The general went out to find that none of his GIs were there. One finally ran up, panting heavily.
"Sorry, sir! I can explain, you see I had a date and it ran a little late. I ran to the bus but missed it, I hailed a cab but it broke down, found a farm, bought a horse but it dropped dead, ran 10 miles, and now I"m here."
The general was very skeptical about this explanation but at least he was here so he let the G.I. go.
Moments later, eight more GIs came up to the general panting, he asked them why they were late.
"Sorry, sir! I had a date and it ran a little late, I ran to the bus but missed it, I hailed a cab but it broke down, found a farm, bought a horse but it dropped dead, ran 10 miles, and now I"m here."
The general eyed them, feeling very skeptical but since he let the first guy go, he let them go, too.
A ninth GI jogged up to the general, panting heavily. "Sorry, sir! I had a date and it ran a little late, I ran to the bus but missed it, I hailed a cab but..."
"Let me guess," the general interrupted, "it broke down."
"No," said the G.I., "there were so many dead horses in the road, it took forever to get around them."
- race n. Horse race without jumps, over level ground. flat racing n.
- rate n. Unvarying rate or charge.
- spin n. - aeron. A nearly horizontal spin.
- colloq. State of panic.
- —adj. (flatter, flattest) 1 a horizontally level. B even; smooth; unbroken. C level and shallow (flat cap).
- unqualified; downright (flat refusal).
- a dull; lifeless; monotonous (in a flat tone). B dejected.
- (of a fizzy drink) having lost its effervescence.
- (of an accumulator, battery, etc.) Having exhausted its charge.
- mus. A below true or normal pitch (violins are flat). B (of a key) having a flat or flats in the signature. C (as b, e, etc. Flat) semitone lower than b, e, etc.
- (of a tyre) punctured; deflated. —adv. - at full length; spread out (lay flat; flat against the wall).
- colloq. A completely, absolutely (flat broke). B exactly (in five minutes flat).
- mus. Below the true or normal pitch (sings flat). —n. - flat part or thing (flat of the hand).
- level ground, esp. A plain or swamp.
- mus. A note lowered a semitone below natural pitch. B sign indicating this.
- (as the flat) flat racing or its season.
- theatr. Flat scenery on a frame.
- esp. Us colloq. Flat tyre. flat out 1 at top speed.
- using all one's strength etc. That's flat colloq. That is definite. flatly adv. Flatness n. Flattish adj. [old norse]
- n. Set of rooms, usu. On one floor, as a residence. flatlet n. [obsolete flet floor, dwelling, from germanic: related to *flat1]
