There was only one cashier at the tills, and quite a queue. Close behind me were two youngish lads, having a relatively loud conversation. I couldn't make head nor tail of it. I'm not going deaf- I could hear - but it didn't make any sense at all. So I concentrated really hard.
The conversation was quite surreal - it went something like this
Minnygook rofflim went snurple yesterday
Eh?
Minnygook rofflim went snurple yesterday
Oh! Frumpling mook going schtoggy bustin!
What?
Yeah! Frumpling mook going schtoggy bustin!
Right! Washti muskit brust then?
Mmmm. Friday.
At which point I got to the front of the line, paid for my fuel, and as I left, one guy clearly said
Er, yeah, pump number 7
I believe these boys were both English speakers -but the odd thing was, not only could I not understand what one was saying to his companion, but each seemed to be asking the other to repeat everything as well.
I recounted the conversation to Bob, and he was baffled too. Alan Bennett sits in tea-shops, eavesdropping on conversations, then writes witty, money spinning books and plays using the material he has gleaned from the words of passing strangers. I'm obviously listening in the wrong places. Oh, but I do wish they wouldn't mumble so much...
That's too funny, Angela. :D
ReplyDeleteLOL! My hubs and I are the same way but we do have hearing losses. Sometimes I just decide I don't want to know what they are saying!
ReplyDeleteI used to have a long bus ride when I worked at a local university and even though I tried to concentrate on my reading, there were times when I couldn't help but listen in to some of the conversations going on around me - mostly from students headed to Uni - believe me - I think that unintelligible mumbling might have been less stressful than some of the nonsense I heard! How they had made it into a university was beyond my ken - I think the kicker was the two young women discussing that Brad Pitt film, 7 Years in Tibet. Turns out they truly believed he'd spent 7 years filming this - in Tibet!! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry!
ReplyDeleteAhhhrhrhrh, I often don't hear what CBC says, esp if I wasn't expecting him to speak and he gets cross and tells me I am deaf and then refuses to repeat it! It makes me very annoyed!
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