Vermutlich hatte ihn bereits jeder von uns mindestens ein Mal: einen Blackout. Oder einen Hirnhüpfer, Hirnverstopfung, Brainfart, ihr standet auf dem Schlauch, oder wie auch immer ihr es nennen mögt. Jedenfalls hat unser Gehirn schon einmal so seine Probleme, sich an die einfachsten Wörter zu erinnern. Und anstatt gefühlte Minuten lang mit Schweigen oder sicht- und hörbar herumkramenden „Ähhhhhh…“ zu verbringen, umschreiben wir galant spontan das gesuchte Dingenskirchen. Gerade bei diesen Rettungsversuchen kommen teils die skurrilsten und lustigsten Umschreibungen hervor, was gerade bei sonst als wortgewandt und intelligent geltenden Personen der absolute Brüller sein kann.
Paul Coxon ist so jemand. Der Physiker an der Cambridge Universtität (das sollte als Intelligenz-Beweis ausreichen) hat jüngst einen kleinen „Blackout-Offenbarungs-Trend“ losgetreten, als er auf Twitter von einem kleinen Fauxpas berichtete:
Hello my name is Paul, I have a PhD in physics and thanks to a random brain freeze forgot the word for photon so had to call it a “shiny crumb” in front of my colleagues 😐
— Paul Coxon (@paulcoxon) February 18, 2019
„I was talking with a colleague about how we can control the routes photons, ie particles of light, can take as they pass through the various solar photovoltaic materials and my mind just went blank. We were in the department tea room and there were crumbs on the table so I guess my mind just jumped and switched photons – a word I must say dozens of times a day, for ’shiny… crumbs‘. I can’t properly describe it. We both saw the funny side.“
A question which has perplexed physicists for decades: what is the true nature of a photon? is it a cake crumb, a biscuit crumb… or even a pie crumb
— Paul Coxon (@paulcoxon) February 19, 2019
Etliche Leute haben auf seinen Ausgangstweet geantwortet oder ihn als Aufhänger genommen, von ihren eigenen (oder eigens mitbekommenen) „Brainfarts“ zu berichten. Und die sind nicht nur unterhaltsam, sie lassen einen beim nächsten Mal auch etwas weniger vor Scham im Boden versinken, wenn einem mal selbst wieder ein Wort nicht einfallen… äh… ihr wisst schon!
One of my cleverest and most fabulous friends at university (now PhD in neuroscience) once forgot the word for what she wanted in a restaurant and tried to explain with “like a really REALLY wet salad”.
Soup.
She wanted soup.
— Wesley Mallin (@wesleymallin) February 18, 2019
One of the guys I used to work with forgot the name for a tape measure – called it a "how far machine" – it's passed into everyday vocabulary now!
— susan long (@hardleygirl) February 20, 2019
My brother in law said couldn’t remember the word ‘friends’, so called them ‘the people you don’t hate’.
— J Graham (@Jg0_100) February 19, 2019
I am a computer programmer with 20+ years experience. I bought a video game once and the cashier asked me what kind of computer I had. My brain blanked and I said, "a white one".
— Jason Frey (@Fryguy9) February 20, 2019
Not in the same delightful league, but in the final throes of writing SATC, I forgot the word 'fork' while sitting in a restaurant. I asked a waiter for "one of the metal things with four stabby fingers". Obviously, he looked at me like I was insane 😂
— Laurie Winkless (@laurie_winkless) February 19, 2019
When I was pregnant with my first, I cried one day because I forgot the word "banana."
I described it to my then-husband, "It comes it its own case! It's yellow!"
— danish butter cookies (@fisty) February 19, 2019
I’m a prosecutor. During a particularly dramatic closing argument years ago, I forgot the defendant’s name. “And that’s why you should find … (pause) … (pause) … THAT GUY guilty!”
And so I learned why prosecutors always say “the defendant.” :-)
— I Am The Egg, Man. (@POBrien14) February 19, 2019
Not in the same league, but I once completely blanked on 'Iceberg Lettuce' and had to call it 'Arctic Cabbage' instead. My wife has never, ever, let me forget that one. It was over 25 years ago.
— ⚡CMDR GreyAreaUK⚡ (@GreyAreaUK) February 19, 2019
Been doing a lot of travelling. When asked by Border Control at London Heathrow Airport where I’d come from I couldn’t remember in that instant so I said ‘Err Geneva?’ Passenger behind me from same flight went *cough* Reykjavik *cough* 🙈
— ruledbysequins (@ruledbysequins) February 20, 2019
Reminds me of my two year old daughter explaining a hot dog to me as a "meat pickle"
— Dr. Alistair Dove (@AlistairDove) February 18, 2019
Hello, im Sue, I'm a horticulturist, almost with a PhD in gardens, and I got my organisms and orgasms mixed up in front of a large group of 18 year old boys. 😶
— Suzanne Moss (@Sue__Moss) February 18, 2019
Haha my sympathies. Shiny crumb is a much better name for it. My 17yo forgot the word for “foal” in the summer and called it a “horse puppy” instead. I don’t think any one of us will ever use the word “foal” again…
— Mel clarke (@Bramptonmel) February 18, 2019
I forgot the word ‘articulate’ in an interview for a voluntary post and instead said ‘I’m good at saying things’. I am a criminal barrister
— Kathy Hirst (@kathy_hirst) February 18, 2019
Hello. I have a degree in English Lit and thanks to a random brain freeze, I forgot the word for "memory", so I had to call it a "remembrance thought".
— Blah Blah Blah. (@Blahblah146) February 19, 2019
Hi my name is Emer and I’m a journalist with a Masters in International Relations and once referred to tax cuts as “tax c*nts” during a live radio news bulletin
— Emer McLysaght (@EmerTheScreamer) February 19, 2019
My people.
I once forgot the word "table" and called it flat surface with legs. The person I was talking with knew what I meant as she is one of my people too.
— DragonSlayer (@eastrockpark) February 18, 2019
I once forgot the words for "Christmas tree' and asked a shop assistant where the light bush decorations were.
— Lauren Heritage (@Lauren_Heritage) February 19, 2019
Keine Kommentare