On Facebook someone said this, "I might on occasion have talked about the pouring of a pint but I have never 'lectured' anyone about it. Lecturing does have a specific meaning to me."

Does a lecture have to be all formal and official? How do you discern a lecture to someone from talking to someone? I did hear this particular person, for example, speaking to someone about her inability to pour a proper glass of beer. It wasn't a classroom lecture, but it surely was tied to some criticism. Therefore, it did sound like one of the dictionary definitions, which alludes to talking seriously or reprovingly to someone. The other main definition is a talk to a group of students, which clearly it wasn't.

The dictionary also gives "A long, serious speech, especially one given as a scolding or reprimand:".

Though, in the circumstances, that would raise the issue of whether "scolding" or "reprimand" was intended. And I'm guessing that it would be denied.

quote:

An exposition of a given subject delivered before an audience or a class, as for the purpose of instruction.

I kinda like this definition for the circumstance I saw. While it wasn't an "instructive" talk before a class, it certainly was one before an audience. Indeed, many in that pub were listening.

This reminds me of the TV show, "Cheers," wherein Cliff would either expound or lecture on various subjects about which he rarely knew anything. So I suppose a lecture can be delivered from a bartop as well as a lectern.

Cliff's lectures were one of the funniest bits of the show. One of my favourites cropped up on a facebook link recently. It goes something like this.


When there were herds of buffalo the wolves would follow them.
Stragglers and strays were the easiest prey so the wolves picked these off first.
As these were the slowest members of the herd the wolves were really helping the herd by culling the weaker members and leaving the herd as a whole stronger and faster.
It's well known that beer kills your brain cells.
But the beer, like the wolves, will pick off the slower and weaker cells first.
This leaves the brain stronger and faster as a whole.
And that's why you always get cleverer after a few beers.

Cheers was on so long ago that I don't remember that about Cliff. That is a great quote, Bob! Here are some more of his quotes that I found on the Internet.

I probably wouldn't have remembered either except that I saw it recently quoted on FB. Mine isn't really a quote, more a loose paraphrase.

It has prompted me to download some old episodes of cheers though.

Cliff's comment about the intelligence of pigs reminds me of the man who stopped at a farm for a drink of water. As he sat on the steps drinking, a three-legged pig ran around the house. The man asked what happened to the pig's leg.
"Several months ago, there waa a gas leak in the house in the middle of the night and that pig opened the door and ran squealing through the house, awakening us in time to save our lives."
"But what about his leg?"
"A few days later, a fire broke our in the barn and that pig opened the door and allowed all the animals to escape the blaze. That is one smart pig."
"But what about his leg?"
"Well, if a pig is that useful, you can't eat him all at oncet."

quote:

Originally posted by BobHale:


And that's why you always get cleverer after a few beers.

Which reminds me of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rypNfcCmFU0

Very funny, Geoff. I do like those Scots!

The phenomenon shown in the video is referred to as "beer goggles."

Or, in the case of Stephen Fry's peers, "Madeira Monocle".

Shu is a huge fan of Stephen Fry's QI, so I watch it with him sometimes. He is wonderful. I was just reading about him on Wikipedia, and he apparently had a troubled childhood and adolescence, spending 3 months in prison. You'd never know.

Yes, Fry was sent down for credit card fraud. For details of his troubled youth see his autobiographies Moab Is My Washpot and The Fry Chronicles.

quote:

Originally posted by BobHale:

But the beer, like the wolves, will pick off the slower and weaker cells first.
This leaves the brain stronger and faster as a whole.
And that's why you always get cleverer after a few beers.

I remember him talking about this! It became an oft-repeated theory in our college circles.

I'll have to watch some of the reruns. It was a funny show.