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Driver of Ford that conducted 'Chinese fire drill' in city, stopped at College Village

By Billie Owens

Sheriff's deputies are at the college to check on a complaint of erratic driving. Campus security has the gray Ford Focus in question stopped in the parking lot of College Village. According to dispatch, it's the same vehicle that not long ago was "causing some issues" in the city related to traffic safety when it stopped and conducted "a Chinese fire drill."

Kyle Couchman

Do you know what a "chinese fire drill" is? Heres an explanation followed by a more current "urban definition"...

Chinese Fire Drill

1. (n) A state of confusion. It is thought that the term was derived when a Royal Navy Ship consisting of a Chinese crew and British officers was set to perform a firedrill. One group of the crew was to carry buckets of water from the port side of the ship to the engine room to extinguish the blaze. Then another team was to take buckets of water from the floor of the engine room and throw it off the starboard side. In the first moments of the drill, things went fine, however, difficulty in translation between the officers and crew caused confusion resulting in the first bucket team taking water from the port side of the ship, and dumping it off the starboard side of the ship while the second team did nothing.

2. (n) When the occupants of a car stop at a traffic light and exit the vehicle to cavort around the car like the lead knife in a knife parade

Oct 4, 2012, 6:51pm Permalink

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