People don't know their classics

[simont]

At work the other day a fellow developer and I were discussing incomplete array types in C, and at one point in the conversation he referred to them using a phrase which gave me a perfect opportunity to reply ‘Arrays of Unspecified Size? I don't think they exist.’ Sadly, I got a blank look.

And today at lunchtime there was a silly conversation about a car park that had collapsed due to subsidence, on a site with a large rabbit population. It was suggested that the rabbits might have undermined the car park, and someone else said ‘no, don't blame the rabbits’. Of course this is a feed line which physically cannot have any other reply than ‘Bunnies, bunnies, it must be bunnies’ – which elicited no evidence of recognition from any of about six people.

Bah. People don't know their classics!

Comments

[alextfish.livejournal.com]

Huh. I have seen Princess Bride, twice even, and recognise many quotes from it; but I can't get from "Arrays of Unspecified Size? I don't think they exist" to a Princess Bride quote even with Google's help.

[naath.livejournal.com]

try ROUS

[alextfish.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes.

I guess that is a somewhat memorable Princess Bride quote, fair enough. But the movie is sufficiently memetic that I could name off the top of my head at least ten other rather more memorable quotes from it, probably rather more...