back to article April Fool decries Blighty's dodecaquid

There's absolutely no shame in being taken in by a nicely crafted April Fools' Day spoof, but one Reg reader will be spending the next year in the corner sporting the big pointy "D" hat after crying foul over Blighty's magnificent 12-sided pound coin. As we reported last Friday, the Royal Mint has started pumping out the retro …

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  1. JimmyPage Silver badge
    Meh

    A tad (just a tad) harsh

    In 2016, the amount of quality journalism around being less than ever means it's impossible to apply critical thinking to every story and work out if it's an April Fools or not.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

      1. Aggrajag

        Re: A tad (just a tad) harsh

        The date of the article is irrelevant, it was a true story.

        1. This post has been deleted by its author

      2. Pompous Git Silver badge
        Happy

        Re: A tad (just a tad) harsh

        Honestly, how hard is it to check the date of an article?

        Well, from The Git's POV nearly everything on this website is yesterday's news. Commenting at 12:45 on 5 April.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: A tad (just a tad) harsh

      I was sort of expecting that all those "news" about Continuous Lifecycle DevOps WhatEvs was just a very elaborate prank which would be revealed on April 1st.

      Bummer. It seems it is for real.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: A tad (just a tad) harsh

      I must admit, I checked out the Metro on April 1st and couldn't see any articles that didn't look like april fools jokes.

      1. PNGuinn
        Trollface

        Re: A tad (just a tad) harsh

        "I must admit, I checked out the Metro on April 1st" ...

        Why did you pick on April 1st? Shurley any day ....

    4. rh587

      Re: A tad (just a tad) harsh

      In 2016, the amount of quality journalism around being less than ever means it's impossible to apply critical thinking to every story and work out if it's an April Fools or not.

      Which would be an entirely relevant criticism had the article not contained relevant links to both the Royal Mint's press releases and Osborne's guff on gov.uk, as well as links to previous Reg stories on the matter, which demonstrate either that it's a real story, or those previous stories were long, pre-planned setups to a collaborative joke by the Royal Mint, George Osborne and El Reg.

      Now which sounds more likely?

      1. JimmyPage Silver badge
        Mushroom

        Re: links in article

        downvoted.

        1) I did say "a tad" - i.e. the criticism was justified, but mitigated.

        2) Not really sure any El Regger should be critical of people who don't immediately click links in every article they read - even if it is El Reg.

      2. PNGuinn
        Joke

        Re: A tad (just a tad) harsh

        OTOH ...

        "Osborne's guff"

        April Fool ... Any day of the year ...

    5. Sir Sham Cad

      Re: A tad (just a tad) harsh

      Being unable to work out if it was an April Fool's joke or not is fine and understandable despite the clues in the article itself.

      Creating a commentard account just to complain, twice, that the article is still up which obviously offended their sensibilities in some as yet unknown way because there was no way that their initial assessment of the piece could possibly be wrong = Ridicule Magnet.

  2. GrumpenKraut
    Angel

    Extra points for posting twice in a row as in a chat.

    A bit harsh, yes. Though I have to admit that a reacted way more impolite when somewhat did this on mailing lists in the past. Icon: not me.

  3. Jason Bloomberg Silver badge

    It is understandable that someone might suspect it was an April Fool article but that has to be set against others having already explained in the comments that it actually wasn't.

    Sanwin had no real excuse to be so uniformed in their opinion and thereby made themselves fair game for a ribbing.

    1. Chemist
      Joke

      "Sanwin had no real excuse to be so uniformed in their opinion and thereby made themselves fair game for a ribbing."

      Indeed if his opinion needs to wear a uniform then let the ribbing start

      1. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

        The road from uniformed to uninformed is a very, very short one. Sometimes it's the other way round, though.

      2. Jason Bloomberg Silver badge
        Joke

        "Sanwin had no real excuse to be so uniformed in their opinion and thereby made themselves fair game for a ribbing."

        Oops. Looks like I'm up for a bit of a rubbing.

        Damned keybeard.

      3. Stoneshop
        Coat

        Made of corduroy

        Indeed if his opinion needs to wear a uniform then let the ribbing start

        Obviously

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      " fair game for a ribbing."

      A ribbing from the commentards would indeed be expected. I'm not so sure that a whole article should have been written by el Reg holding them up to ridicule in front of all readers and commentards alike.

      Not exactly welcoming to a newbie is it?

      1. Lester Haines (Written by Reg staff) Gold badge

        Re: " fair game for a ribbing."

        The welcome awaiting a newbie depends on the manner of his or her entrance. What do you expect here - a big hug and an invitation for a pint?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: " fair game for a ribbing."

          Thanks, you can keep the hug but mines a pint of Tetley's and I don't mean tea.

          1. Bloakey1
            Happy

            Re: " fair game for a ribbing."

            "Thanks, you can keep the hug but mines a pint of Tetley's and I don't mean tea."

            Ahh but there is tea and there is T.E.A a wonderful amber nectar found down South none of your Northern muck.

            https://www.hogsback.co.uk/product/t-e-a/

        2. Paul Woodhouse

          Re: " fair game for a ribbing."

          I've never had an invite for a pint :(

          1. Lester Haines (Written by Reg staff) Gold badge

            Re: Re: " fair game for a ribbing."

            Bless. Imagine if we had to invite everyone who wasn't a 12-sided muppet for a beer. The bar bill would be well over 50 quid, maybe even as high as £100.

            1. Paul Woodhouse

              Re: " fair game for a ribbing."

              Guessing thats London prices your talking there then :p...

              1. Lester Haines (Written by Reg staff) Gold badge

                Re: Re: " fair game for a ribbing."

                Precisely.

        3. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

          Re: " fair game for a ribbing."

          "What do you expect here - a big hug and an invitation for a pint?"

          I'm fairly sure that was part of the terms and conditions I agreed to enter into when I signed up, wasn't it?

        4. Bloakey1

          Re: " fair game for a ribbing."

          "The welcome awaiting a newbie depends on the manner of his or her entrance. What do you expect here - a big hug and an invitation for a pint?"

          I must say that this sounds a bit anal, "the manner of his or her entrance" indeed.

          Yes, I will have a pint and it would be a pleasure to buy the next round. Ohhh, my lace needs tying perhaps the chap behind me will buy it.

        5. Pompous Git Silver badge

          Re: " fair game for a ribbing."

          What do you expect here - a big hug and an invitation for a pint?

          How about when you're no longer a newbie? Mind you, it's going to take more than a pint before I'm at all likely to hug you, Lester. No disrespect intended, but a bloke has to have certain standards ;-)

      2. dajames

        Re: " fair game for a ribbing."

        Not exactly welcoming to a newbie is it?

        Why do you think that "sanwin" is a newbie, rather than a nonce-id coined by a long-standing commentard for the purpose of making a meta-joke comment?

        It's a strange idea, though, removing an April Fool article just because April 1st has passed by. It's not like anyone has withdrawn RFC1149 in the last 26 years, is it?

    3. Someone_Somewhere

      Re: fair game for a ribbing

      And not for /his/ pleasure either!

      Still, could be worse - could be curry-flavoured*

      * apparently /they/ really /burn/

      1. Stoneshop
        Flame

        Re: fair game for a ribbing

        could be curry-flavoured*

        The correct sequence is to go for a pee first, then chop Madame Jeanettes.

  4. davidp231
    Facepalm

    Add to the fact there have been various news articles in the past few months alluding to the new £1 design.

  5. WonkoTheSane
    Trollface

    Didn't fool me!

    Luckily, I'd already seen the story on the BBC's "Ten things that look like April Fools, but aren't" page that day.

    1. PNGuinn
      Holmes

      Re: Didn't fool me!

      Frankly, knowing the the BBC these days I'd have almost been prepared to use that as absolute proof that the article WAS an April Fool.

  6. Little Mouse
    Coat

    Harsh indeed...

    I can hardly blame sanwin for being confused. That coin clearly has 14 sides....

    1. Whiskers

      Re: Harsh indeed...

      I see your back and front and raise you an inside and an outside to make 16 in all.

      1. Mike Moyle

        Re: Harsh indeed...

        I think that there's an upside and a downside to your argument.

      2. PNGuinn
        FAIL

        Re: Harsh indeed...

        Er ... if we're counting the insides shouldn't that be 28 sides?

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    "12-sided muppet"

    Yep, that one's going into the lexicon of thinly-disguised insults

    1. Dan 55 Silver badge
      Megaphone

      Re: "12-sided muppet"

      It's about as thinly-disguised as an obese Coco the Clown.

      1. Will Godfrey Silver badge
        Happy

        Re: "12-sided muppet"

        ... and as subtle as a house brick

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: "12-sided muppet"

          ... and as subtle as a house brick

          ... with "fuck off" written on it?

    2. Intractable Potsherd

      Re: "12-sided muppet"

      I know I'm a bit late, but surely "dodecamuppet" has some mileage?

  8. Number6

    You only need look at the BBC's article about ten things that might have been April Fools but weren't to realise that reality is rarely outdone by the comics.

    1st April is the only day of the year when people critically evaluate what they read on the internet. the rest of the year it's obviously all true.

    1. 404

      Every day is April Fool's Day on the internet... I thought this was already established.

      1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
        Happy

        "Every day is April Fool's Day on the internet"

        Has eternal September been ousted by eternal April?

    2. Mike Moyle

      The brilliance comes when someone can be skeptical because it's April Fools' Day and can STILL get it wrong!

      That's master work, right there.

    3. Someone_Somewhere

      > 1st April is the only day of the year when people critically evaluate what they read on the internet. the rest of the year it's obviously all true.

      With a little grammatical correction, that could become a 'meme'.

      Actually, now I come to think about it, it would only truly be an internet 'meme' with the grammatical error intact.

      As you were, therefore.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    If you open your mouth...

    ...at some point you will put your foot in it. If you have a particular knack for this it might be better to keep your foot in there so as not to say anything ever again. The alternative is to grow a thicker skin. If you chose the latter then there will be no end of helpful souls willing to aid you in acheiving this.

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