oook?

[matrim]

Good ones. "Murder a cup of tea" means someone's really thirsty? "As useful as chocolate teapot" refers to something which is not useful at all?

Happy to meet you all. Got to go off-line. See you!

[deldaisy]

Terry Pratchett has on several occaisions, in several books, used the phrase "As useful as a chocolate teapot".

Use it all the time myself. Sometimes several times a day......

[ShadowNinjaCat]

Welcome matrim

[Ioustina]

This is a very interesting question !
I really thought that "Oook" was a mispronunciation of "ok"

[MongoGutman]

ook is just the sound that orang utans make, the context is clear. When characters sometimes correctly interpret the meaning of the librarian's "ook" it is simply evidence of thought transference brought about by the librarians inhabiting an area of high thaumatic background energy. Obviously.

[matrim]

ook is just the sound that orang utans make, the context is clear. When characters sometimes correctly interpret the meaning of the librarian's "ook" it is simply evidence of thought transference brought about by the librarians inhabiting an area of high thaumatic background energy. Obviously.

I think as such, but since I can't force others to share my view or get them convinced, I'll just leave it as it is.

[MongoGutman]

I think as such, but since I can't force others to share my view or get them convinced, I'll just leave it as it is.

"Just leave it as it is?" What sort of wizardly thinking is that? Poke it with a stick!

[matrim]

I think as such, but since I can't force others to share my view or get them convinced, I'll just leave it as it is.

"Just leave it as it is?" What sort of wizardly thinking is that? Poke it with a stick!

The reasoning is something like this:
1. The librarian is a human being with the appearance of an orangutan, so it's justifiable for him to speak in human langauge, i.e. ok.
2. Oook looks pretty much like the mispronunciation of ok.
3. So what the librarian really says is "ok".

[mystmoon]

but surely in context it makes no sense for him to say "ok" all the time?

[Jan Van Quirm]

I think there are visual and body language signifiers involved in there too - like when he's trying to screw someone's head off for saying for the M-word...

Plus he doesn't just ooook - he eeeeks too

[Who's Wee Dug]

ooky,ooky,ooky.

[DaveC]

So suprised this has been going on so long.

[matrim]

Well, the discussion I mentioned in the op surprised me too. After all the explanations I gave, they still think what the librarian says is "ok". Probably they feel an orangutan's cry simply doesn't do him justice.

[deldaisy]

I read a book somewhere years ago about how different languages say "Meow" for a cat, and "Cock-a-doodle-do" for a rooster. (Yes those are the english versions). OOK is what TP means an orangutan to say. So maybe it is different in Chinese? Maybe you say meow and cock-a-doodle-do differently too? Maybe you could explain it to your friends like that.

[Verns]

I read a book somewhere years ago about how different languages say "Meow" for a cat, and "Cock-a-doodle-do" for a rooster. (Yes those are the english versions). OOK is what TP means an orangutan to say. So maybe it is different in Chinese? Maybe you say meow and cock-a-doodle-do differently too? Maybe you could explain it to your friends like that.

Good point, del. It never occurred to me that 'ook' meant anything other than orangutan speak. I've forgotten where I read it, but doesn't somebody (probably Tiffany Aching) get cross because people say a sheep goes 'baa' when it actually goes 'maa'?

This is where we need btlfannz, the sheep expert, to voice an opinion.