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femuse · 11-23-2004, 12:38 AM

This afternoon, my husband tried to stump an online computer-translation site with the well known English phrase:

"how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?"

[it knew the trick - Mike was not the first to try this one

: answer is "combien de bois est-ce qu'une marmotte d'Amérique jetterait si une marmotte d'Amérique pourrait jeter le bois ?" - sounds better in English.

]

This started me playing with my dictionary & the different meanings of "chuck".

RESULT:

I now can call myself a chuck-will's-widow, a nightjar , a Caprimulgus europaeus and even a goatsucker

I first thought that the "night-jar" in question was used for something else :D .... if I remember my french: un "pot de chambre". Not even close.

It's a bird.

Our local ones are whippoorwills and have a very loud & onoxious cry. After Mike "froze" one with a spotlight, he described it as "the ugliest bird in the world".

How did I go from a woodchuckto a Caprimulgus europaeus ?

1_ chuck-will's-widow: a nightjar (Caprimulgus carolinensis) of the southern U.S.

2_ nightjar: any of a family (Caprimulgidae) of medium-sized long-winged crepuscular or nocturnal birds (as the whippoorwills and nighthawks) having a short bill, short legs ..... called also goatsucker

3_nighthawk:

_ any of a genus (Chordeiles) of American nightjars related to the whippoorwill

_ a common European nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus)

_ a person who habitually is active late at night:yes, that's me

, a real goatsucker :D

11-23-2004, 12:38 AM	#1 (permalink)
femuse Senior International Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 209 femuse is an unknown character at this point	Goatsucker This afternoon, my husband tried to stump an online computer-translation site with the well known English phrase: "how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" [it knew the trick - Mike was not the first to try this one : answer is "combien de bois est-ce qu'une marmotte d'Amérique jetterait si une marmotte d'Amérique pourrait jeter le bois ?" - sounds better in English. ] This started me playing with my dictionary & the different meanings of "chuck". RESULT: I now can call myself a chuck-will's-widow, a nightjar , a Caprimulgus europaeus and even a goatsucker I first thought that the "night-jar" in question was used for something else :D .... if I remember my french: un "pot de chambre". Not even close. It's a bird. Our local ones are whippoorwills and have a very loud & onoxious cry. After Mike "froze" one with a spotlight, he described it as "the ugliest bird in the world". How did I go from a woodchuckto a Caprimulgus europaeus ? 1_ chuck-will's-widow: a nightjar (Caprimulgus carolinensis) of the southern U.S. 2_ nightjar: any of a family (Caprimulgidae) of medium-sized long-winged crepuscular or nocturnal birds (as the whippoorwills and nighthawks) having a short bill, short legs ..... called also goatsucker 3_nighthawk: _ any of a genus (Chordeiles) of American nightjars related to the whippoorwill _ a common European nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus) _ a person who habitually is active late at night:yes, that's me , a real goatsucker :D
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