Complete vs. Finished June 21, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Joke, Word Play.trackback
No dictionary has ever adequately explained the difference between COMPLETE and FINISHED.
At a recent linguistic conference held in London, England, attended by the best linguists in the world, Samsundar Balgobin, a Guyanese, cleared up the confusion when he received this challenge:
Some say there is no difference between COMPLETE and FINISHED.
Please explain the difference between COMPLETE and FINISHED in a way that is easy to understand.
His astute answer:
When you marry the right woman, you are COMPLETE. When you marry the wrong woman, you are FINISHED.
And if the right one catches you with the wrong one, you are COMPLETELY FINISHED!
He received a standing ovation and an invitation to dine with the Queen.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Source: e-mail from an unknown author (sent by Granny1947)
For more Fun & Games: The Daily Prompt ~ Ha Ha Ha
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Spirit Lights The Way 
What he so uttered is utterly so!
It is, indeed. Wise man with a real command of Queen’s English.
😆 Not what I expected but love it!
The best jokes always sneak up on us. 😉
Totally sharing this! LOL!
Share away! 😆
Bwahahaha, best explanation EVER!
Word play can be such FUN. I wonder if he enjoyed tea with the Queen? 😛
That is absolutely brilliant. I think I must share. 🙂
Share, share, that’s fair. 😀
Ha!
Here’s to finding someone who “completes” us . . . without finishing us off. 😛
The jury is still out on my better half.
If she made you Minster of Cupcakes . . . would that do the trick? 😛
Perfect!!
Granny shares the best jokes. The image I sent you yesterday came from one of her e-mails. 😀
It was awesome, Nancy. I’m trying to decide how to use it in a blog post.
You’re clever . . . you’ll find a way to make us guffaw at you and MTM having a conversation at the Home Improvement store. 😆
Not sure about dinner with the queen, but I read about the rest of it before!
Before posting, I looked around on line and found several different versions ~ with different rewards and accolades offered.
That’s a good word puzzle. Somehow I get the feeling that complete is to do with a “round” feeling – all the pieces are in place, no matter how that came to be. “Finished” to me is more linear. The end of something.
My first thought was Christ’s last words on the cross : “It is finished.” I wonder if it exists in any translation as “It is complete”…
That’s an interesting distinction, sanstorm. I’m not sure it would hold true for everyone. For example, I would say:
* “I finished a jigsaw puzzle” (once I put the last piece in place)
* “I completed a marathon” (even though it was a linear race)
I think I would usually say “finished” in both cases…
ho hum
Still enjoying thinking about it!
That’s what I love about words . . . little nuances that make one a more perfect fit for the thought we’re thinking. 😀
What a very clever man! 😀
Yes! I googled his name to see if he actually exists . . . but the only thing I found was this play on words.
True and hilarious!
Glad you enjoyed! I love having a place to share gems like this.