not so much overhearing more of a demonstration
In my army days one of our sergeant instructors was giving a demonstration of a thunderflash which is a very powerful army pyrotechnic used to simulate mortar fire. He held it up in his hand and struck the fuse and pronounced it had a fuse of 17 seconds. As ignorant private soldiers we all knew it to be 10 so as he's counting down, were all edging back slightly trying to stifle our smirks. Needless to say on 10 seconds he's still holding the thunderflash in his hand cue large explosion and screams of pain as he nearly gets his hand blown off
(snelly, Fri 7 Jan 2005, 8:37, Reply)