• topherclay@lemmy.world
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    15 hours ago

    I don’t understand. What does the phrase “it’s shorted out” mean? It is related to short hand like he didn’t commit to actually writing anything down he just scribbled it like a child?

    I don’t know if it’s a colloquialism thing or if there’s just something else going over my head.

    • Kobibi@sh.itjust.works
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      13 hours ago

      It’s ‘psychic paper’, it shows what the holder wants it to. Like a super adaptable fake ID

      It’s ‘shorted out’ like an electrical appliance would if you overload it, because it’s been asked to do too much

      (in the Dr Who world, ‘magic’ things like psychic paper are acutally just advanced technology)

      • topherclay@lemmy.world
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        6 hours ago

        Aw that sounds familiar. I watched those episodes when they first aired but I forgot enough of it that I assumed the in-universe tech was actually just an American English vs British English language difference lol.

        thanks.