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MyDadsGlassesCase OP t1_j8vrw0k wrote

Reply to comment by fbpw131 in TIL of the Storegga tsunami, a tsunami that struck the North Sea in 6000 BC submerging an area of land the size of MD by MyDadsGlassesCase

I don't think MD is a recognised abbreviation of any of those

edit: in fact, as a Scotsman I can categorically state that MD has never been an abbreviation for the name McDonald. McD, yes, but never MD

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MathBuster t1_j8vs801 wrote

So what does MD stand for? I'm confused too.

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MyDadsGlassesCase OP t1_j8vsbdr wrote

Maryland. Sorry, I thought that was common knowledge. If you type in "What is the size of MD?" Google comes up straight away with that so I presume it was a recognised term. Obviously not. Sorry

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MathBuster t1_j8vse8r wrote

As a non-american I would have never guessed MD stands for 'Maryland'.

I'll also need to pull up a map because I have no idea how big Maryland actually is.

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BrokenEye3 t1_j8vsxo8 wrote

As an American, I'm right there with you. Where the fuck did the D come from? Why not, like, M... Y? Is there an MY? I don't think there's an MY.

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jesteruru t1_j8vuprv wrote

Mentucky is already using MY. They had a bit of a spat with Myoming, but prevailed in the end

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MyDadsGlassesCase OP t1_j8vtfap wrote

We're the same with postcodes in the UK. Edinburgh is EH but Croydon is CR, even though there is no CN. And Shetland is ZE (but, in their defence that's cos the council was called Zetland until 1975. Still confuses everyone nowadays though)

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TantorDaDestructor t1_j8vztbz wrote

Good idea! I even started ticking off the M states- took me 3...what's even in Maryland except a separate district containing our Capital?

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Church_of_Cheri t1_j8wbksg wrote

Baltimore, Annapolis and the Naval Academy. It is a very odd shaped state making it hard to imagine its size, going all the way out to West Virginia in a little panhandle.

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BrokenEye3 t1_j8w1sdn wrote

Well Marylanders, for one. Maries? The Marylish? Marylingians?

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SaintUlvemann t1_j8yqp14 wrote

You were right the first time. US state demonyms are mostly what you'd expect, with the exception of "Hoosier" for Indiana, and "Hawaiian" typically referring specifically to native Hawaiians.

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MyDadsGlassesCase OP t1_j8vsj8m wrote

As a non-American I was very aware of that. Maybe a TIL in the making... :-D

edit: Cyprus, if that helps

edit 2: or 1 Gambia / Lebanon for Africans / Asians

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dulce_3t_decorum_3st t1_j8vsnsc wrote

I’m guessing 75% of Reddit (which is 50% Americans) don’t know that MD stands for Maryland, nor how big the state is.

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MyDadsGlassesCase OP t1_j8vst1c wrote

Well I've done it compared to Cyprus* for all us Europeans

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Gisschace t1_j8wcujk wrote

For europeans you could use 'as big as the area between the UK, Denmark and The Netherlands'

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dulce_3t_decorum_3st t1_j8vsx9g wrote

Thanks, I’m not criticising you by the way. Just adding my 2c about the reference.

Now, as an African, I’ll look up the size of Azerbaijan :)

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EternallyFascinated t1_j8w4qpo wrote

Dont worry - just location based Google search results. That wouldn’t come up here - In Italy - for example. It was a very American centric example, but no harm done dude. People can look it up or just ask for clarification. But sometimes these things serve to show us our biases! This is coming from an American who’s lived abroad for 10+ years. Every country sees the world through its own lens, but America being the big bad cultural coloniser makes us sometimes think the whole world will understand ours.

Very interesting fact though - Have a great day!

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DaleGribble312 t1_j8w9pko wrote

OP seems to be from the UK though. It's also appropriate contextual setting, given over half of reddit is from the US.

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EternallyFascinated t1_j8wa0nr wrote

Oops, didn’t see that. Just assumed - which you know what that does! And yes, generally Redditors tend to understand the US based stuff anyway - whether actually in the states, from the US, or just accustomed enough.

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iproblyrong t1_j8wb9q1 wrote

I googled “what is the size of M D” and a bunch of porn sites came up

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_mister_pink_ t1_j8wi4x9 wrote

How would anyone know that MD stood for Maryland in the context of the UK?

It’s like me saying there was a flood in Ohio the size of skem. Would you have any idea what I was on about?

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maracay1999 t1_j8vve9x wrote

Maryland is a pretty mediocre state. Not exactly a hotspot for foreigners.

NY/CA/CO may be easier.

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coolflagtho t1_j8wbgbu wrote

We have the best state flag. What more do you want from us jeez

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