Admission of Guilt Enlivens Court Proceedings

We all know that, despite the impression created by TV shows, startling courtroom admissions are rare. But Dale Cooper of West L.A. heard one, of sorts. He and a group of jury candidates were asked the standard question of whether they had ever been arrested. A man in his 70s raised his hand, and the judge asked him his offense.

“Joy-riding,” the man responded soberly. After the laughter died down, the judge asked him when he had committed the offense. “1945,” he responded. The joy-riding juror was dismissed from the case.

Guide to Adventurous Dining: Today’s specials du column (see accompanying) include:

* A real sign of inflation: some “two-bit” items that cost not 25 cents but almost $3, clipped out by Elizabeth Johnston of Chatsworth. (Perhaps the ad was supposed to say “two-bite.”)

* An alcoholic variation for wet T-shirt fanciers, snapped by Tom Huntoon of L.A.

* A sign implying that an eatery will not only feed you but relieve your car of indigestion, taken by your columnist.

* Rocket fuel at a London restaurant, contributed by my colleague Bob Browning. He explained that “rocket” is what the English call arugula.

You can blame the French for the confusion; the usage apparently stems from the French word for the cabbage (“roquette”).

School daze (cont.): Ever since I mentioned a few nicknames for colleges, I’ve been hearing from readers with their own.

I must confess I never knew there were so many “UCLA” branches, including:

* The University of Citrus, Located in Azusa (also known as Citrus College), submitted by Mark Allison of Claremont.

* The University on Crenshaw, Left of Artesia (aka El Camino College), from Irene Guimera of Manhattan Beach.

* The University on Carson, Lakewood Area (aka Long Beach City College), from David Terlinden of Long Beach.

* And, finally, the University at the Corner of Lexington Avenue (aka Hunter College in Manhattan), from Fred Miller of Harbor City.

Initial confusion: Speaking of shorthand for college names, Scott French recalled the experience of a former editor of Cal State Fullerton’s Daily Titan who was later in the Peace Corps, stationed in a small Hungarian town. “Kathy would walk around the town, Derecske, wearing her CSUF sweatshirt,” French said, “and see others giggling at her. Apparently, ‘csuf’ (pronounced ‘chuff’) means something akin to ‘idiot’ in Hungarian.”

miscelLAny: David Chan of L.A. spotted a “Notice to Bank of the West Customers” at his branch in Alhambra that said, for “security and safety” reasons, customers should refrain from wearing Halloween masks inside.