Cack

There's a grand old tradition of unintentionally funny language in the Gulf which, although it's not as strong a vein of humour as it used to be, occasionally still provides some innocent and welcome amusement (the odd 'ray of light' as Archibald Clerk Kerr called it). There's everything from 'Hinglish' to simply misapplied language and even the occasional uninentionally amusing 'transliteration of a non Romance language'.

Gone are the days when you'd find 'cack' on a restaurant menu, replacing the more popular cake, although the sign More Parking in Backside still graces one frontage in Sharjah. And the soon-to-be deleted Karama area of Dubai is still home to the Wanton Chinese and Philipino Restaurant while Sharjah still has Butt Sports and Motley Garments Trading to delight the observant shop-front watcher.

Just in case you thought the day had gone and the skill was lost, Ajman's perimeter road now gives us Nile Fresh Water Trading. Sweet water indeed.