Wednesday, April 18, 2007
of evenings and eve teasers
JNU's Ganga Dhaba is open till three in morning, and therefore itattracts a huge crowd, not just of students of campus, but also'elements from outside'. And some of these 'elements', seeing girls ofthe campus sip cups of coffee alone, think they are 'available.' Oreven if they don't think that, they definitely think they have alicense for cheap thrills. So there was this group of girls sippingcoffee near the condom vending machine, which serves a hundred foldmore as a coffee vendor than otherwise as the media would like theworld to believe. Anyways, there were these four guys from Ber Sarai,a place nearby that houses UPSC fighters, media persons and localloafers.So the boys winked at the girls, passed some lewd comments, asked fortheir numbers. Someone intervened and they followed the usual patternof "Do you know whose son I am? Come to Ber Sarai and we'll tell youthere" The students got incensed, the Group 4 guards were called.There is nothing unusual about this scene. It's routine. Lessons areoften taught, but never learnt. So the guards came, and now the boyswere on their guard. They begged for apology, but that too withattitude, "Yaar uncle maaf kar do." And yaar uncle unleash a volley offist fury and gave them quite a sound thrashing. Kicks, fists, headsbanged against each other. It was a spectacle. A crowd had gathered,and it seemed they'd be beaten up by everyone. They were whisked awayin the van in good time.What the guys did is abhorrent, but one wondered if the reaction isjustified. I've heard it's a deterrent – to beat them up black andblue - but how do incidents recur if it's a deterrent. If weapons area deterrent, how do wars happen? One wonders whether the crowds thatgather are themselves free of eve teasers? When these tales arerecounted by someone, One always jingoistically reeacts, "Achha kiyamaara saalon ko." But the spectacle made me rethink.I was reading Let's Kill Gandhi by Tushar Gandhi the other day.Nathuram killed the Father of the Nation amidst a crowd of eighthundred people, and lived to see his trial. I haven't heard of such acrowd ever before. The counter argument of course is, had Gandhiallowed securitymen with guns, it would never have happened.I do not have answers, but have questions for sure that need to be mulled upon.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
freaky flukes
Co-incidences never cease to amaze me though I believe they are ahabit with me. So, the other day, I had written about old movie hallsin which I had quoted an elderly gentleman saying no one named theirchildren Pran. The next day, we were chatting downstairs, teasingBarmaulah about his name. He said he's the only one with his name,unlike my name which is a common password. Panditji pan wale butted infrom behind, "His name is not the only unique one. Pran is a uniquename. Tell me one man whose name is Pran."Days before that I had declared in the office that Karan Singh, A KHangal and Mac Mohan were all born aged sixty years. Two days later,Karan Singh launched a biography on him and I was there; and two daysafter that I opened a newspaper to see a full page interview of A KHangal. Ann then there was A K Hangal all over the TV declaring MeraBharat Jawan. My features editor had declared Mac Mohan dead. Andthen I got an invite for the launch of a book called Ab Tera Kya HogaKalia, (a memory improvement technique book!) a title which has sofascinated me that I have already written about it twice. And therewas Mac Mohan, wielding a gun, in a coolie-red kurta, same beard, samepartially grey hair – back from the dead. I couldn't tell him how muchI adore him, and that his picture would become the wallpaper of mycomputer for a few days. Instead I pissed him off by questioning himabout his being the quintessential B grader and a perfect sidekick. Hedidn't know these were compliments.I was disappointed that the 'Mac' in Mac Mohan was not connotative ofa clan, like in Mc Donald or Mc Leod. In McLeodgunj, I had been to thechurch of St John, "in the wilderness". It has a graveyard that hasintriguing epitaphs. I had been grave hunting for a few days, and themost intriguing one had been of Alice, in Pune, who was "born atMelrose in Australia' and had died and was buried at the same spot.So, in St John's church, there was this grave of A. Rose fromMelbourne. A little juggling took me back to both Alice and Melrose.The church, by the way also has a memorial for James Bruce, morefamously known as Lord Elgin. So A Rose's epitaph said, just for itsintrigue value, "The flesh shall fly back to earth, and the soul shallfly off from the flesh."
Sambha, the indomitable
Samba of 69
Poore pachas baar. Samba repeated “Poore pachas hazaar” , his only dialogue in sholay, poore pachas baar for the TV ‘bites’ (I insist on the spelling). It was marketing and everything at its best at the launch of Ab Tera Kya Hoga Kaliaa. Now, now, this book is not about Kaalia or Gabbar, but a self-help book on memory improving techniques. Biswaroop Roy Chaudhary, the author, followed the launch with a Guinness Book attempt at push-ups and bettered Roy Berger’s of 138 push-ups with 198 push-ups in a minute. Samba and Kalia, that is, Mac Mohan and Viju Khote launched the book in their Sholay get up and a little advertorial gig for the book. One day matches are often won by extras.
Mac Mohan ka raaz
More about the book in our books page. Here we come back to our Samba fixation. I waited two hours to get a Samba exclusive. Two reasons. The names Samba and Mac Mohan have always been intriguing. How did Ramesh Sippy come up with a Latino Carribean whistle name? “We never thought Sholay will become what it is,” both Samba and Kaalia echoed. The surname Mac denotes clan affiliation. So, a mac Donald would mean Donald’s posterity. So I always wondered whether some Mohan decided to follow this tradition of naming his sons Mac Mohan. Samba ne paani pher diya humari theory pe, “My name was Mohan. I am from Lucknow. My pet name was Mack, so I became Mac Mohan.”
Samba forever
So, I congratulate Mac on looking the same Samba forever. He’s looked the same, and done the same roles, he is timeless. “My maintenance department is good,” says the actor who’s visibly ageing, but only when you get close to him, at 68. “Now I dye my beard, but am still the same at heart,” he chuckles.
“Sir, why couldn’t you graduate from Samba to Gabbar in all these years. Or did you choose to be this?” I ask. “See I am doing the roles of a father, a grandfather, and a policeman in a comic role now,” he replies.
Why the Indian cricket team was weak in the 70s
After etymology, I try to get into the genesis of Mac Mohan. Mac’splayed first class cricket in Up as well as in Bombay, but “could never reach Ranji”. So while studying in Jai Hind College, he acted in Haqeeqat as Brij Mohan, and has ever since acted in many films in which his characters are named either Mac or Brij Mohan! “Begaars can’t be choosers,” he says, “that’s why I did such roles.” Before Mac became Samba, he was known as Breganza after his role in Hanste Zakhm.
The morph scandalAll of a sudden he launches into a dramatic monologue, “I will sit and drink at home but not be a part of a semi porn films or B grade films.” “But sir I saw your credit in this film called Patli Kamar Lambe Baal,” I retort. “Sometimes you know what happens, these people pick our pictures and videos and morph them into their films.” Either Mac or I have been caught at the boundary line. I venture further, “Sir there was this film called Dhoti Lota Aur Chowpatty…your role was important.” Samba is pissed off and his gun his not near. “Send me a copy of your article on this address,” he says. I was too happy to get an autograph of none other than Mac Mohan. Dhoti, Lota Aur Chowpatty by the way is a pathbreaking film, for it had reverse casting. Mohan Choti, Mac, Farida Jalal were in the lead while Dharmendra and Sanjeev Kumar were Samba and Kaalia.
Poore pachas baar. Samba repeated “Poore pachas hazaar” , his only dialogue in sholay, poore pachas baar for the TV ‘bites’ (I insist on the spelling). It was marketing and everything at its best at the launch of Ab Tera Kya Hoga Kaliaa. Now, now, this book is not about Kaalia or Gabbar, but a self-help book on memory improving techniques. Biswaroop Roy Chaudhary, the author, followed the launch with a Guinness Book attempt at push-ups and bettered Roy Berger’s of 138 push-ups with 198 push-ups in a minute. Samba and Kalia, that is, Mac Mohan and Viju Khote launched the book in their Sholay get up and a little advertorial gig for the book. One day matches are often won by extras.
Mac Mohan ka raaz
More about the book in our books page. Here we come back to our Samba fixation. I waited two hours to get a Samba exclusive. Two reasons. The names Samba and Mac Mohan have always been intriguing. How did Ramesh Sippy come up with a Latino Carribean whistle name? “We never thought Sholay will become what it is,” both Samba and Kaalia echoed. The surname Mac denotes clan affiliation. So, a mac Donald would mean Donald’s posterity. So I always wondered whether some Mohan decided to follow this tradition of naming his sons Mac Mohan. Samba ne paani pher diya humari theory pe, “My name was Mohan. I am from Lucknow. My pet name was Mack, so I became Mac Mohan.”
Samba forever
So, I congratulate Mac on looking the same Samba forever. He’s looked the same, and done the same roles, he is timeless. “My maintenance department is good,” says the actor who’s visibly ageing, but only when you get close to him, at 68. “Now I dye my beard, but am still the same at heart,” he chuckles.
“Sir, why couldn’t you graduate from Samba to Gabbar in all these years. Or did you choose to be this?” I ask. “See I am doing the roles of a father, a grandfather, and a policeman in a comic role now,” he replies.
Why the Indian cricket team was weak in the 70s
After etymology, I try to get into the genesis of Mac Mohan. Mac’splayed first class cricket in Up as well as in Bombay, but “could never reach Ranji”. So while studying in Jai Hind College, he acted in Haqeeqat as Brij Mohan, and has ever since acted in many films in which his characters are named either Mac or Brij Mohan! “Begaars can’t be choosers,” he says, “that’s why I did such roles.” Before Mac became Samba, he was known as Breganza after his role in Hanste Zakhm.
The morph scandalAll of a sudden he launches into a dramatic monologue, “I will sit and drink at home but not be a part of a semi porn films or B grade films.” “But sir I saw your credit in this film called Patli Kamar Lambe Baal,” I retort. “Sometimes you know what happens, these people pick our pictures and videos and morph them into their films.” Either Mac or I have been caught at the boundary line. I venture further, “Sir there was this film called Dhoti Lota Aur Chowpatty…your role was important.” Samba is pissed off and his gun his not near. “Send me a copy of your article on this address,” he says. I was too happy to get an autograph of none other than Mac Mohan. Dhoti, Lota Aur Chowpatty by the way is a pathbreaking film, for it had reverse casting. Mohan Choti, Mac, Farida Jalal were in the lead while Dharmendra and Sanjeev Kumar were Samba and Kaalia.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Ever Had Naked Lunch?
I had to meet my namesake, Amit Rahul, at Max Muller for lunch, to getsome gyan about an academic paper I had to write. Amit's hostel roomgenerally had stacks of heavy books that could fall on your head,death metal that could ensure that you'd never hear again, and randompeople, most of them PIGs (permanent illegal guests) who even hedidn't know. So we met at Max Muller. He was sipping on pinacolada andreading a book called Naked Lunch. As I stared incredulously at thename, wondering if it was some kinky stuff, he smiled his devilishdeath metal smile, "A frozen moment when everyone sees what is at theend of the fork." Amit had been derided ever since he had been readingthe deconstructionist Jacques Derrida. "Don't look so, you uneducatedfool. This is what the writer William Burroughs said to explain thetitle."The book, I found later on, is a series of vignettes containingcharacters that are psychopaths, sociopaths and all kinds of 'paths'except those who take the regular path. "So what's about this bookthat keeps Amit the great occupied?" I asked."It has fetishes, fantasies, taboos, hell lot of a fun, and Mugwumps,"he chuckled."Mugwumps like Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter?" I asked"Shut up you asshole. Do you think I care for such shit?" he retorted.And smiled again, "You know there's a section in the book called'talking assholes' where a man teaches his you-know-what to talk andit overtakes the man. He can only eat and you-know-what."And off went Mr Baishya. He went on about Foucalult, Deluze, Derrida, Edward Said, Brthes, post structuralism and more. I thought he himself had become TalkingYou-Know-What. Now you know what to do when you are out on a date forlunch. Don't blame me for your murder but. I was compelled to dedicate a limerick to my friend:
That bathing fukolting man of Argon
Who could not speak but of Jargon
He took naked lunch at Max muller
Of madness he became fuller and fuller
That deluded derided much said man of Argon!
That bathing fukolting man of Argon
Who could not speak but of Jargon
He took naked lunch at Max muller
Of madness he became fuller and fuller
That deluded derided much said man of Argon!
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Beating the Retreat
.JPG)
After a day of sweat, spears and crimson blood, when soldiers used to call it a day or ‘beat the retreat’, it was usually with a ceremony of music and massed bands. The tradition continues in England, and in Commonwealth countries, generally against the backdrop of a castle. In India, the tradition started by James II in 1690, marks the end of Republic Day celebrations every 29th January. So, there we were, at the nerve centre of India’s political power, Vijay Chowk, Raisina Hills, for a preview of Beating the Retreat.
Six men sit still atop camels in the background, while bands trooped in with their bugles, bagpipers, trumpets, drums and played some scintillating music with enchanting synchronization. Some band members tapped their feet to music and the tapping too is neatly choreographed. The leaders of each band sway their clubs as they march, occasionally throwing it in the air to mark a change a note. The spectacle is resplendent to say the least, with variegated colours of uniforms- blue, orange, red, green, checks, turbans et al, and an endlessly variety of instruments. Fanfare is perhaps the best example of perfect synchronization with bands marching fast while coming, and then they march slow, twirl around and form patterns while performing. Towards the end, massed bands perform with their drums, first rising in crescendo and echoing through the massive buildings of Lutyens’ Delhi, then ebbing in a soft refrain.
This year 30 bands are performing, 8 from the navy and air force, and 22 from the army. Most of the compositions this time are Indian, and Captain P.G. George of the navy is the captain of the time. This is the 24th time he’s participating in the function, and tells that most of the tunes are new except Souza’s Thunderer which is an essential marching doggerel, and the evergreen Abide With Me, which was a favourite with Gandhi ji and King George V. The song was composed by Henry F. Lyte in 1847 as a premonition song for his death of tuberculosis. The tune was later changed by William Monk in 1864 and the tune has stayed with many churches and army bands ever since. There’s a composition by S.C. Hill called Hindostan Hamara Hai which is also quite a lilting refrain. Hill had also written a book called Three Frenchmen of Bengal, about the rise of the Brits and the demise of the French. So the Hill connection is quite interesting on Raisina Hill, for in him we find the confluence of Hindostan, Inglistan and Fransistan.
(The pic is by Naresh Sharma)
Six men sit still atop camels in the background, while bands trooped in with their bugles, bagpipers, trumpets, drums and played some scintillating music with enchanting synchronization. Some band members tapped their feet to music and the tapping too is neatly choreographed. The leaders of each band sway their clubs as they march, occasionally throwing it in the air to mark a change a note. The spectacle is resplendent to say the least, with variegated colours of uniforms- blue, orange, red, green, checks, turbans et al, and an endlessly variety of instruments. Fanfare is perhaps the best example of perfect synchronization with bands marching fast while coming, and then they march slow, twirl around and form patterns while performing. Towards the end, massed bands perform with their drums, first rising in crescendo and echoing through the massive buildings of Lutyens’ Delhi, then ebbing in a soft refrain.
This year 30 bands are performing, 8 from the navy and air force, and 22 from the army. Most of the compositions this time are Indian, and Captain P.G. George of the navy is the captain of the time. This is the 24th time he’s participating in the function, and tells that most of the tunes are new except Souza’s Thunderer which is an essential marching doggerel, and the evergreen Abide With Me, which was a favourite with Gandhi ji and King George V. The song was composed by Henry F. Lyte in 1847 as a premonition song for his death of tuberculosis. The tune was later changed by William Monk in 1864 and the tune has stayed with many churches and army bands ever since. There’s a composition by S.C. Hill called Hindostan Hamara Hai which is also quite a lilting refrain. Hill had also written a book called Three Frenchmen of Bengal, about the rise of the Brits and the demise of the French. So the Hill connection is quite interesting on Raisina Hill, for in him we find the confluence of Hindostan, Inglistan and Fransistan.
(The pic is by Naresh Sharma)
M Grade ka Maalik
Wonsaponatime, in 1994, a reviewer wrote this about a movie, “There are A grade, B grade and C grade films, but this one is beyond all that. It falls into the M grade. M for Mithun.” The movie was Cheetah, in which Mithun da remains as young and fresh as a babe unborn after 20 years in comma, and avenges on his adversaries by using his claws like a cheetah. So, the movie-going-world is neatly divided into lovers of M grade and non-lovers of M grade. Among the M grade diehards, there are two types – lovers of Gunda and non-lovers of Gunda. In the latter category, there are zero members.
Orkut needs no introduction I guess. All kinds of Orkut freaks have been trying to run all kinds of communities, some of which are hot and most are not. To the uninitiated, try out the Gunda Fan Club. It is the most dedicated one-movie-club that’s ever happened in the history of humanity. There are over 2000 members, active members, who keep their intellectual debate alive on the ‘greatest movie ever made’. You have to watch it to believe it. It’s got a string of unforgettable characters like Bachhu Bhigona, Ibu Hatela, Lambu Atta, Kafanchor Neta etc. There are 13 murders, 3 rapes and unlimited revenge by Shankar played by the indomitable Mihtun da who works as a coolie at the airport! Every villains dies after rendering his pet musical dialogue, without any fear or favour. The icing on the cake is that the film is a musical- all dialogues are in poetry! The movie has got a rating of 9.6 on 10 on IMDB, a leading international movie website, courtesy the unfailing fans. The club has been started by the IITians, so the when you open the page, the related pages shown are IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi etc etc. The sheer fact that over 2000 people know each and every dialogue of a 1998 film are still watching it is to say the least, amazing.
The fan club has launched a dedicated movie site, http://www.gundathemovie.com/ besides having done a collective PhD on the Kanti Shah film. To start with they researched, in their forum, on the name Gunda. It turns out that Gunda is a Norwegian name for a female warrior (from www.babynames.org !!). So who’s the female warrior in the film? All the women who lay down their lives, and whose murders shall be avenged by the coolie of the airport! In the classic musical which opens with Kafanchor neta’s (a veiled reference to George Fernandes) dialogue to Lambu Atta, “Tu jo Dilli se billi ka doodh pee ke aaya hai, bata kyun aaya hai,” our panel of experts has researched on why ‘Billi ka doodh’. They have returned with some amazing stories about benefits of cat’s milk and its wide usage in Eastern Europe. Check out http://www.burleson-arabians.com/cats_milk.htm. There are comparisions with Tarantino and Forest Gump and more, and obviously the winner of all discussions in the forum is Mithun da alias Prabhuji. Prabhu ji, why? Gunda opens with a Mithun photo with a caption “Prabhuji Films” and a background voice that says “Do chaar chhe aath dus, bus!” Fans attribute this rendering of five numbers as relating to Pythagoras and his theorems of duality and pentagrams. There are FAQs, some 300 in number that explain the rationale behind the profound scenes that go beyond normal human perception. There are endless downloads where you can download ringtones, and M grade movies. The underground movement threatens to usurp all things mainstream. There’s a real life story in one of the discussions. Goes like this, “Yesterday, I went to a cobbler for getting my shoes polished. I noticed T.L.V. Prasad written on his hand. I asked his name and he said his name was Gopal.... I asked then why T.L.V. Prasad??? He said because he makes movies of Mithun da...I asked then why didn't you write Mithunda... He said he had it tattooed it on his chest...”
Space restricts me from going on about the ongoing PhD happening at this page, but there’s a lot of craze about Dada’s role in Guru, where he is reportedly said to have played Ram Nath Goenka, the founder of Indian Express. He looks old and jaded in the film, but that doesn’t deter the fans from watching a film in which he does his deeshko dance again with a svelte 18 year old. Join the club and make it 10 on 10 on IMDB!
(the cartoon is by Jishudev Malakar)
Orkut needs no introduction I guess. All kinds of Orkut freaks have been trying to run all kinds of communities, some of which are hot and most are not. To the uninitiated, try out the Gunda Fan Club. It is the most dedicated one-movie-club that’s ever happened in the history of humanity. There are over 2000 members, active members, who keep their intellectual debate alive on the ‘greatest movie ever made’. You have to watch it to believe it. It’s got a string of unforgettable characters like Bachhu Bhigona, Ibu Hatela, Lambu Atta, Kafanchor Neta etc. There are 13 murders, 3 rapes and unlimited revenge by Shankar played by the indomitable Mihtun da who works as a coolie at the airport! Every villains dies after rendering his pet musical dialogue, without any fear or favour. The icing on the cake is that the film is a musical- all dialogues are in poetry! The movie has got a rating of 9.6 on 10 on IMDB, a leading international movie website, courtesy the unfailing fans. The club has been started by the IITians, so the when you open the page, the related pages shown are IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi etc etc. The sheer fact that over 2000 people know each and every dialogue of a 1998 film are still watching it is to say the least, amazing.
The fan club has launched a dedicated movie site, http://www.gundathemovie.com/ besides having done a collective PhD on the Kanti Shah film. To start with they researched, in their forum, on the name Gunda. It turns out that Gunda is a Norwegian name for a female warrior (from www.babynames.org !!). So who’s the female warrior in the film? All the women who lay down their lives, and whose murders shall be avenged by the coolie of the airport! In the classic musical which opens with Kafanchor neta’s (a veiled reference to George Fernandes) dialogue to Lambu Atta, “Tu jo Dilli se billi ka doodh pee ke aaya hai, bata kyun aaya hai,” our panel of experts has researched on why ‘Billi ka doodh’. They have returned with some amazing stories about benefits of cat’s milk and its wide usage in Eastern Europe. Check out http://www.burleson-arabians.com/cats_milk.htm. There are comparisions with Tarantino and Forest Gump and more, and obviously the winner of all discussions in the forum is Mithun da alias Prabhuji. Prabhu ji, why? Gunda opens with a Mithun photo with a caption “Prabhuji Films” and a background voice that says “Do chaar chhe aath dus, bus!” Fans attribute this rendering of five numbers as relating to Pythagoras and his theorems of duality and pentagrams. There are FAQs, some 300 in number that explain the rationale behind the profound scenes that go beyond normal human perception. There are endless downloads where you can download ringtones, and M grade movies. The underground movement threatens to usurp all things mainstream. There’s a real life story in one of the discussions. Goes like this, “Yesterday, I went to a cobbler for getting my shoes polished. I noticed T.L.V. Prasad written on his hand. I asked his name and he said his name was Gopal.... I asked then why T.L.V. Prasad??? He said because he makes movies of Mithun da...I asked then why didn't you write Mithunda... He said he had it tattooed it on his chest...”
Space restricts me from going on about the ongoing PhD happening at this page, but there’s a lot of craze about Dada’s role in Guru, where he is reportedly said to have played Ram Nath Goenka, the founder of Indian Express. He looks old and jaded in the film, but that doesn’t deter the fans from watching a film in which he does his deeshko dance again with a svelte 18 year old. Join the club and make it 10 on 10 on IMDB!
(the cartoon is by Jishudev Malakar)
Monday, November 06, 2006
Tracing the passes
well well well...'twas promised by a higher up in India Today that this'd become a column in the mag - Etymologically Yours...but a very similar editorial appeared in a mag of the group under the name of a believer in 555...anyways, posting it here for the fun of it
The other day, on Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg, I came across this signboard: "Trace Passers will be prosecuted" at the entrance of some old dilapidated bunglow. One knows of trespassers who make a thoroughfare out of a no-thoroughfare. One also knows of tress passers, which could either be a babe making passes with her tresses, or a dude who could be making passes at cute tresses. Trace passers, however, sent me on a hunt for the origin of the original trespasser. Tres comes from Latin trans which means beyond; while pass is pass, that is go by. "Entering unlawfully", the current meaning is first recorded in Scottish forest laws of 1290. The phrase trespass is also used euphemistically for "to die", an obvious association with "go beyond".
If we pass on to other part of the phrase, that is pass, we'll pass out because it'll open up a Pandora's box. Passing the buck to pass therefore is not a good idea, but we can pass out a few interesting facts about the phrases related with the word. Pass-fail as a grading system comes into being as late as 1959, while make a pass, that is "offer an amorous advance" was first used in 1928, most probably from a sporting sense. Impasse from the negation ("im") of passé and was first used by Voltaire as a euphemism for cul de sac. Cul de sac literally means the "arse/ass of a bag" but used for a street with one inlet/oulet with a dead end. Cul that sounds very classy, is considered a vulgar slang in French.
Having said all this I have already "traced past" , either to the delight or the chagrin of the author of the signboard. My day was however made with a girl flaunting these words on her tee: Stresspassers will be prosecuted. Highly recommended as office uniform!
The other day, on Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg, I came across this signboard: "Trace Passers will be prosecuted" at the entrance of some old dilapidated bunglow. One knows of trespassers who make a thoroughfare out of a no-thoroughfare. One also knows of tress passers, which could either be a babe making passes with her tresses, or a dude who could be making passes at cute tresses. Trace passers, however, sent me on a hunt for the origin of the original trespasser. Tres comes from Latin trans which means beyond; while pass is pass, that is go by. "Entering unlawfully", the current meaning is first recorded in Scottish forest laws of 1290. The phrase trespass is also used euphemistically for "to die", an obvious association with "go beyond".
If we pass on to other part of the phrase, that is pass, we'll pass out because it'll open up a Pandora's box. Passing the buck to pass therefore is not a good idea, but we can pass out a few interesting facts about the phrases related with the word. Pass-fail as a grading system comes into being as late as 1959, while make a pass, that is "offer an amorous advance" was first used in 1928, most probably from a sporting sense. Impasse from the negation ("im") of passé and was first used by Voltaire as a euphemism for cul de sac. Cul de sac literally means the "arse/ass of a bag" but used for a street with one inlet/oulet with a dead end. Cul that sounds very classy, is considered a vulgar slang in French.
Having said all this I have already "traced past" , either to the delight or the chagrin of the author of the signboard. My day was however made with a girl flaunting these words on her tee: Stresspassers will be prosecuted. Highly recommended as office uniform!
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