I went into the "Gents" of my local pub the other day and noticed that the landlord (presumably) had been rather over-enthusiastic in his use of air freshener. There was a very strong, cloying, fake-flowery smell in the air.
Another customer walked in and exclaimed, "Cor, it smells like a Turkish brothel in here!"
Thinking about this, I wondered why a Turkish brothel? Are they well-known for their odour? Do (say) French brothels smell much different? Enquiring minds want to know.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
"Thinking about this, I wondered why a Turkish brothel?"
This is nothing but a wild-ass guess, arnie, but could "Turkish" be associated with the notion of an opium den? Thus "Turkish brothel" conveying both sexual and narcotic?
That was something that occurred to me, too. However, asking personal questions of strangers in pubs is rarely a wise move; especially strangers who are nearly a foot taller and twenty years younger, as this particular guy happened to be.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
Of course, when Turkey joins the EC (possibly next year) they will have to ensure that their brothels meet all relevant EC legislation, including that relating to odours. As is well known, permitted European odours differ in several important ways from those permited outside the EC.
Richard English
Posts: 8038 | Location: Partridge Green, West Sussex, UK
