Pronunciation?

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

It means sold (especially sold cheaply/casually) in Britain. If you're trying to flog something you're trying to sell it, which may incidentally involve marketing.

I once knew an Englishman who told me he was thinking of taking a certain job, but he had qualms about it. I asked what it involved, and he said: "flogging fags." I was briefly shocked, but then realized that they were selling cigarettes.

[Luke]

Well, he could have been applying for a job in one of our more medieval private educational establishments, in which case your first thought might have been correct.

[Florestan]

Off-topic or maybe not: is there a more illogical and irrational language than English? 

[Karl Henning]

Off-topic or maybe not: is there a more illogical and irrational language than English? 

If there were, English would twist some more to accommodate!

[Luke]

Off-topic or maybe not: is there a more illogical and irrational language than English? 

Well, I sought for another, but after a lot of thought, and after ploughing through many examples *cough cough* I said, 'enough!' Although, I might be wrong...

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Off-topic or maybe not: is there a more illogical and irrational lamguage than English? 

That's an impossible question to answer, since there are a couple of thousand languages out there, and they probably all have their own irrationalities. Also, how does one measure such a thing in a language? It's probably harder than measuring the popularity of Bruckner.

I do wonder though. Why does "a few" mean not many, but "quite a few" means many? Why does "for good" mean permanently? And so on and so forth.

[Luke]

Let alone words like 'bound' and 'fast' which both have double and approximately opposite meanings.

He jumped free with a bound.
She was bound to the railings

She ran away fast.
He was stuck fast.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Well, I sought for another, but after a lot of thought, and after ploughing through many examples *cough cough* I said, 'enough!' Although, I might be wrong...

George Bernard Shaw pointed out that you could spell "fish" as ghoti, using the gh from cough, the o from women, and the ti from motion.

[Karl Henning]

That's an impossible question to answer, since there are a couple of thousand languages out there, and they probably all have their own irrationalities. Also, how does one measure such a thing in a language? It's probably harder than measuring the popularity of Bruckner.

I do wonder though. Why does "a few" mean not many, but "quite a few" means many? Why does "for good" mean permanently? And so on and so forth.

And that line from "Stormy Weather"... " I wonder if she's gone to stay forever."

[Florestan]

My point being that English orthography and pronunciation make it one of the least candidates for a lingua franca.

[Karl Henning]

George Bernard Shaw pointed out that you could spell "fish" as ghoti, using the gh from cough, the o from women, and the ti from motion.

I near fell out of my seat when I saw that as a gag on a warehouse sign in the old Batman series!

[Karl Henning]

My point being that English orthography and pronunciation make it one of the least candidates for a lingua franca.

That's true, though what I see of Danish, the Danes could almost give us a run for our money.

[Karl Henning]

Thanks, it is indeed cover against all sins. 

(* chortle *)

[aukhawk]

My point being that English orthography and pronunciation make it one of the least candidates for a lingua franca.

Well, it's not plagued with having to assign a gender to every inanimate object out there.