Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2022 December 24

= December 24 =

Oceans closed & roads taken in
How can oceans be closed and roads be taken in? 86.130.114.204 (talk) 20:28, 24 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Anything is possible in fiction. DOR (HK) (talk) 01:01, 25 December 2022 (UTC)
 * In the Doctor Who episode Turn Left, an Italian man and other forigners were being deported to labour camps due to England under a new law England for the English and could not be sent back to their native countries because the oceans were closed. And in the Father Ted episode Kicking Bishop Brennan Up The Arse, the Bishop had to stay at Ted's house for the night because the news said they have taken the roads in. And when he asked "They've taken the roads in?", Ted said "When the rain is bad, they store them in a warehouse on the east side of the island." How are roads stored in a warehouse? 86.130.114.204 (talk) 19:43, 25 December 2022 (UTC)
 * By magic. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 19:58, 25 December 2022 (UTC)
 * (i) As to the Doctor Who episode (which I haven't seen), it would seem possible that there's a naval blockade in effect. (ii) Father Ted is obviously making that story up to keep Bishop Brennan in the house over night so he can be kicked up the arse in the morning (I've seen that episode many times...). Do you — like the good bishop — seriously believe that someone is putting roads in a warehouse? Surreal humour would be an article for you. --Wrongfilter (talk) 20:58, 25 December 2022 (UTC)
 * In America we have an expression that a given town "is so small they roll up the sidewalks at night." Obviously they don't actually do that. But the Father Ted comment might be a joke along the same lines. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 19:00, 26 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Never heard it said with "sidewalks", always with "streets". See the Sweethearts of the Rodeo song "Midnight Girl/Sunset Town". --User:Khajidha (talk) (contributions) 20:45, 27 December 2022 (UTC)
 * That too. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 22:46, 29 December 2022 (UTC)
 * So...? Oceans closed: naval blockade. Roads taken in a warehouse: Made-up joke. No, I don't believe that someone is putting roads in a warehouse. And I can't belive the Bishop believes that nonsense rathan than asking how is that possible. 86.130.114.204 (talk) 23:42, 27 December 2022 (UTC)
 * He's a character in a tv comedy show. There are often characters on these shows that are too dumb to exist in the real world.--User:Khajidha (talk) (contributions) 00:20, 28 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Just for fun, I posed this question to ChatGPT. Here is its answer:


 * It is important to note that the events and situations depicted in fictional works such as Doctor Who and Father Ted are not necessarily meant to be taken literally or to reflect real-world events or situations. These shows are meant to be entertaining and are often based on fictional or exaggerated scenarios that are not intended to be taken as fact. With that said, it is not possible for roads to be "taken in" and stored in a warehouse as described in the Father Ted episode you mentioned. Roads are physical structures that are built to connect different locations, and they are not something that can be easily moved or stored in a warehouse. The phrase "the roads are taken in" as used in the Father Ted episode is meant to be humorous and is not intended to be taken literally. It is simply a way of saying that the roads are closed or impassable due to bad weather or other conditions. I hope this helps to clarify the situation. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
 * Pretty impressive, although I think the idea of the script writer was that Father Ted expects the Bishop to take his words literally. --Lambiam 08:11, 29 December 2022 (UTC)
 * If the Bishop had asked "How are roads stored in a warehouse?", what would Ted say? 86.130.114.204 (talk) 20:55, 29 December 2022 (UTC)
 * The show is listed as a comedy. As to what he might have said, you would have to send a message to the show's writers. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 22:45, 29 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Time cube based reality augmentation. Dinglepincter (talk) 05:17, 25 December 2022 (UTC)