"vicar"

I don't get this.

Joey tried to dress up like a vicar by wearing an ice-hockey uniform. Why did he do this? What does "vicar" mean in America?

Peter Morris wrote in message news:9iuqua$jvv$[email]...

I'm not from US, but I'm prety sure that "vicar" in America means the same as everywhere else. The problem is that Joey had absolutely no idea what "vicar" meant. His character isn't one of the brightest.

Adriana

In article , "Adriana" wrote:

Joey was not being stupid, but ignorant. There is a difference.

As for the word "vicar", you might know it in Croatia, but it's not commonly known in America, as you can tell by Rachel's reaction...

JOEY: Where are you going? The vicar won't be home for hours.

RACHEL: Joey, where did you learn that word?

..and since he didn't know what a vicar was, he associated the word with the nickname of a Canadian ice-hockey goalie.

Tennant Stuart

"Tennant Stuart" wrote in message news:[email]...

same

I took that to mean Rachel didn't consider it to be the kind of word *Joey* would know, not that she wouldn't expect *most people* to know. :)

Mardi

In article , "Mardi" wrote:

Well, why doesn't she react like that all the time with Joey?

In any case, not knowing "vicar" is ignorance, not stupidity.

Tennant

"Tennant Stuart" wrote in message news:[email]...

:)

Because he doesn't always use words like "vicar"?

I don't think I said otherwise.

Mardi

In article , "Mardi" wrote:

No. If you watch the scene, it's very clear that she's alarmed that his use of the word relates to her book. That would not happen if the word was in common parlance as far as *Rachel* was concerned.

I know, that was Adriana.

Tennant

"Tennant Stuart" wrote in message news:[email]...

Oh, I got that she suspected he'd read her book. I thought you were implying that most Americans, including Rachel, Joey, me, my husband, and my neighbors, would not know what the word "vicar" means. It's not the most common word, but not so unusual that no one here would know it. I think it's perfectly in character for *Joey* not to know it, though.

All right, then. :)

Mardi

In article , "Mardi" wrote:

What I'm saying is that the script indicates that in the opinion of the writers & producers, most Americans, excluding well-educated people such as you, would not know what the word "vicar" means. This sort of thing happens all the time with British & Australian movies, where for the American market, some dialogue is cut or subtitled or overdubbed.

This means that as far as the episode is concerned, not reality, Rachel knows what the word "vicar" means only because of her book, and Joey is not in a minority because he doesn't know. If this position still makes you uncomfortable, you can consider it as Rachel's incorrect opinion.

Tennant

"Tennant Stuart" wrote in message news:[email]...

Well, you won't be shocked to learn that I don't agree that the writers assumed most Americans would not know the word. I still think they assumed most American viewers would find it unsurprising that Joey didn't know it, just as he didn't know "omnipotent." Hey, fellow Americans following this thread: Did you know the word "vicar"? Did you assume not knowing was a Joey thing or an American thing?

Mardi

--- I assume it's an American thing. And possibly a Chinese thing, and Hispanic thing, etc.

*I* knew what it was because I'm an Anglican Episcopalian (i.e. Church of England, Henry the Eighth, Barchester Towers, yadda, yadda, yadda). "Vicar" is right up there with other words not common in the American/International language: Rector, Vestry, Saint C.S. Lewis...

Why WOULD Joey know the word? He's American-Italian Catholic.

Did we agree that Rachel's Jewish??? If so, when then did SHE know the full meaning of the word? Huh? Huh???!!!

Now THERE'S a thinker!!!

Purrrz,

Sue

The Chicken: It Came. It Clucked. It Conquered.

"Sue" wrote in message news:[email]...

full

Being Jewish (and American) hasn't prevented *me* from knowing the word. I know lots of words that don't apply directly to me or my life.

Mardi

--- I mean no disrespect. However, even though mannnny of my friends are Jewish, and have spoken Yiddish around me and I "know" many words, I acknowledge that I may not get the "full" meaning and that there are a lot of words and meanings I've not yet been introduced to because it's not my background.

And that's my point. Would someone of a different background necessarily "know" the context of words used by those of a different background?

Sue

The Chicken: It Came. It Clucked. It Conquered.

"Sue" wrote in message news:[email]...

I

Don't worry, I didn't take it that way.

However, even though mannnny of my friends are Jewish,

that I

meanings

I don't think understanding Yiddish is the same as knowing the meaning of a word in your own language that doesn't directly apply to your life. The latter is just a matter of having a broad vocabulary from reading, listening, etc. Hey, I don't speak Yiddish, and you probably know about as many Yiddish words as I do (if not more!).

Mardi

In article , "Mardi" wrote:

I don't understand why you're so offended by this, Mardi. Whatever you contend, Rachel was still worried by Joey's use of the word, since that indicated he had been reading her book. If the word was common parlance amongst Americans, she would not reached that conclusion.

When Eric Aasen & Aaron Miller transcribed Ross & Emily's wedding in England, they described the vicar as a "minister" all the way through.

Tennant

"Tennant Stuart" wrote in message news:[email]...

I'm not offended--just surprised, because it's an interpretation I hadn't at all expected. I never said it was "common parlance." But neither is "apothecary." Were there threads here last season speculating that Rachel and Phoebe should not have known the meaning of the word?

Obviously, I'm not disagreeing that Rachel deduced Joey had been reading the book. I still think this was heightened by the fact that Joey, of all people, was suddenly using the word "vicar" (would she have been shocked about Ross knowing it?), and also the specific context he used, which referred to the story--"The vicar won't be home for hours."

Again, not arguing that "vicar" is common parlance.

Mardi

In article , "Mardi" wrote:

Rachel didn't. She saw the table in a catalogue, and asked "Does anyone even know what an apothecary is?" When Chandler told her that it was a pharmacist, she mocked him for knowing that. But once the table arrived, Phoebe's reaction was to imagine that the various drawers were where the apothecary kept all the stuff to make his potions - quite in line with her New Age interests in alternative medicine & white magic.

But what she asked was, "Where did you learn that word?" She obviously regarded "vicar" as a special term. Also, the use of the word "learn" here indicates that we're talking about knowledge not intelligence, and also that Joey has no trouble learning new stuff when he's interested.

Okay, so why can't we agree that as far as Rachel was concerned "vicar" was an English English word she knew only from her book, thus she was alarmed to hear Joey using it; as opposed to being surprised that a Joey who is so stupid it's a wonder he can even stand up straight would know a word that's widespread in America?

Tennant

"Tennant Stuart" wrote in message news:[email]...

"Where did you learn that word" fits in with *Joey* not knowing words like that.

I don't think she'd be surprised if Ross knew the word, or if Chandler did. Joey not knowing things is a running gag in the show--e.g. "Joey's apple," "omnipotent," and a whole range of things in the encyclopedia episode. It doesn't mean he's so stupid it's a wonder he can stand, just that it's like him not to know words the others know. But we'll continue to disagree, I'm sure, so we should probably drop it.

Mardi

In article , "Mardi" wrote:

But for her to say that, the word has to be unusual to HER...

You're still missing the point that Rachel didn't know the word until she read the book, and nobody is calling her stupid.

Tennant

Tennant Stuart wrote in message news:[email]...

I never said that Joey was stupid. I said that he wasn't very bright. There's a difference. I agree that not knowing the word "vicar" is ignorance. He has never heard of the word, so how could he know it's meaning! But it's not just that word. There were other examples when Joey couldn't fit in their conversation because he didn't know what they were talking about. For instance, when Chandler tried to escape from Janice, he said he was going to Jemen. I think Joey's reaction was something like: "You could make up some real country". I believe that an average thirty year old (American or not) should have heard about such stuff if one owned a high school diploma. Don't you agree? Joey probably skipped a lot of classes in school and he hasn't read many book either.

Adriana

In article , "Adriana" wrote:

I didn't say that you said that Joey is stupid. I said that it was you who said that not knowing a word was due to stupidity, which you did...

*�The problem is that Joey had absolutely no idea what *�"vicar" meant. His character isn't one of the brightest.

This is also a question of ignorance, not stupidity. We know that both Joey & Rachel wasted their high school years, while Phoebe never had the opportunity, but she is very bright.

Tennant

But he probably can spell Yemen !!!

Lauren

Lauren wrote in message news:9ja5qo$n79$[email]...

couldn't

he

could

in

It was my mistake. Sorry.

---

And I quote:

"[Joey] had SEX in high school!."

Sheeeeesh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sue The Chicken: It Came. It Clucked. It Conquered.

Yeah, I think so too. Joey isn't the brightest of the bunch but is it all that surprising that a guy like Joey, who's dated so many women doesn't know a word like Vicar!! Joey and a Vicar!! Just picture that. Thats why Rachel reacted that way.

"p r i y a" wrote in message news:[email]...

*Joey*

What ??? what does the number of womes he's dated have to do with it ???

Lauren