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[jonesey]

Ah, yes.  Frisbee Golf.  The only "sport" where drug testing is not required...

[john_proctor]

"Ants are eating my final project as we speak.  What are you going to do about it, you tosser?"

Yep- and verbatim

Suggested reply:

"Sounds like the ants have a better chance of passing the project than you do."

[infopri]

"Ants are eating my final project as we speak.  What are you going to do about it, you tosser?"

Yep- and verbatim

I can't believe hu called you a tosser!  (What exactly is a tosser, anyway?  It sounds British to me--or is it some new youth slang with which I'm unfamiliar?)

[case_insensitive]

"Ants are eating my final project as we speak.  What are you going to do about it, you tosser?"

Yep- and verbatim

Suggested reply:

"Sounds like the ants have a better chance of passing the project than you do."

HAHAHA!

[onlyanne]

A 'tosser' is a British 'wanker'.

I'd be forwarding that email to my chair (while thinking Professor Proctor's response).

[case_insensitive]

A 'tosser' is a British 'wanker'.

Boy, that's crystal clear!
(not)

[atalanta]

A 'tosser' is a British 'wanker'.

Boy, that's crystal clear!
(not)

OK:  toss = wank = masturbate. Less muddy now?

   


               not stalking c_i, it's all just a bizarre coincidence. really.

[merce]

A 'tosser' is a British 'wanker'.

Boy, that's crystal clear!
(not)

OK:  toss = wank = masturbate. Less muddy now?

   


               not stalking c_i, it's all just a bizarre coincidence. really.

Oh case, you did that on purpose didn't you?

[infopri]

OK:  toss = wank = masturbate. Less muddy now?

Really??  I'm so naive.  I've known the term wanker for as long as I can remember (I have several British friends), but never knew that was its meaning.  I just regarded it as a mild insult (usually offered in jest) without thinking much about its meaning or etymology.

Thanks for the enlightenment, atalanta!

(Now I really can't believe your student called you that, sickofit71!

[atalanta]

OK:  toss = wank = masturbate. Less muddy now?

Really??  I'm so naive.  I've known the term wanker for as long as I can remember (I have several British friends), but never knew that was its meaning.  I just regarded it as a mild insult (usually offered in jest) without thinking much about its meaning or etymology.

Thanks for the enlightenment, atalanta!

(Now I really can't believe your student called you that, sickofit71!

Well, come to think of it, I think that "wanker" has evolved into a more-or-less innocuous term, in wide use as a synonym for, maybe, dweeb or putz (?). Or "jerk". Perhaps some of our British friends will enlighten us further!

[case_insensitive]

A 'tosser' is a British 'wanker'.

Boy, that's crystal clear!
(not)

OK:  toss = wank = masturbate. Less muddy now?

   


               not stalking c_i, it's all just a bizarre coincidence. really.

Oh case, you did that on purpose didn't you?

Absolutely not.

Tosser sounds like someone who either makes you vomit or vomits himself.  He tossed his cookies.
Wanker, in my experience, is either a general insult or the latter definition above, I think. 

However, if these were used in the USA, one would wonder as these aren't common terms here. I only know wanker because I've lived in Australia.  Those folks have more slang for insults and for sexual stuff than I ever imagined could exist, and generally they don't think they are being particularly rude, it's just a manner of speaking for many there.  Most of those sorts of terms don't translate well here since we use those same words for normal things like... root? pull?  these are normal verbs in the USA, but not in Australia. 

[case_insensitive]

Yesterday's grade grubbing email:

Dr. Insensitive:

 

Hello, I just wanted to follow-up on the Research Paper (ABC group) you
handed back last night.  While I understand you had one primary issue
with our inconsistent use of acronyms, there were no comments as to the
content of the paper.

 

Based on my experience in the workplace and in the graduate program, I
feel the overall paper provided good information and insight for the
reader.  Without understanding your concerns with what we actually
wrote, and based solely on the comments provided on the paper, I would
protest the grade received. 

 

Additional insight is needed for any future benefit to be received.

 

Thank you,

Joe Brown

[aside: why do so many students use lots of white space between paragraphs in emails?]

Note, no one else in his group complained.

Note, clearly he didn't listen to my lecture on being clear and concise in wording.

Reply:

Joe,

The content of the paper was generally adequate, though not stellar.  The confusion of terms was quite unpleasant, making the text difficult to read.  In addition, the paper was not particularly clear and concise.  The paper also relied on a number of quite old sources (about half were over 10 years old). These things were marked and commented upon on the paper itself.

The paper earned a B+ because it does not exhibit the characteristics of an A paper.  An A paper is clear, concise, and not confusing in terminology.  An A paper lacks errors of punctuation, wording, citation and usage which your group's paper, unfortunately, included.

Dr. I.

Commented upon is probably not a very good verb phrase, but I think he gets the point.

[jonesey]

Yesterday's grade grubbing email:

Dr. Insensitive:

 

Hello, I just wanted to follow-up on the Research Paper (ABC group) you
handed back last night.  While I understand you had one primary issue
with our inconsistent use of acronyms, there were no comments as to the
content of the paper.

 

Based on my experience in the workplace and in the graduate program, I
feel the overall paper provided good information and insight for the
reader.  Without understanding your concerns with what we actually
wrote, and based solely on the comments provided on the paper, I would
protest the grade received. 

 

Additional insight is needed for any future benefit to be received.

 

Thank you,

Joe Brown

[aside: why do so many students use lots of white space between paragraphs in emails?]

Note, no one else in his group complained.

Note, clearly he didn't listen to my lecture on being clear and concise in wording.

Reply:

Joe,

The content of the paper was generally adequate, though not stellar.  The confusion of terms was quite unpleasant, making the text difficult to read.  In addition, the paper was not particularly clear and concise.  The paper also relied on a number of quite old sources (about half were over 10 years old). These things were marked and commented upon on the paper itself.

The paper earned a B+ because it does not exhibit the characteristics of an A paper.  An A paper is clear, concise, and not confusing in terminology.  An A paper lacks errors of punctuation, wording, citation and usage which your group's paper, unfortunately, included.

Dr. I.

Commented upon is probably not a very good verb phrase, but I think he gets the point.

Case,

Do you explain in such detail because it's an MBA program? 

I can't imagine giving that much of an explanation to a student in any of my Comp classes.  The more I teach, the more of a dictator I become.  I blame the CHE.  : )

[case_insensitive]

Case,

Do you explain in such detail because it's an MBA program? 

I can't imagine giving that much of an explanation to a student in any of my Comp classes.  The more I teach, the more of a dictator I become.  I blame the CHE.  : )

I explained in detail so he would get the message. He already saw all those things and more marked in red ink on his group's paper and that didn't make an impression, clearly.

[sickofit71]

A tosser is a gay man.

And yes..I like the reply about the ants having a better chance at passing.....that was clever..