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Post by Verbivore on Mar 25, 2020 21:32:41 GMT
Any gamblers here? (Just joshing!)
I'm prepared to wager my reputation as a seer (not! LOL) on social distancing being named word / phrase of the year in the next round of dictionaries' declarations of words as being "of the year".
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Post by Little Jack Horner on Mar 25, 2020 23:31:32 GMT
I have no idea of the nationality of the agency that generated the image on the Media Display van and thus perpetrated the American spelling of “defence”. Perhaps it’s American? But I think we might cut them some slack and applaud the thought. We should all thank front line NHS staff and hope they know that their courage and commitment is appreciated.
Regarding the use of “root”, I would say that the idea of rooting out the cause of a problem is pretty much standard English in the UK. Certainly, in my experience, it is much more common then the slang expression to which Vv refers. I am not sure about “strongly” rooting out the evil, determinedly might be better, but, then, the Korean spokesperson has much better English than my Korean.
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Post by Verbivore on Mar 25, 2020 23:50:08 GMT
[…] I would say that the idea of rooting out the cause of a problem is pretty much standard English in the UK. Certainly, in my experience, it is much more common then the slang expression to which Vv refers. […] LJH: Root was a more prominent AU term for penetrative intercourse in the mid–late 20th century. It's still in reasonably common use (in both senses of common) but hasn't been adopted by Gen Y and younger Aussies. F[ornication] seems far more widely used by those youngsters.
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Post by Little Jack Horner on Mar 25, 2020 23:54:00 GMT
Let us hope that social distancing doesn't become the word of the year — nor coronavirus for that matter. Incidentally, from the IFL website on 23 March: “During the World Health Organization’s (WHO) press briefing last Friday (March 20), the phrase “social distancing” was used sparsely, but for good reason. To better highlight the need to physically separate yourself from others, but still remain socially connected, the WHO is now advocating the phrase “physical distancing.” Ignoring the (in my mind) solecism of the two ugly split infinitives in one sentence, this is a useful linguistic choice and deserves to be noticed in this forum. www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/why-the-who-is-now-using-the-phrase-physical-distancing-instead-of-social-distancing/
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Post by Verbivore on Mar 26, 2020 4:20:21 GMT
Thanks for that link, LJH. Interesting (sort of) reading. I’m certain there is a cabal of “lexi-competents” who are paid to dream up these newfangled terms so that nobody is offended or discomfited, or so that societies and economies don't collapse of a fever – or ill-considered verbiage. The idea behind physical distancing might (or not?) be benign enough, but there are some examples that remind me too much of Orwell’s 1984 Ministry of Truth and newspeak. We probably set our own limits on taking offence (and it is, I firmly believe, something taken rather than given) but there are times to consider others' feelings. I can see the WHO's reasoning (I think), but the neologistic pairing just pressed one of my ( WTF-and-Why?) buttons.
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Post by Verbivore on Mar 26, 2020 4:38:04 GMT
Contrary neighbours
[…] we have people lining up down the streets […] and […] fish pour in out of the boats […]
I know such pairs are in common use, and thought it might be something to do: compile here (if randomly) a list of them.
To start, the two from above:
* up down
* in out
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Post by Dave Miller on Mar 26, 2020 5:32:54 GMT
That’s the county he played cricket for against Warwickshire.
He was out in five minutes. (That’s the other way round.)
He had gone under over five times.
He had to prove where he came from to the officials.
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Post by Verbivore on Mar 26, 2020 8:00:04 GMT
Thanks, Dave We're up to seven already.
* up down
* in out
* for against
* out in
* under over
* from to
* off on (I’ll be off on Monday.)
*
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Post by Verbivore on Mar 26, 2020 19:42:47 GMT
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Post by Verbivore on Mar 26, 2020 20:40:47 GMT
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Post by Verbivore on Mar 26, 2020 22:59:28 GMT
Something to lighten the mood Nigel Hawthorne / Humphrey Appleby at his best. I particularly liked "the perpendicular pronoun" at 1:25. The man was a treasure, but Jay and Lyn must get a guernsey too. Quality comedies such as this are sadly long gone from mainstream TV, replaced by vulgar, infantile, right-on, insipid, and childish garbage. (Quoting a YT comment) Among the more precious of my books are the complete, hardcover set of Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister. I might have to re-read them while under lockdown. I’ve been re-reading my Great Books, but those are a tad heavy in already weighty times.
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Post by Little Jack Horner on Mar 26, 2020 23:29:21 GMT
The public information media usually refer to the prime minister of the Republic of Ireland as the Taoiseach. On the other hand, we call the Kanzlerin of Germany the chancellor. And we don’t refer to the leaders of China, Russia and other countries by their titles in the local languages. Does anyone know why Irish is accorded special treatment?
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Post by Verbivore on Mar 26, 2020 23:33:42 GMT
The public information media usually refer to the prime minister of the Republic of Ireland as the Taoiseach. On the other hand, we call the Kanzlerin of Germany the chancellor. And we don’t refer to the leaders of China, Russia and other countries by their titles in the local languages. Does anyone know why Irish is accorded special treatment? That notion had never occurred to me, LJH. Hmmm …
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Post by Twoddle on Mar 26, 2020 23:47:08 GMT
Afficionados of "Yes, Minister" found the transition to "Yes, Prime Minister" amusing but unlikely because the premise was so preposterous: Hacker became Prime Minister because he was neutral, inoffensive, and not very bright. Such a thing could never happen.
Then, in real life, John Major became Prime Minister.
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Post by Verbivore on Mar 27, 2020 1:07:00 GMT
Afficionados of "Yes, Minister" found the transition to "Yes, Prime Minister" amusing but unlikely because the premise was so preposterous: Hacker became Prime Minister because he was neutral, inoffensive, and not very bright. Such a thing could never happen. Then, in real life, John Major became Prime Minister. Twod, I think that is more apparent in the TV series than in the books. Because there's no graphical element in the latter the transition is more seamless. PS: It struck me as I typed the preceding sentence that the comparative latter doesn't have a direct simple or superlative. Or does it?
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