this post was submitted on 10 Aug 2023
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The best ones are thoughts that many people can relate to and they find something funny or interesting in regular stuff.

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[–] jeena@jemmy.jeena.net 48 points 1 year ago (16 children)

In Germany we have the letter U but we call it by the real name "Kehrtwende"

[–] jxk@sh.itjust.works 15 points 1 year ago

Just for context, the word Kehrtwende is not used often. Instead, the verb "wenden" is used the sense of "making a U-turn"

[–] herrwoland@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

Is that the real name for the letter U? damn

[–] TheBat@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The fuck did you just call me?

[–] someguy3@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

What does that translate to?

[–] jeena@jemmy.jeena.net 34 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

kehrt -> return
wende -> turn

[–] FloppyDix@lemm.ee 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] intensely_human@lemm.ee 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] Archer@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

Knowing the Germans, probably "extra long and bent letter I"

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[–] CerealKiller01@lemmy.world 29 points 1 year ago (1 children)

In Hebrew, it's a horseshoe turn.

[–] someguy3@lemmy.ca 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

...

In countries without horses...

[–] justhach@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago
[–] infamousbelgian@waste-of.space 28 points 1 year ago (2 children)

We call it a 180.

As in 180 degrees turn.

[–] monobot@lemmy.ml 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

We call it something like 'half circle turn'.

[–] Mubelotix@jlai.lu 5 points 1 year ago

In France we call it a half turn

[–] gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Which language is that in?

[–] infamousbelgian@waste-of.space 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Dutch. But the variant we speak in Flanders (Vlaams).

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 year ago

Stupid, sexy, Flanders.

[–] Bolleeer@programming.dev 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Yeah, infamousbelgian, which language is that in? /s

Edits: How the hell do I mention a user in Lemmy?

We actually have 3 official languages in our (small) country. Dutch (Flemish), French (Walloon) and German :)

[–] dystop@lemmy.world 28 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The Romans must have called it a V-turn

[–] lobut@lemmy.ca 17 points 1 year ago

A five turn?

[–] Hazdaz@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

How is this not the top comment??

[–] dandroid@dandroid.app 19 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

You should see the the folks in Beijing make a 欲-turn.

[–] bouh@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

In French it's called a pin turn.

[–] MrPoopyButthole@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I imagine that would be a hairpin which takes the shape of a U. In routing there is a hairpin NAT which redirects traffic exiting back into the local network.

In rally races in the US its also called a hairpin.

[–] TheWonderfool@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Even though the letter U is definitely existing in the vocabulary, in Italian it is called "elbow turn" (curva a gomito)!

[–] Hazdaz@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Italian.... “elbow turn”

I'd be willing to bet that when they say elbow they mean the pasta.

[–] TheWonderfool@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Thank you for making me discover elbow pasta! It deepens my conviction that everything in Italy is somehow related to pasta...

[–] Gork@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

How do they not get it confused with elbow pasta?

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[–] wheeldawg@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

Letters aren't part of vocabulary though?

[–] learningduck@programming.dev 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

My language doesn't has U, but we call it U turn anyway, even though we have a similar letter in our own language.

[–] wheeldawg@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

Now that's odd.

[–] naux_gnaw@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

In Chinese doing an u-turn can be called 掉头 or 调头, literal translation would be lose head (or front) or change head (front). For whatever reason apparently both can be used.

[–] mvirts@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

But the symbol still makes sense

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

You don't need an alphabet to design what may as well be modern day hieroglyphics.

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