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Annals of Verbosity

Spotted on the Metro in Genoa: Fate attenzione allo spazio fra treno e banchina means “pay attention to the space between train and the platform.” In London they simply say “Mind the Gap,” which, by compare, seems a miracle of brevity.

Mind the Gap
Sunday, December 16, 2007 - 4:45pm
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Comments

Marian's picture
Marian on December 16, 2007
How’s the weather? I’ve posted some videos of the storm you’re about to get on my defunct blog.
oliver's picture
oliver on December 16, 2007
But at what cost? Such succinctness wouldn’t be a surprise from a language with a special word for everything—and I believe English does indeed have more words than any other language. Maybe we should count the words on the subway signs in a country that speaks Pidgeon.
oliver's picture
oliver on December 16, 2007
Sorry: “Pidgin” not “Pidgeon”

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