Hey, dude

[mkenuk]

One of those interesting articles on words and their origins that the BBC comes up with from time to time

http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20190508-the-surprising-history-of-the-word-dude

[blackrockrose]

Fascinating - especially the origin of 'silhouette' and the side note on the origin of 'mob'.

Thank you Mike.

[Maudland]

Interesting article - thanks, Mike.

[birdy]

Very interesting.  I like the history of words, but had never heard of any of these before.

[Calilasseia]

Fascinating - especially the origin of 'silhouette' and the side note on the origin of 'mob'.

Thank you Mike.

Speaking of silhouette, Lamborghini made a car called the Silhouette in the late 1970s. It was a version of the Urraco with a removable roof panel. Here's a photograph of one.

If you wanted one at the time, it blew a £13,600 hole in the wallet. You could buy a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow for less money back in 1978, or alternatively buy a 3-bedroom semi-detached house (though not in London - even then, house prices were inflated in the capital, but not to the ridiculous extent they are now).

In the US market, one of these cars would cost $27,000 back in 1978. I'll let the Americans here tell us all what you could get for that money in 1978, as they know far better than I do about this.

[Leedscot]

Check out that 1978 dollar/pound exchange rate. I first went to the USA in 1973 and it was even better then. Times have certainly changed ...

[pat]

Check out that 1978 dollar/pound exchange rate. I first went to the USA in 1973 and it was even better then. Times have certainly changed ...

It will probably get even worse in the coming months, especially if the 120,000 or so people who are entitled to choose our next prime minister on behalf of the other 66 million of us decide on our very own version of Donald Trump.

[Leedscot]

Do you think they have the same hairdresser?

[Jacki]

That's funny!

[TRex]

In the US market, one of these cars would cost $27,000 back in 1978. I'll let the Americans here tell us all what you could get for that money in 1978, as they know far better than I do about this.

All depends, as the real estate agents say, on three things: location, location, and location.

In most places, that would have been able to purchase a nice house.

[Calilasseia]

All depends, as the real estate agents say, on three things: location, location, and location.

In most places, that would have been able to purchase a nice house.

Nowadays, that wouldn't even buy you a toilet in The Hamptons, let alone the whole house. According to this article, the median price for a house in parts thereof is now $5.6 million. Bridgehampton, for example, apparently has 203 properties listed for sale, and the median price there is around $4.6 million. Here's an example of what $4.6 million gets you there.

[Calilasseia]

Meanwhile, if you find yourself hankering for an ocean front in Meadow Lane, Southampton ... fancy writing out a cheque for that amount? Bill Gates and the Sultan of Brunei need only apply.

[birdy]

AND you could enjoy the sight of your site being flooded when a hurricane comes along!

[Hobbit]

I'd want a cleaner with all those rooms   I suppose if you could afford the asking prices then you could certainly run to plenty of staff!