MOVE ASIDE ORANGE JUICE!!! there is a new flu deterrent in town.
It’s like a unicorn except it’s a dolphin at the same time
I did a quick poll around my family and friends (all intelligent adult native English speakers by the way!). 80% had no idea what it was, but a few did.
Narwhals are more likely more commonly known to people who live in northern hemisphere arctic water countries like Canada, Russia and Norway (that includes our North American friends) . The Arctic is the only place in the world where Narwhals hang out . Narwhals probably get more of a run in children’s books, TV shows etc in that part of the world. The other half of the world don’t really get much exposure to the Narwhal, yet other common arctic animals like the polar bear, Walrus and Moose do. Also, people from all over the world who enjoy watching nature docs like The Blue Planet would also know what a Narwhal is.
To think a Narwhal is commonly known to native English speakers is ludicrous. And to name a simple radical after it was also a little surprising. But I still love you WK.
Tonight I will pull up National Geographic and teach both of my kids all about the wonders of the rarely sighted, but majestic narwhal.
Cheers.
WK loves you too. For what it’s worth, I had to look up geoduck (Level 10). Assuming WK never updates its mnemonics, 10 years from today native English speakers are going to have to look up Charlie Sheen.
Man, I did not expect this thread to blow up.
The skin of the narwhal, called “maktaq” by Canadian Inuit, is eaten both raw and boiled, and the meat is eaten by the people, or fed to sled dogs.
That makes a whole heckova lot more sense now
“Canada, Russia and Norway (that includes our North American friends)”
Ah, I guess we Canadians aren’t part of North America if we’re specially distinct from the continent. The US is just all concepts of “America” and we Canadians have elevated to a higher plane of existence.
Geoduck? Is that like an Arctic ocean swimming one horned duck.
麻薬 - Picture Charlie saying “MaYaku za buds got me all fu…up”
Sorry Canada. I should of just said America, or USA, or The States…
I had no idea what a quoll is, and I’m glad I looked it up.
I mean, just look at that cuteness!
Plus, its name in Japanese is フクロネコ (bag-cat). lol
Oh, that’s rich. I certainly have to laugh at that, and probably not for the reasons you think.
I don’t think Quolls can compete with Quokkas for cuteness…
They’re certainly much more elegant looking I’ll admit; quokkas tend to be derpy.
I had to look up for Charlie Sheen (and it still isn’t an helpful mnemonic at all for me). But I’m not a native English speaker…
Now I know what Narwhal is! After 30++ levels! whoa!
I could ask a bunch of people I know and come back with 100% saying they know, but… yeah, I never claimed that literally every single English speaker knew the word. Congrats for finding more comrades.
I’m glad geoduck got mentioned, because that definitely is pretty obscure. I knew it before WK, but they are not in the same category of being known by the general public.
To be honest I probably would have as well except there was this time I was at someone’s house and Two and a Half Men was playing on TV. Somehow the name of the actor from that show stuck with me all these years.
LOVE THIS!
Your avatar is adorable, Momoiro!