› added 3 years ago

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TIL that when a metaphor stops needing its imagery to be understood and becomes idiomatic ("footage", "fly off the handle", "blow off steam"), it is considered "dead".

D4Mv TIL when the National Weather Service states that there is a 30 percent chance of rain, they are not stating that there is a 30 percent chance that it will rain. They are stating that 30 percent of the forecast area will be affected by measurable precipitation.
loMdG TIL that the CIA headquarters has its own Starbucks, but baristas don’t write names on the cups, its receipts say “Store Number 1” instead of “Starbucks,” and its workers need an escort to leave their work posts.
yQrbl TIL the Russian Standard Bank was founded by entrepreneur Roustam Tariko in the 90s to circumvent the advertisement ban of alcohol in Russia and promote his Vodka, the Russian Standard. Today, it is the largest consumer bank in Russia and Tariko is one of the most successful bankers in Europe.
yKvp TIL that the compellingly challenging difficulty curve of Space Invaders (many slow enemies which become faster the fewer are left) wasn’t a design choice, but a hardware limitation. Furthermore, some historians attribute the runaway success of the game entirely to this single error.
9Y5EX TIL, Scatman Crothers (Dick Halloran on The Shining) was the voice of Hong Kong Phooey. Richard Dawson (original host of Family Feud - the one who kissed all the female contestants) was also part of the voice cast.