Big Ben's getting his clock cleaned. No, not the Pennsylvanian jack-of-all-trades Mr. Franklin; they're talking about the emblematic edifice in London. Reuters headed off a common mistake:
"The 96 meter (315 ft) clock tower of Britain's parliament is popularly known as Big Ben, although the name actually refers to the 13.5 tonne Great Bell inside."But some of the Caught on the Bound staff here were noticeably disturbed by this statement. Chris Flanagan, one of our sharper interns (that's right, Jessica and Stevey, you undergraduate twits!) noticed that the name "Big Ben" refers to the bell, but the bell is called the "Great Bell." "Doesn't it seem a little redundant to give a bell two proper names?" Chris asks. After some deep thought and consultation of one of the many Calvin and Hobbes treasuries here at the office, I can conclude with a definitive "No, Chris, you daft git."
This is also a good moment for me to tell you my idea for a catchphrase, should the networks ever make a Benjamin Franklin-themed sitcom: "Hey, Mr. Franklin! Been jammin?"
That's enough coffee for one afternoon, methinks.
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