LONDON (AFP) — Queen Elizabeth II’s speech in the British parliament Tuesday may have been routine but at least nobody got bored to death. That would have been against the law.
Dying in parliament is an offence and is also by far the most absurd law in Britain, according to a survey of nearly 4,000 people by a television channel.
And though the lords were clad in their red and white ermine cloaks and ambassadors from around the world wore colourful national costumes, at least nobody turned up in a suit of armour. Illegal.
Other rules deemed utterly stupid included one that permits a pregnant woman to urinate in a policeman’s hat and murdering bow-and-arrow-carrying Scotsmen within the city walls of York, northern England.
A law stating that in Liverpool, only a clerk in a tropical fish store is allowed to be publicly topless, was also ridiculous, said a poll of 3,931 people for UKTV Gold television out Tuesday.
Nearly half of those surveyed admitted to breaking the ban on eating mince pies on Christmas Day, which dates back to the 17th century and was originally designed to outlaw gluttony during the rule of the Puritan Oliver Crowmell.
The laws and other regulations were culled from published research into ancient legislation that has never been repealed although subsequent statutes have rendered them obsolete.
Respondents were given a shortlist and asked to vote.
Most ridiculous British law:
1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament (27 percent)
2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside-down (seven percent)
3. In Liverpool, it is illegal for a woman to be topless except as a clerk in a tropical fish store (six percent)
4. Mince pies cannot be eaten on Christmas Day (five percent)
5. In Scotland, if someone knocks on your door and requires the use of your toilet, you must let them enter (four percent)
6. A pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman’s helmet (four percent)
7. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the king, and the tail of the queen (3.5 percent)
8. It is illegal to avoid telling the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing (three percent)
9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament in a suit of armour (three percent)
10. In the city of York it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow (two percent)
參考譯文：
倫敦(法新社)消息：英國女王伊麗莎白二世本周二在英國議會的講演可能枯燥乏味，但至少沒有人厭煩得要死，因為那樣會違反法律。
一家英國電視頻道對近4000人開展的一項調(diào)查表明，死在議會是一種違法行為，同時也是英國最為荒唐的法律規(guī)定。
雖然英國議會上議院的議員身穿紅白相間的貂皮大衣，來自世界各地的大使們也都穿著五顏六色的民族服裝，但至少沒有人身披一副盔甲出現(xiàn)在這里，因為這同樣違法。
其它一些被認(rèn)為極其荒唐的法律規(guī)定包括，孕婦可以在警察的帽子里小便；在英格蘭北部約克郡的古城墻內(nèi)，人們可以隨意殺死手持¹箭的蘇格蘭人等。
英國電視黃金臺本周二公布的一項對3931人的民意調(diào)查說，利物浦有一項法律規(guī)定，只有熱帶魚商店的店員才允許在公共場合袒胸露背，這也讓人匪夷所思。
近一半的被調(diào)查者坦稱，他們因為在圣誕節(jié)那一天吃肉餡餅而違反了禁令。這項禁令起源于17世紀(jì)，當(dāng)時的英國統(tǒng)治者 —— 清教徒奧利弗·克勞梅爾制定了這項法令，其最初目的是宣布饕餮貪食者違法。
這些法律及其它法規(guī)都是從那些關(guān)于古代立法研究的出版物中精選出來的，從來沒有被廢除過，但后來的法律認(rèn)為它們實際上已¾過時了。
被調(diào)查者要求為這些法律列出一份入圍名單，并進(jìn)行投票。
英國最荒唐的十大法律包括：
1、死在議會大廈內(nèi)屬違法行為。(27%)
2、將印有英國國王頭像的郵票倒貼在信封上是一種叛國行為。
(7%)
3、在利物浦，女性不得在公共場合袒胸露背，但熱帶魚商店的店員除外。(6%)
4、不得在圣誕節(jié)那一天吃肉餡
餅。(5%)
5、在蘇格蘭，如果有人敲你的家門，要求使用你的衛(wèi)生間，你必須讓他
(她)進(jìn)入。(4%)
6、孕婦可以隨地大小便，這屬合法行為，包括便溺在警察的帽子里。(4%)
7、在英國海岸發(fā)現(xiàn)的任何已死亡的鯨魚，其頭部自動歸國王所有，而尾部則歸女王所有。(3.5%)
8、向稅收官隱瞞你不想讓他知道的內(nèi)容屬違法行為，但不告訴他你不介意他知道的內(nèi)容則屬合法行為。(3%)
9、身披盔甲進(jìn)入議會大廈是一種違法行為。(3%)
10、在(英國)約克郡，在古城墻內(nèi)殺死蘇格蘭人屬合法行為，但前提條件是該蘇格蘭人必須手持¹箭。(2%)
Dying in parliament is an offence and is also by far the most absurd law in Britain, according to a survey of nearly 4,000 people by a television channel.
And though the lords were clad in their red and white ermine cloaks and ambassadors from around the world wore colourful national costumes, at least nobody turned up in a suit of armour. Illegal.
Other rules deemed utterly stupid included one that permits a pregnant woman to urinate in a policeman’s hat and murdering bow-and-arrow-carrying Scotsmen within the city walls of York, northern England.
A law stating that in Liverpool, only a clerk in a tropical fish store is allowed to be publicly topless, was also ridiculous, said a poll of 3,931 people for UKTV Gold television out Tuesday.
Nearly half of those surveyed admitted to breaking the ban on eating mince pies on Christmas Day, which dates back to the 17th century and was originally designed to outlaw gluttony during the rule of the Puritan Oliver Crowmell.
The laws and other regulations were culled from published research into ancient legislation that has never been repealed although subsequent statutes have rendered them obsolete.
Respondents were given a shortlist and asked to vote.
Most ridiculous British law:
1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament (27 percent)
2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside-down (seven percent)
3. In Liverpool, it is illegal for a woman to be topless except as a clerk in a tropical fish store (six percent)
4. Mince pies cannot be eaten on Christmas Day (five percent)
5. In Scotland, if someone knocks on your door and requires the use of your toilet, you must let them enter (four percent)
6. A pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman’s helmet (four percent)
7. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the king, and the tail of the queen (3.5 percent)
8. It is illegal to avoid telling the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing (three percent)
9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament in a suit of armour (three percent)
10. In the city of York it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow (two percent)
參考譯文：
倫敦(法新社)消息：英國女王伊麗莎白二世本周二在英國議會的講演可能枯燥乏味，但至少沒有人厭煩得要死，因為那樣會違反法律。
一家英國電視頻道對近4000人開展的一項調(diào)查表明，死在議會是一種違法行為，同時也是英國最為荒唐的法律規(guī)定。
雖然英國議會上議院的議員身穿紅白相間的貂皮大衣，來自世界各地的大使們也都穿著五顏六色的民族服裝，但至少沒有人身披一副盔甲出現(xiàn)在這里，因為這同樣違法。
其它一些被認(rèn)為極其荒唐的法律規(guī)定包括，孕婦可以在警察的帽子里小便；在英格蘭北部約克郡的古城墻內(nèi)，人們可以隨意殺死手持¹箭的蘇格蘭人等。
英國電視黃金臺本周二公布的一項對3931人的民意調(diào)查說，利物浦有一項法律規(guī)定，只有熱帶魚商店的店員才允許在公共場合袒胸露背，這也讓人匪夷所思。
近一半的被調(diào)查者坦稱，他們因為在圣誕節(jié)那一天吃肉餡餅而違反了禁令。這項禁令起源于17世紀(jì)，當(dāng)時的英國統(tǒng)治者 —— 清教徒奧利弗·克勞梅爾制定了這項法令，其最初目的是宣布饕餮貪食者違法。
這些法律及其它法規(guī)都是從那些關(guān)于古代立法研究的出版物中精選出來的，從來沒有被廢除過，但后來的法律認(rèn)為它們實際上已¾過時了。
被調(diào)查者要求為這些法律列出一份入圍名單，并進(jìn)行投票。
英國最荒唐的十大法律包括：
1、死在議會大廈內(nèi)屬違法行為。(27%)
2、將印有英國國王頭像的郵票倒貼在信封上是一種叛國行為。
(7%)
3、在利物浦，女性不得在公共場合袒胸露背，但熱帶魚商店的店員除外。(6%)
4、不得在圣誕節(jié)那一天吃肉餡
餅。(5%)
5、在蘇格蘭，如果有人敲你的家門，要求使用你的衛(wèi)生間，你必須讓他
(她)進(jìn)入。(4%)
6、孕婦可以隨地大小便，這屬合法行為，包括便溺在警察的帽子里。(4%)
7、在英國海岸發(fā)現(xiàn)的任何已死亡的鯨魚，其頭部自動歸國王所有，而尾部則歸女王所有。(3.5%)
8、向稅收官隱瞞你不想讓他知道的內(nèi)容屬違法行為，但不告訴他你不介意他知道的內(nèi)容則屬合法行為。(3%)
9、身披盔甲進(jìn)入議會大廈是一種違法行為。(3%)
10、在(英國)約克郡，在古城墻內(nèi)殺死蘇格蘭人屬合法行為，但前提條件是該蘇格蘭人必須手持¹箭。(2%)