English can be a funny language

[chrisp]

Herbert Coleridge would be horrified! Sports commentators defining the language. What next?

My thoughts exactly! But I didn't want to say it - who knows who's on this board?

[Barry Hicks]

I put me hand in me sky rocket and found a Lady Godiva so I went to the rubbity for a tumble down the sink and ended up Brahms and Listz.

Barry Hicks

[HappyHammer]

I put me hand in me sky rocket and found a Lady Godiva so I went to the rubbity for a tumble down the sink and ended up Brahms and Listz.

Barry Hicks

Nope none of those either....

HH.

[HappyHammer]

Herbert Coleridge would be horrified! Sports commentators defining the language. What next?

RANT ON Like winningest and I don't care how many dictionaries it's in it's not a word and should be struck from verbal use by American sports commentators with IQ's in the minuses...RANT OFF

HH.

[silentC]

And acclimate. What's wrong acclimatise? Bloody Americans

[craigb]

And acclimate. What's wrong acclimatise? Bloody Americans

burglarized is my pet hate.

[silentC]

A lot of people say burg-u-lar too. Where does the 'u' come from.

My son sometimes tells me he is hun-gar-y. I reply, what, the whole country? He doesn't get it. Five year olds! Tsk!

[HappyHammer]

My son sometimes tells me he is hun-gar-y. I reply, what, the whole country? He doesn't get it. Five year olds! Tsk!

HH.

[AlexS]

"

When I took the first survey of my undertaking, I found our speech copious without order, and energetick without rules: wherever I turned my view, there was perplexity to be disentangled, and confusion to be regulated; choice was to be made out of boundless variety, without any established principle of selection; adulterations were to be detected, without a settled test of purity; and modes of expression to be rejected or received, without the suffrages of any writers of classical reputation or acknowledged authority.

"

That's a beautiful piece of prose: it uses correct grammar, well-chosen words and unambiguous pronunciation.

[echnidna]

wotsit mean

[joe greiner]

Thanks for the quotation, silent. I'd heard that Dr. Johnson despaired of the language going to hell in a handbasket, but I didn't know the full expression.

I suspect the folks who say "burg-u-lar" also say "nuc-u-lar."

One of the stranger phenomena is a word with two opposite meanings. One that comes readily to mind is "citation." Can mean either a laudatory document or a traffic ticket. Similar with "sanction:" both approval and disapproval.

Joe

[Iain]

And to confuse the migrants, just a few:
Trough
Plough
Rough
Dough
Plenty more I'm sure

[Gingermick]

That's a beautiful piece of prose: .

Like attaching wheels to a tomato, time consuming and utterly pointless

I'm anispeptic, frazmotic even compunctuous to have caused you such pericombobulations.

Thanks silent for reminding me of that episode, I put it on last night for the first time in a while, after the Broncos got drubbed again, which usually makes me happy, but I tipped em after last weeks thrashing of Newcastle.

[Gingermick]

Bloody Americans

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ght=revocation

For those who missed, either nearly or otherwise, this gem.

[Iain]

"nuc-u-lar."

I've (I have ) heard George Dubbya (George Double 'U') use that one in his addresses (Homilies) to the world (the other 2.???%).