Woman Goes for Leg Operation, Gets New Anus Instead

[Estonut]

Uly's story is entertaining but not true:

http://www.snopes.com/history/american/gauge.asp

The snopes article you cited says it is true.

This is one of those items that - although wrong in many of its details - isn't exactly false in an overall sense and is perhaps more fairly labelled as "True, but for trivial and unremarkable reasons."

[Estonut]

I guess you're extrapolating from 1 Radius ---> 2 Radii
But since it isn't 1 Anius, then they aren't 2 Anii.

What if he's extrapolating from 1 octopus ---> 2 octopii, or 1 cactus ---> 2 cactii?

Nope -- octopi, cacti, hippopotami, etc.

Oops! I was so sure of those spellings, I didn't verify them as I usually would before posting. When I saw "cacti," I knew you were right, but "octopi" just looks wrong to me, although I now know it isn't. Sorry for my erroneous correction, Tim!

[Bob Juch]

Uly's story is entertaining but not true:

http://www.snopes.com/history/american/gauge.asp

The snopes article you cited says it is true.

This is one of those items that - although wrong in many of its details - isn't exactly false in an overall sense and is perhaps more fairly labelled as "True, but for trivial and unremarkable reasons."

The heading says:
Status: False.

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

I assume that the doctors at least got rid of the old anus. It would be inconvenient to have two anuses.

If one wishes to be truly anal, the proper term is "two ani".

Thanks for letting me know.

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

I assume that the doctors at least got rid of the old anus. It would be inconvenient to have two anuses.

Not to put a damper on the frivolity but evidently the woman was having continence issues and the surgeons were supposed to perform an operation that would tighten her sphincter or somehow give her better control.

So if the woman had a normal anus, and they tightened her sphincter, then she might become overly constipated from the operation.

[wintergreen48]

OK, here's a 'gauge' story that some would suggest is also mythic, but it is cute nonetheless. I have to figure out how to tell it, though.

When the first railroads were built in Russia, they were built to a gauge that was about 6+ inches larger than in neighboring countries. The polite version says that this was because Russia was concerned about being invaded from the west, and so deliberately made its railways wider so that foreign troop and supply trains could not be used on Russian railways. This is, in fact, not true.

So, why WERE the railways built this way? Russia being Russia (or, micromanaging autocrat Tsar Nicholas I being Tsar Nicholas I), the Tsar had the final say on everything of significance. When asked what size the Russian railway gauge should be, Nicholas said, 'Bigger than in Europe.' When asked for more precision, i.e., how MUCH bigger, he supposedly shouted, impatiently, 'A [man's manhood] bigger!!!' And so, the Russian engineers went all over Russia measuring the length of Russian men's, um, manhoods, and came up with an average measurement of 6+ inches, and thus, the first Russian railways were built to a gauge that was 6+ inches bigger than in the adjacent countries.

Oh, about the expression 'man's manhood'... One of the glories of Russian is that it is replete with many words that are not normally used in polite company. In fact, there are enough of these words that you can describe, let us say, special body parts (male or female) for a half hour without once repeating yourself, describing in detail every nook, cranny, crevice and other feature that you might encounter thereon or therein. I love Russian.