“The Sam and Joe” Show?
From the latest issue of “Mental Floss” magazine, a profile on eccentric (is there any other type) Mathematician, Paul Erdös.
During much of Erdös’ childhood, his father was imprisoned in a Russian internment camp in Siberia, having been captured during World War One. But when he returned to Hungary in 1920, he brought his son a very special gift — The English Language. Unfortunately, said language arrived a little damaged. Lajos Erdös taught himself English by reading books in prison. Having never actually heard the language, the pronunciations he taught his son were, to say the least, imaginative. Years later, Paul Erdös’ speech was still so unintelligible that a documentary featuring him provided subtitles. To make matters worse, Erdös peppered his speech with self-created slang few people outside his circle of friends understood. In Erdös- speak, “wine, women, and song” became “poison, bosses, and noises”; “epsilon” referred to a child or any small object; and international news, particularly when it focused on the Cold War, became “The Sam and Joe Show”.
I like that name.