One Born Every Minute

I learned a new word yesterday. "Engañabobos". It's something of a derogatory term. Initially, I didn't know what it meant. It came up when I was chatting with someone about "tarjetas" (cards). It was all a bit lost on me. So I went off and happened to go into Little Britain. By the way, I asked, do you know what "engañabobos" means? They did know, well knew the literal meaning. Cheat and gullible. Now it was becoming clearer. Yes of course. Engañar, yes I did know that after all; I'd spoken to someone only recently and it had come up in the context of Cristiano Ronaldo. Bobos - the sort of word I should have known: idiots, stupid people. And it all really did start to become very much clearer. In English I suppose it might be mug or sucker, perhaps. It's better translated as an expression - "there's one born every minute". There's a Harry Enfield character, the one who sells stuff he's picked up from places like rubbish tips at enormous prices to gullible yuppy types who hand over ever more money or just write out a blank cheque. "I saw you coming" or something close is the name of the sketch; I saw you coming could also be engañabobos.

And what was all this about? Scratch cards. The holiday club scratch cards. Again. I suppose if there is one born every minute, then it's fair game for those doing the promotion, though there is always the "charm" of the sales pitch which can change to abuse and harassment, as I have reported earlier. What has to be borne in mind is that any PR or "tiquetero", call he or she as one may, operates under the same sort of conditions. Commissions depend upon getting the punter or the one born every minute through the doors, so harassment can be part of the game if that's how to earn a crust. And the fact is, notwithstanding the actual status of the scratch-cardists and also whatever the town hall's position on the whole matter, there are presumably sufficient engañabobos to make it all viable. But the harassment is the real objection. If the operation is all perfectly above board then so be it but, as was pointed out on 12 June, if people are subject to abuse and aggression this gives Alcúdia a bad name.


Meantime, the ongoing campaign to create the legend of the star of "The Runaway Train", Dimple Diamond from Derby. The youtube counter has shown a satisfying upward trend, but let's keep it going folks, a kind of Rick-rolling without the Rick and without the rolling. Remember to visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84DmeutIAr4


QUIZ
Yesterday's title - The Monkees (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzHtO9quFQc). The video shows just how bad The Monkees' show could be. And a sort of chain question - what's the link from this song to "Sweet Caroline"? Today's title - pretty poor record by which leading exponent of Britpop.

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