General health matters.

[andrew Ivimey]

Which the Tories are hinting they won't honour - quel surpris!

My fourth jab I'm really looking forward- anti-shingles. Bring it on

[pre65]

Its doesn't

The 'triple lock' is a commitment, beyond this legal requirement, to increase State Pensions by whichever is highest of average earnings growth, CPI inflation, or 2.5%

I took it as Paul taking the piss.

[Nick]

Its doesn't

The 'triple lock' is a commitment, beyond this legal requirement, to increase State Pensions by whichever is highest of average earnings growth, CPI inflation, or 2.5%

I took it as Paul taking the piss.

You clearly are better at determining meaning from text than I am then.

[pre65]

Its doesn't

I took it as Paul taking the piss.

You clearly are better at determining meaning from text than I am then.

Well, I could have been wrong.

[Nick]

I took it as Paul taking the piss.

You clearly are better at determining meaning from text than I am then.

Well, I could have been wrong.

Ditto. I try and take the meaning from what is written, and not attempt to decode any inner meaning. My brain is not up to any more when it comes to interpreting third party intent.

[Daniel Quinn]

Use smilies .

[Nick]

Use smilies .

Never sure that helps. What does the image you used mean? Is it happy or sad, there are tears and teeth.

[andrew Ivimey]

I'd take that smilies to mean 'crying with laughter' but smilies are often ambiguous or incomprehensible.

My present teeth grinding breath taking abject confusion is the oft used ' absolutely decimated...'
What on earth is that supposed to mean!?

[Nick]

My present teeth grinding breath taking abject confusion is the oft used ' absolutely decimated...'
What on earth is that supposed to mean!?

Not sure, decimated is the act of removing 10%, but by definition that's a relative operation. I would guess "absolutely decimated" could mean removing 10% of the world total of the items that its being applied to instead of from the local population of them.

I'd take that smilies to mean 'crying with laughter' but smilies are often ambiguous or incomprehensible.

Given that I often have problems with real faces, interpretation of small images is doomed to failure.

[pre65]

I'd have thought this was the meaning of "decimated" as used, but you are not wrong.

past tense: decimated; past participle: decimated
1.
kill, destroy, or remove a large proportion of.
"the inhabitants of the country had been decimated"

2.HISTORICAL
kill one in every ten of (a group of people, originally a mutinous Roman legion) as a punishment for the whole group.
"the man who is to determine whether it be necessary to decimate a large body of mutineers"

[Nick]

Hey, only quote one of the two definitions that come up. Why not.

1.
kill, destroy, or remove a large proportion of.
"the inhabitants of the country had been decimated"
drastically reduce the strength or effectiveness of (something).
"public transport has been decimated"
2.
historical
kill one in every ten of (a group of people, originally a mutinous Roman legion) as a punishment for the whole group.
"the man who is to determine whether it be necessary to decimate a large body of mutineers"

Origin
late 16th century: from Latin decimat- ‘taken as a tenth’, from the verb decimare, from decimus ‘tenth’. In Middle English the term decimation denoted the levying of a tithe, and later the tax imposed by Cromwell on the Royalists (1655).
Use over time for: decimated

But I am aware that languages change. I think Andrews problem was the "absolutely", thats the bit that I was trying to amusingly comment on. But further evidence of the reading/interpretation problems.

[Nick]

Ahh, your post makes more sense after your edit.

[pre65]

I added definition 2. just before you posted.

[jack]

Originally a punishment for rebellious Roman legions where every 10th soldier was killed, e.g. by them all being lined up on a viaduct, a random starting point being chosen and then every 10th man being pushed off.

Hence, "decimation"- the Latin for "10" is "decem", as in "decimal".

Common usage now by the non-classically-educated illiterate masses is to reduce by a lot, typically 90%. i.e. wrong.

Note: I was awful at Latin at school. One of my Latin master reports for age 12 (year 2) read "on a curriculum of hobbies and pastimes, de Smith would do marvellously well"... They don't write reports like they used to...

[Nick]

Just to be a pedant

random starting point being chosen

It would have to be random within the first 10 soldiers, unless the pushing continued mod 10 after the last, back to the first. Though if it was, it would be identical to random in the first 10.