a pound.
2/6 = half crown ("two and six"). An eighth of a pound.
At the time of conversion, one shilling equaled 5p and one florin (two shillings) equaled 10p. A shilling in 1970 had approximately the value of 84p or $1.25 today.
The old pounds, shillings, pence system was a remnant of the early Middle Ages and Charlemagne! Continental Europe was all decimal coinage by the end of the 19th century. Tradition-bound Britain soldiered on until the beginning of the 70s.
Shopkeeper, 1965: The Help! album costs thirty-two and six.
American in London, 1955: the British pound is so confusing! Better just put the coins on my palm and have the shopkeeper take the right amount. Hope I don't get swindled.
American in London, 1955: the British pound is so confusing! Better just put the coins on my palm and have the shopkeeper take the right amount. Hope I don't get swindled.
by poorbrokegradstudent August 21, 2010
Get the British Pound mug.Amateur radio (ham radio) morse code abbreviation for wife.
Hams call any (assumed) single female ham radio operator a YL or "young lady". A ham radio operator's wife is often called an XYL or "ex-young lady" even if she is a ham. Male operators are always called OM or "old man". There is an obvious double standard for women.
It's impossible to tell whether a person sending morse code is a man or a woman. Still, it was the custom for a long time to greet any operator on morse code as OM. Thankfully that custom is dying out. Now no gender assumption is made.
Some women ham radio operators find XYL offensive. These operators prefer that hams refer to all women as YLs. The term XYL is still used frequently on the air however. Perhaps this is because the vast majority of ham radio operators are men and apathetic about the feelings of women operators.
I agree with women operators that advocate for the universal use of YL especially since it is no longer customary to greet every ham on morse with OM. The universal use of YL also removes a double standard.
Hams call any (assumed) single female ham radio operator a YL or "young lady". A ham radio operator's wife is often called an XYL or "ex-young lady" even if she is a ham. Male operators are always called OM or "old man". There is an obvious double standard for women.
It's impossible to tell whether a person sending morse code is a man or a woman. Still, it was the custom for a long time to greet any operator on morse code as OM. Thankfully that custom is dying out. Now no gender assumption is made.
Some women ham radio operators find XYL offensive. These operators prefer that hams refer to all women as YLs. The term XYL is still used frequently on the air however. Perhaps this is because the vast majority of ham radio operators are men and apathetic about the feelings of women operators.
I agree with women operators that advocate for the universal use of YL especially since it is no longer customary to greet every ham on morse with OM. The universal use of YL also removes a double standard.
by poorbrokegradstudent September 2, 2010
Get the xyl mug.Play on World of Warcraft, a multi-user online RPG known to cause video game addiction. Addiction symptoms include long stretches of uninterrupted game play (12+ hours a day not uncommon), neglect of nutrition and bodily hygeine, social avoidance, job loss, academic failure, financial difficulties, child abuse or neglect, and possible marital separation or divorce.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration should reclassify World of Warcraft as a Schedule I drug (highly addictive, no medicinal benefit).
The US Drug Enforcement Administration should reclassify World of Warcraft as a Schedule I drug (highly addictive, no medicinal benefit).
*Cue Sgt. McGruff anti-drug PSA jingle*
Users are losers and losers are users, so no Warcraft, no World of Warcrack!
Users are losers and losers are users, so no Warcraft, no World of Warcrack!
by poorbrokegradstudent December 9, 2010
Get the World of Warcrack mug.