Mensa Puzzles: The Thread

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 10:34 am

brewerpaul wrote:Is it just me, or does anyone else find MENSA annoying?
The whole basis of the organization is to sit around and say "We're smarter than anyone else".
Why not a Beautiful People club?
Or a Tall People club?

It is a weird idea. Is there a club for especially dumb people?

Will O'B · Post by **Will O'B** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 10:39 am

Wombat wrote:It is a weird idea. Is there a club for especially dumb people?

Yes, there is, but I don't think you would enjoy it. We all just sort of sit around and hit ourselves over the head with it.

Will O'Ban

avanutria · Post by **avanutria** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 10:40 am

http://www.pressanykey.com/cgi-bin/cgiw ... /jquiz.cgi

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 10:51 am

sturob wrote:Isn't it ironic that "mensa" means "stupid" in Spanish?

Stuart

If it were true it would be ironic. Is this sort of like telling us that "gullible" isn't in the dictionary?

spittin_in_the_wind · Thu Jan 27, 2005 10:55 am

Sally-ho. (Can you tell I'm home sick today? :roll: )

Robin

sturob · Post by **sturob** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 10:59 am

emmline wrote:If it were true it would be ironic. Is this sort of like telling us that "gullible" isn't in the dictionary?

Actually, it IS true. We've got an interpreter who works with our division, a very nice woman from Mexico City. Anyway, we were talking the other day, and somehow Mensa came up. She said, "You know, it's funny; 'mensa' means 'stupid' in Mexico."

I haven't actually verified it, but I don't have any reason to doubt her.

Stuart

Will O'B · Post by **Will O'B** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 11:01 am

emmline wrote: Is this sort of like telling us that "gullible" isn't in the dictionary?

I believe you may need to get yourself a new dictionary. I checked and it's in mine. Oddly enough, there was even a picture of me next to the definition.

Will O'Ban

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 11:08 am

avanutria wrote:http://www.pressanykey.com/cgi-bin/cgiw ... /jquiz.cgi

That's really funny, Beth.

They evaluated me as 'normal but distracted.' I think that test is deeply ethnocentric. How was I supposed to know that baseballers misuse a simple cricket term and that dead men in California aren't allowed to marry?

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 11:15 am

sturob wrote:
emmline wrote:If it were true it would be ironic. Is this sort of like telling us that "gullible" isn't in the dictionary?
Actually, it IS true. We've got an interpreter who works with our division, a very nice woman from Mexico City. Anyway, we were talking the other day, and somehow Mensa came up. She said, "You know, it's funny; 'mensa' means 'stupid' in Mexico."

I haven't actually verified it, but I don't have any reason to doubt her.

Stuart

Perhaps I do need a new diccionario. My big fat LaRousse doesn't cover that one. Shall check the alternatives at Barnes & Noble this afternoon while picking up the sequel to "Abarat" for my kid. Or could this be a Mexican
colloquialism?

sturob · Post by **sturob** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 11:21 am

It could also be slang, though; might not be in any but big dictionaries.

Stuart

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 11:27 am

I googled...it seems that menso(feminine mensa) is a Mexican or Colombian colloquialism for "stupid person."
So...they I go being skeptical for nothing.

avanutria · Post by **avanutria** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 11:27 am

Wombat wrote:I think that test is deeply ethnocentric. How was I supposed to know that baseballers misuse a simple cricket term and that dead men in California aren't allowed to marry?

Inning is a different term from innings, and the test clearly states "inning". Each baseball inning has two halves, and each half needs 3 outs to end.

And are you implying that dead men ARE permitted to marry in Australia?

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 11:38 am

avanutria wrote:
Inning is a different term from innings, and the test clearly states "inning". Each baseball inning has two halves, and each half needs 3 outs to end.

Yeah. I should have remembered that baseball people talk of the top and bottom half of the inning.

avanutria wrote: And are you implying that dead men ARE permitted to marry in Australia?

Not at all. I was just applying the 'nothing is too weird for California' principle which has served me very well in life up to this point.

BrassBlower · Post by **BrassBlower** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 3:24 pm

avanutria wrote:http://www.pressanykey.com/cgi-bin/cgiw ... /jquiz.cgi

12 out of 12! Woohoo!