Pedants' Paradise

[Flosshilde]

I'd've thought so, too, Flossie - but this is junior's own prayer, so He should know ...

Yes; & even Satan is answerable to God, so I suppose that he could simply be acting as God's agent in the temptation franchise.

(sorry, a bit OT. & where's Scotty when you need him?)

[mercia]

thanks on whereabouts - it was a news story about the White Widow that got me started on that ("her whereabouts remain(s) a mystery")

[Bryn]

Apostrophe now: Bad grammar and the people who hate ithttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22403731

....as a dyslexic with 'word finding'/choosing difficulties....tough....

Good news about Cambridge, what?!

[Pabmusic]

English linguistics not my thing, but I'd suggest that the 's' isn't a plural marker but an adverbial marker: as in to go forward(s)/backward(s)/sideways/hereabouts. 'Where' and 'abouts' have been fused to form a noun.

Absolutely.

The problem in English is that we adopted the northern dialect -s plural (rather than -en, which persists only in oxen, brethren, women, men and children - plus maybe some others I can't think of). This became confused with the Old English genitive, which ended in -es (or 's) and also some other suffixes. Thus it's not much use trying to seek a logical reason for a final 's.

[mercia]

heard an olympic commentator at the weekend say "we hoped that both teams [GB men's and women's curling] would medal"

to medal. "do you hope to medal at the olympics?" - "yes, I hope to silver"

[french frank]

heard an olympic commentator at the weekend say "we hoped that both teams [GB men's and women's curling] would medal"

to medal. "do you hope to medal at the olympics" - "yes, I hope to silver"

Well, I suppose even the modest among us can hope to bronze a bit.

[gurnemanz]

It has become quite common for someone to say "The proof is in the pudding". This has the advantage of being slightly shorter than the correct usage but has the disadvantage of not making sense.

[Sir Velo]

Seen today: "Top Draw"

[Don Petter]

Seen today: "Top Draw"

Would that be up on the mountain?

[Sir Velo]

Would that be up on the mountain?

What: the Alps?

[mercia]

I like this - "the tooter the sweeter" - the sooner the better - from tout de suite

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26277732

do you agree that 'skiver' may be from esquiver ?

[gurnemanz]

I like this - "the tooter the sweeter" - the sooner the better - from tout de suite

"asap" or Malcolm Tucker's variant "asafp" on The Thick of It.

[french frank]

I like this - "the tooter the sweeter" - the sooner the better - from tout de suite

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26277732

do you agree that 'skiver' may be from esquiver ?

Ver-y interesting. I didn't know the verb esquiver in quite that sense - but there could be a connection (first OED example is 1919 Mil.) .

I did know the verb 'to skive' in the sense of removing the top layer of a piece of leather and I might have tried to wangle a link there, though that seems to derive from an Old Norse/Norwegian word connected with 'to shave'.

I note however that another OED meaning of 'skive' as 'To move lightly and quickly; to dart' which is says is of 'obcure origin'. But that seems to come from esquiver used as a boxing term, meaning to dodge or sidestep (in some examples). Under that heading I also note the example:

1854 A. E. Baker Gloss. Northamptonshire Words II. at Skave, Thus we say, ‘skiving like a lapwing’, in allusion to the manner in which that bird skims over the surface of a sheet of water.

To 'shave' the water?

Too much information ... . I think the answer to the question, more shortly put, might have been 'Yes'.

[mercia]

thanks

a person who advocates carrying on a conflict to the bitter end - a jusqu'auboutiste http://public.oed.com/appeals/

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I like this - "the tooter the sweeter" - the sooner the better - from tout de suite

- that's lovely, mercs.