0
Urban Legends
An urban legend is a type of modern folklore which includes stories perceived to be true by the teller. It is mainly circulated through the words of mouth and is sometimes repeated in news versions.
1,062 Questions
The term "knucklehead" is a slang insult used to describe someone who is foolish, clumsy, or inept. It is often used in a lighthearted or teasing manner to poke fun at someone's silly behavior or mistakes. The origins of the term are unclear, but it has been used in colloquial language for decades.
Was there really a Carmen Winstead?
No, Carmen Winstead never existed. The story was made up on the Internet.
According to the story, Carmen was accidentally killed when her "friends" pushed her down a sewer. Now she will visit a horrible death upon anybody who doesn't post her story on their MySpace page. Later versions of this story were sent as more conventional e-mail chain letters. There's also a nearly identical version with a victim named Jessica Smith.
Carmen Winstead/Jessica Smith Ghost Story
The story appears in emails and text similar to this.....
Carmen (Jessica) and the rest of her class were on a fire drill and 5 girls trying to embarrass Carmen pushed her down a sewer. When she didn't come up they called the police and the girls said she fell the police believed them.
The story was proven fake by snopes.com.
To read more, visit the Related Links.
What does 'Fornication Under Consent of the King' mean?
Nearly all these 'acronym' explanations for common naughty words such as f*** and sh** are nonsense. Any good reference dictionary will tell you the origin of such words, invariably considerably earlier than the supposed dates of the acronym.
http:/urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl-f-word.htm?terms=Fornication+Under+Consent+of+the+King
Urban Legends and Folklore Origin of the F-Word
Netlore Archive
Description: Folk etymology Circulating since: The 1960s Status: False Analysis: See below
Variant #1 Email example contributed by T. McInnis, 22 March 2001:
In ancient England a person could not have sex unless you had consent of the King (unless you were in the Royal Family). When anyone wanted to have a baby, they got consent of the King, the King gave them a placard that they hung on their door while they were having sex. The placard had F.*.*.*. (Fornication Under Consent of the King) on it. Now you know where that came from.
Variant #2 From a Usenet posting, 1 November 1990:
The word f*** comes from colonial times, when someone would be punished for 'prostitution' It was an acronym for the words
'For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge' F*** was written on the stocks that held these criminals because For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge was too long to go on the stocks.
Variant #3 From a Usenet posting, 12 October 1990:
I always heard that "F.*.*.*." originated in the 1800's in London, when they used to charge prostitutes "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge". So officer got sick and tired of writing those, um, lessee, 26 characters, not including spaces, so it got abbreviated F*** and stuck.
Comments: Having consulted the definitive reference work on this subject (yes, there is such a thing: "The F-Word" by Jesse Sheidlower, published by Random House in 1999), we feel confident in dismissing the above claims as imaginative bunk.
The word f*** did not originate as an acronym. It crept, fully formed, into the English language from Dutch or Low German around the 15th century (it's impossible to say precisely when because so little documentary evidence exists, probably due to the fact that the word was so taboo throughout its early history that people were afraid to write it down). The American Heritage Dictionary says its first known occurrence in English literature was in the satirical poem "Flen, Flyss" (c.1500), where it was not only disguised as a Latin word but encrypted � gxddbov � which has been deciphered as fuccant, pseudo-Latin for "they f***."
According to Sheidlower, the earliest claims in print of supposed acronymic origins for the F-word appeared during the 1960s. An underground newspaper called the East Village Other published this version in 1967:
It's not commonly known that the word "f***" originated as a medical diagnostic notation on the documents of soldiers in the British Imperial Army. When a soldier reported sick and was found to have V.D., the abbreviation F.*.*.*. was stamped on his documents. It was short for "Found Under Carnal Knowledge." Two more variants appeared in a letter published in Playboy magazine in 1970:
My friend claims that the word f*** originated in the 15th Century, when a married couple needed permission from the king to procreate. Hence, Fornication Under Consent of the King. I maintain that it's an acronym of a law term used in the 1500s that referred to rape as Forced Unnatural Carnal Knowledge." Undoubtedly the most famous use of this etymological travesty was as the title of the 1991 Van Halen album, "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge."
Comments: Aside from the Latin "fuccant" as a basis of origin, the most logical variant that I have heard is the following. That even in the relatively crude times of the middle ages, the catholic church along with local governments, following religious doctrine, kept sins of the flesh and crime down with fairly stern punishments (i.e. beatings, hanging, burning, dismemberment).
This practice was only challenged after the first coinciding of the bubonic plague in England in the 1340's. After the conservatively estimated death tole of roughly 30 to 60 percent of the English population, the previously very militaristic King Edward III was faced with a shortage of manpower and with it, food supplies, infrastructure, and (probably most important to the king) public sentiment. Understandingly the list of offenses requiring death were shortened as adding insult to injury was not in the king's favor.
One method proposed to him for alleviating the population scarcity was "fornication under consent of the king" whereby, for a time, the crime of unlawful fornication was stricken from punishment if the person in question was unmarried. It was the hope that the royal decree (basically a scare tactic) would encourage more people to wed and in turn have children. Whether it worked or not is history's guess but as a cynical person I like this theory best.
one of the the most gory , bloody and tragic times in England history is time of HENRY VIII..because of plague, homicide,battles ,wars half of England population died and English army had insufficient soldiers. The King was worried about the future of Great Britain. At the end he has a research made and found out that there were lots of rascal men in jails and dungeons and so many prostitutes as well. So he decided to allow them to make love for increasing the population of England.
Mating was organized in jails between prostitutes and rascal men to provide population explosion. Since it was done by the permission of king it was known as " Fornication Under the Control of King" or abbreviated (FU_K). In 15 years population increased twofold. This is brief story of the word F_CK ..well also that point out the actual truth that half of English are illegitimate
The Variant # 1 is correct !! it was used in ancient time when the pplz had to take placard from the king before having sex otherwise they were punished !!
I have heard that it means "Fornicating Under Command of the King" which meant that they wanted to repopulate after the plague.
The true meaning of the f word is "fornication under the consent of the king". when foreign dignitaries would come visit the king, the trip would take days if not weeks or months. so they were issued a "f.**k. basically it was the right for the person to sleep with the eldest unwed female at which ever house he chose to spend the night.
Another Answer:
This is one of the false etymologies of the word f..k. Similarly, "Fornication Under the Command of the King" is also a false etymology.
Is there a movie on Carmen winstead story?
Oh, dude, there's no movie based on the Carmen Winstead story. It's just an urban legend about a girl who supposedly died after being pushed down a sewer. So, like, you won't find it on Netflix or anything, unless someone decides to make a horror flick out of it someday.
Is it true that if you're good at math you will easily fail thermodynamics?
No, this is a generalization and a stereotype. Most sciences require mathematics to function, and statements like this are fallacies and myths.
Drop bears are a fictitious animal in Australian folklore, known for dropping down on unsuspecting victims from trees. They do not actually exist in reality, but are often used as a joke to scare tourists.
What happens if a cow tips over?
If a cow tips over, they will typically struggle to stand back up due to their large size and weight. In some cases, they may need assistance from farmers or ranchers to help them regain their footing. It's important to ensure that cows have sturdy footing to prevent accidents like tipping over.
"Hogzillas" are not real creatures. The term is often used to describe rumors or legends of unusually large wild boars or feral hogs, but there is no evidence to support the existence of giant hog-like animals of mythical proportions.
The Moon has NO atmosphere as the term is normally defined. One needs life-support equipment such as space suits, air tanks, etc. Therefore a flag would not flutter as in the breeze on earh but go straight out-like an advertising sticker, huh. There have been crazy theories that at some time in the prehistoric past A. the Moon had an atmosphere, and B. supported primitive life like Dinosaurs/. a science fiction tv-movie fromt he old (Man In Space) semi-documentary series had astros finding a dinosaur fossil in rock on the moon, this has never happened in real life. Rocks, yes but organic fossils , no./ Somewhat oddly Verne toyed with the idea of Lunar Life but did not enter it in either of his two Moon Novels. Nuff said.
Is the same amount of dirt that is taken from a hole returned to it during a full moon?
There is no dirt to take out of a hole, so none can be put back in. None out, none in is the same amount.
Can giraffes lick their elbows?
No, giraffes cannot lick their elbows. Their necks are too long and their tongues are not flexible enough to reach that far back.
How do we know there is not another planet in Earth's orbit on the opposite side of the Sun?
Because Earth is not the only planet in the solar system. The gravity of the others would gradually affect such a planet, bringing it into view in no more than about 30 years. Also, it would have gravity of its own, and would have been discovered by the pull it exerted on the rest of the solar system, including Earth!
Does a broken bone heal through the process called cell division?
Yes, a broken bone heals through a process called bone remodeling, which involves both cell division and the formation of new bone tissue. Initially, cells called osteoblasts form new bone, followed by the action of osteoclasts that break down excess bone to remodel and strengthen the healed area.
How long to heal a broken bone with screws and plates?
The typical healing time for a broken bone fixed with screws and plates can vary, but it usually takes around 6-8 weeks for the bone to start knitting together. However, it may take several months for complete healing and for the bone to regain its full strength. Physical therapy and follow-up appointments with the surgeon are important for monitoring progress and ensuring proper healing.
What is the air density in a hurricane?
The air density in a hurricane is typically lower than normal due to the rising air in the storm's eyewall. This creates a low-pressure center that draws in surrounding air, leading to lower air density compared to the surrounding atmosphere.
Can any size of paper be folded in half more than ten times?
In theory, you can fold any size of paper in half a maximum of seven to twelve times, depending on the paper's thickness and flexibility. Folding paper in half multiple times increases its thickness exponentially, making it extremely difficult to fold more than seven times due to physical constraints.
If you are falling in your sleep and hit the bottom can you die?
No, you cannot die from hitting the bottom while falling in your sleep. Your body has mechanisms in place to prevent you from acting out your dreams by physically moving while asleep. These mechanisms help ensure your safety even if you have vivid dreams.
Cracking your knuckles does not release lactic acid. The sound comes from bubbles of gas that form in the synovial fluid in your joints when you stretch or bend them. It does not have any known impact on lactic acid release in the body.
Emos may appear sad due to a deep connection with their emotions, a sense of isolation or loneliness, and a desire to express their inner struggles through their appearance and music. It is important to remember that not all emos are sad and that this is a stereotype that may not accurately reflect an individual's true emotions.
What does a brass knuckles tattoo symbolize?
im not exactly sure, but what i have heard is this:
brass knuckle tattoos are meant to remind us what we are capable of, but that we choose a different way. plus they look pretty badass, im thinking of getting a set
Does a person falling from great heights die when they hit the ground or before impact?
When you hit the ground. While they are falling they are in the air, and falling in and of itself will not kill you. The impact will always kill you -- unless you have a heart attack during the fall.
What happens when you crack your knuckles and it's really bad?
Cracking your knuckles repeatedly can cause joint damage, reduced grip strength, and potentially lead to arthritis in the long term. It's best to avoid this habit to prevent potential joint problems and discomfort.
Why can't i crack my knuckles anymore?
It's possible that your joints have become more flexible, preventing the buildup of gas in the synovial fluid that causes the popping sound when cracking your knuckles. This increased flexibility can lead to less resistance and, thus, less cracking. Additionally, as you age, your joints may naturally produce less synovial fluid, making it harder to crack them.
Can you get arthrites from cracking your knuckles?
Cracking your knuckles does not directly cause arthritis. The sound is produced by gas bubbles popping in the fluid within the joint. However, repetitive and excessive knuckle cracking can lead to joint damage and weaker grip strength over time.
