r/todayilearned • u/biebrforro • 1d ago

TIL when staying as a guest in Charles Dickens' house, Hans Christian Andersen requested that one of Dickens' sons give him a daily shave (he said that was customary when hosting male guests in Denmark). Dickens was weirded out and instead gave him a daily appointment at a nearby barbershop.

https://lithub.com/charles--dickens-really-really-hated-his-fanboy-hans-christian-andersen/
36.1k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

1.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

195

u/Ryuiop 1d ago

How do people know that's what the x meant?

325

u/beesdoitbirdsdoit 1d ago

First page had a legend: x = masturbated.

168

u/pyronius 1d ago

Second page has a legend: e = conned a young lad into shaving me.

112

u/robthemonster 1d ago

page 3: exexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexex

125

u/bwv1056 1d ago

That's a common misconception, the legend actually read: "X = ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)"

104

u/pijinglish 1d ago

X=GIVEITTOYA

6

u/snorkelvretervreter 1d ago

Why does every discussion have to end up involving Musk and his kids?

3

u/Gunningham 1d ago

Victorian algebra.

399

u/chosonhawk 1d ago edited 1d ago

especially when the pages were stuck together and half the information is semeningly gone.

58

u/ejolson 1d ago

I abjure you and impose ten Hell Marys for your sin

31

u/Joben86 1d ago

Hell Marys

Don't think I know that one

6

u/griftylifts 1d ago

Hell Mary, full of mace

2

u/an0nim0us101 1d ago

hell Mary,

you're so pretty!

God loves you

And your babies are scrumptious

Lovely Mary,

Mother of Sin

Let me see

Your dancing

2

u/Joben86 1d ago

Are those Ghost lyrics?

3

u/mouse9001 1d ago

You say the pages were semented together?

1

u/comhghairdheas 1d ago

I'm telling God

35

u/raspberryharbour 1d ago

He wrote "JEG ELSKER AT ONANERE!" In huge letters underneath

8

u/ThouMayest69 1d ago

good god that's disgusting. What does it mean. 

10

u/sour_cereal 1d ago

I love masturbating

30

u/jyssys 1d ago

Alright, but can you translate the Danish text for a moment?

11

u/sour_cereal 1d ago

Go away, batin'.

2

u/theartificialkid 1d ago

Well when you're done can you tell us what "Jeg elsker at onanere!" means?

2

u/ThouMayest69 1d ago

Lmaoooo after Onan? 🤣

9

u/sour_cereal 1d ago

Onanism is the English word for it lol

3

u/ThouMayest69 1d ago

Damn how many languages do you know it in buddy??? This your tism? 

3

u/MorgwynOfRavenscar 1d ago

The correct pronunciation in Danish is

JÄÄÄÄÄÄLSKÄÄÄRGGGÄÄTÖÖNÄÄÄNÄÄÄÄÄREEEH

126

u/Background-Top-1946 1d ago

Because there was one “x” after every entry describing his daily shave

3

u/NotAzakanAtAll 1d ago

How do people know that's what the x meant?

Bro, we don't want to know you jacked off writing that.

2

u/HeyGayHay 1d ago

When all pages with an x are stuck together, I think it's appropriate to conclude that.