Where Do Loofah's Come From?- QI - BBC comedy panel show

[acr08807]

Loofahs are plants. They can't come from anywhere because they have no genitals.

[TasteTheSilence]

@acr08807 they have multiple

[DarknessLPs]

@acr08807 LOL I see what you did there

[straaler5]

where do loofahs come from: his desk.

[mooncowtube]

Where Do Apostrophe's Go?

[LichQueenKathie]

@mooncowtube If the word has an S at the end, it goes after. Before, before the S which makes it plural :3

[chao2609]

@LichQueenKathie While your explaination of where an apostrophe goes with an s ending word is correct, the use of an apostrophe does NOT indicate plural. Apostrophes are used to indicate ownership or substitution of one or more letters, for example; Kathie's (ownership) Lich can't (substitution) bring the dead back to life. The title using "Loofah's" suggests that the Loofah is owning something. Think of it this way; books, clothes, computers all are plural but there is no apostrophe in those.

[LichQueenKathie]

@chao2609 When I said makes it a plural, I mean Liches rather than Lich xD

[Bummercund]

"And originally?"

"in through the door."

[Qrawzseg]

I always assumed they were manufactured. :/

[waldoman7]

from oofah loofah land of course

[bored0stiff]

*Where do loofahs come from?

Bloody hell BBC

[Brideshead09]

Slightly embarrassing that the BBC doesn't know how to use an apostrophe.

[shinningneverwhy]

loofah's really delicious.

[TimMinchinlessthan3]

MAS

[agore30]

This show wouldn't stand a chance in the US. Too much intelligence is wrapped into this show. Something the US lacks on TV. I find it quite sad that I have to go onto YouTube to find good comedy.

[sueaffie]

I don't watch much standups, but I love these shows, the comedians are much funnier I think

[Cleo4696]

@sueaffie agreed, i believe that barely any comedians can do both well

[crapatev]

Sean Lock is funny in standup, but brilliant on discussion, panel shows, etc.

[TheHeineken1990]

loofah's taste terrible

[martinAKAthebeast]

Trust our wonderful BBC to think that the plural of loofah should have an apostrophe. Stephen Fry would be outraged.

[crapatev]

@martinAKAthebeast Eats loofah's and leaves?

[MrEthanhC]

@martinAKAthebeast No he wouldn't. In fact, he rather dislikes people that make a big deal of grammatical errors. Language is an ever changing thing. And that includes grammar.

Would you attack William Shakespeare for his inventiveness of language? You don't really believe that every Englishman in the Shakespearean era spoke with thee and thous?

[martinAKAthebeast]

@MrEthanhC I was with you after the first sentence. I had assumed that as someone known for loving language Stephen Fry would want people to use it correctly, I may be wrong. Of course language changes and Shakespeare was wonderful etc but at any given moment there is correct and incorrect grammar and this is wrong. Plus I really love the fact that you end with a very guiding question trying to hint at me being unintelligent about a subject that I made absolutely no allusion to.

[AshTheGaffer01]

@martinAKAthebeast Actually Steven Fry despises the "misplaced apostrophe" society. I have seen him go on many rants about it... However, it is pretty appalling that the BBC would make such an error.

[7CellarDoors]

@martinAKAthebeast Stephen Fry would arguably have better things to concern himself with.

[thedutchman01]

I think I would've said China. Or Taiwan.

[Armando623]

Europeans taking a perfectly edible plant and rubbing themselves with them, thankfully we've moved forward

[nukebacon876]

@Armando623 alot of people do it around the world

[jackamatyus]

@Armando623 it's okay, you people will learn proper hygiene someday. Don't worry.

[WindowSeatVideos]

@Armando623 Americans finding a totally inedible plant and eating it.... Typical Americans... eating everything.

[50thcenturycod]

Does anyone else think that guy looks like hitler?

[Joxzee]

@50thcenturycod "That guy"? There are 5

[marleycake]

Ha! finally i get one right !

[evexgee]

so... where DO they come from?

[qwertyness4]

i'd be stoked with that gift... at least it's creative

[helenwhohelenwho]

I love loofah stir fried with eggs! really didnt think about it until this :P

[cmd2tuts]

My uncle has a Loofah tree, he showed me how to find seeds, plant them, grow them, and tend to the Loofah trees. He loves them.

[MrLittletomdj]

How in any way could you POSSIBLY equate a grow your own loofah kit to being a bad present???!!!!! I would KILL to have someone give me a present that absurd!!!! =D

[IGotN0]

Dear youtube stop putting fucking ads on one minute videos for fuck sakes

[crazyc2004]

damn adverts...if i wanted adverts i would watch TV

[tifferz2112]

JEREMYYYYY LOVE HIM!!!! BBC america's Top Gear! :D

[VariedLyrics]

I'd love a Grow Your Own Loofah kit.

[DjTake1One]

"Where Do Loofah's Come From?" BBC, I am disappointed.

[rgfgfv]

@DjTake1One *disappoint

[BenEscoville]

@DjTake1One Yeah, I can't count the number of times English people make fun of Americans for their English, but this title managed to have an unnecessary apostrophe AND end a sentence with a preposition.

[Varoonmg]

@BenEscoville What's wrong with ending a question with a preposition?....Is it an idiomatic error?

[BenEscoville]

@Varoonmg You might consider it an idiomatic error. In Latin, it is grammatically incorrect to end a sentence with a preposition. Centuries ago, some academics decided that this should be a rule in English as well. Because of this and the fact that some common idioms have redundant terminating prepositions (e.g., "Where are you at?"), the "rule" persisted. Mostly, I was just pointing out that the English don't speak the language any more correctly than Americans.

[Varoonmg]

@BenEscoville Thanks for the info..I've learnt something today...^^

Well I think that rule is somewhat obsolete as far as the "Title" is concerned but valid for the example you gave

As far as Brits and Americans are concerned, well I think they just no more speak the same English

Not only the vocabulary and spelling are now different but some of the linguistic rules applied to the language have changed

But I love the Flexibility of the English language, French is beautiful but terribly rigid

[gremlinextreme101]

@Varoonmg French is only rigid in formal situations, it has huge informal changes that are just not permitted under national broadcasting.

[Varoonmg]

@gremlinextreme101 Yeah I know lol, I live in Paris....^^

But still, even in everyday life, one can play more easily with English than with French....at least, that's what I've personally experienced as someone speaking both languages, despite none of the two being my native language...

[SamuraiGoomba]

@BenEscoville While your assertion could well be true, your reasoning is baffling. You argue that the English have no stronger a grasp on the language because of an error in the title of a YouTube video, of all things. That is nought but a logical fallacy. Furthermore, you cannot be sure the person responsible is English. However, it is undoubtedly true that there are people from both countries who butcher the language. That is unavoidable. In all countries exist people who are poorly educated.

[BenEscoville]

@SamuraiGoomba Since this the channel for the British Broadcasting Corporation, I guess the perpetrator could be someone from Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland, not necessarily someone from England. However, my point was that it's unfair for the English to say that Americans have bad English because some Americans make mistakes, especially when their national broadcasting corporation makes grammatical mistakes. Obviously, I was not trying to definitively prove anything.

[SamuraiGoomba]

@BenEscoville Fair enough.

[gremlinextreme101]

@BenEscoville Actually it's "poor English", not "bad English". As with much of bastardized American English, such as "Did good", there is a slow seep into English society's speech through television and other forms of media.

[BenEscoville]

@gremlinextreme101 Merriam-Webster's first definition for the word "bad" : "failing to reach an acceptable standard, poor." The reason that "Did good" is incorrect is because it is trying to use the adjective "good" to modify the verb "did." However, in this context, "bad" is an adjective modifying the noun "English," so there is no grammatical error either.

[KittyKattyYukiLvr]

@gremlinextreme101 I'm American..."did good" sounds a bit British to me and I have never heard or have used "did good".

[gremlinextreme101]

@KittyKattyYukiLvr Having lived in both countries I can tell you that "did good" is certainly American, though in Manchester it wasn't uncommon for "did well good". Such poor language is rarely permitted broadcast in media in the UK, but is common in the US.

[KittyKattyYukiLvr]

@gremlinextreme101 Maybe, I'm just weird... X) However, I am not surprised by the "well" thing, they SEEM to use it quite a bit. Where in the states did you live? ( It's such a big country, when I moved from L.A. to Upstate New York, I had no idea it was so different from vocabulary to simple verbal idiosyncrasies!)

[gremlinextreme101]

@KittyKattyYukiLvr I have lived in Florida, Maryland and Virginia

[KittyKattyYukiLvr]

@gremlinextreme101 That may be why. "did good" being common in those areas and not the areas I live in.

[Varoonmg]

@BenEscoville Just wanted to say that according to the online version of Myriam-Webster's dictionary, the rule of not-ending a question with a preposition was one artificially invented by an English Scholar in the 17th century basing himself on latin as you said, but as before him, that rule never existed in the English Language, it has today been toatally let down, so unless it makes your question sound peculiar, feel free to end your questions with prepositions....:))

[tommos1]

2 ppl got a grow your own loofah kits.

[captainroger]

Nice try but the top two answers have been up-thumbed.

[nakedmambo]

@captainroger And it's weird that neither was remotely amusing, just bald quotation.

[MrNufc09]

''very. very naughty children indeed'' lol stephen fry is a genius haha

[phillfry]

i like how all these qi vids dont have have negative comments as the highest rated, makes life worth living doesnt it.

[MoooonshoesPotter]

*Loofahs

[cloud4an]

why cant america have shows like this?

[00bean00]

Dude, that was Jeremy Clarkson!

[drumtap2792]

Ha! I already knew loofahs came from a vegetable, we cook with that vegetable in my home country. I abhor the taste of it. *shudders*

[thehighcoco1]

oh i have lots dropping off in my garden.....

[jacksawild]

Bad BBCWorldwide... naughty BBCWorldwide. Watch your damned apostrophes. You are representing the BBC... I have a good mind to write to Anne Robinson, or whoever does points of view these days, with a letter of raving lunacy.

[QuirkyGirl12345]

I probably would have said the come from the shops, but hey.....whatever floats your boat...or loofah in this case!

Well what do you know. I thought these days most loofahs were made of weird synthetic stuff.

[NuWave12]

Grammar fail: The unneeded apostrophe in the title.

[erroneousapostrophe]

@NuWave12 Sorry, I've not been well.

[amphitritie]

Alan's face while he fiddles with the loofah is great.

I always thought loofahs were synthetic . . .

[honeyflowerchild]

i have to admit,I thought for a long time that loofas were some type of cactus, I think someone took the piss out of me ten years ago and Ive only just realised

[smagmauder]

You would think that at least one person at the BBC understands the difference between plural and genitive.

[lolixoOo]

Stephan Fry <3 <3

[lhrlyc]

... and it is LOOFAS not LOOFA'S

[NuWave12]

@lhrlyc Loofahs.*

[alaswoeisme]

I knew that.

[GreenFiggis]

I have to say I'm dissapointed they don't come from the sea. It detracts from their mistique.

[EnhancedNightmare]

Ah I knew this before ;P Thank god for wikipedia.

[Galacticmaster]

they are very unusual

[PollyRachis]

I've picked loofahs before...

[tesmai]

Jeremy Clarkson! <3

[TrimTOODLE]

Steven FRy sounds like DUMBLEDORE !!

[iluvmuse]

Lmao, "from the bathroom" xD

[superspy6]

i loved that part too!

[PollyJuice]

@iluvmuse

I think its his wife who does the most shopping in the household...

[randomguys2]

'' I think the pot hit her hardest'' LMAO

[snoddle]

I've eaten them in Okinawa, usually in a stew with miso and pork. Nice, if bland. They call them naabeeraa, or hechima in Japanese, although they don't really eat them in Japan so far as I know.

[buzgunluk]

Where does the unnecessary apostrophe in "Loofah's" come from? The answer is "O Reilly" from the preceding comment.

[elliez23]

Do you mean Bill Bailey?

[Sephirius]

@CALAdminWaffle

He was too busy eating falafel.

[allerdyce]

they do make synthetic ones now, but theyre surprisingly uncommon

[LadyEmilyElizabeth]

Bizarrey, I actually knew this. My grandma used to grow them in Iraq for some reason.

[hand2gland]

That was the thing I expected to read !!! lol

[pikspersent]

Loofahs came from desks

[turpskadey]

I had no idea Clarkson had appeared on QI. That indeed is quite interesting.

[FundamentallyMental]

He's been on it several times, and is always very amusing! :)

[Xosidhe]

I know apostrophe bullying has gone out of fashion these days, but come on BBC-- spellcheck your video titles. ;)

[bitherwack]

Perhaps it should be:  "Where does Loofah's cum fling?"

[sinshin92]

good grief, i hadn't noticed that 'til you said it!! now it's going to drive me mad...

[weonk]

Sean Locke: He tried saying this on 8 out of ten cats but they wouln`t listen to him.