That article totally throws light on this topic.
English is very much a work in progress, with firm, traditional rules sometimes revealed as being "more honor'd in the breach than the observance." It seems that hyperbole has literally been with us since communication began.
Search found 1953 matches
- Fri Nov 22, 2013 9:46 pm
- Forum: Grammar
- Topic: Literally or Not
- Replies: 17
- Views: 54310
- Fri Nov 22, 2013 9:36 pm
- Forum: Languages of the World
- Topic: para, por
- Replies: 6
- Views: 29981
Re: para, por
William: there are several sites to help with Spanish grammar, but this one appears to have a straightforward set of guidelines for por and para. Perhaps a native speaker or Spanish teacher can point to a better list?
- Wed Nov 20, 2013 8:57 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Crwth
- Replies: 6
- Views: 9837
Re: Crwth
Nice link, MTC.
- Mon Nov 18, 2013 10:11 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Behoove
- Replies: 5
- Views: 8869
Re: Behoove
On behalf of the board, it behooves us to appreciate your joke, Slava.
- Mon Nov 11, 2013 9:11 pm
- Forum: Grammar
- Topic: Shall versus Will
- Replies: 5
- Views: 25229
Re: Shall versus Will
In the UK also, shall has mostly been replaced by will , except in formal writing (e.g. "the owner shall provide...") and in questions where one seeks agreement to a suggestion (e.g. "Shall we go now?", "Shall I open the box?"). Will we go now? People are milling aroun...
- Mon Nov 11, 2013 9:01 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Adamant
- Replies: 18
- Views: 24469
- Sun Nov 10, 2013 11:38 pm
- Forum: Res Diversae
- Topic: Rules vs. Worthless Dribble
- Replies: 12
- Views: 23421
Re: Rules vs. Worthless Dribble
XKCD weighs in on the debate.
- Sun Nov 10, 2013 4:56 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Adamant
- Replies: 18
- Views: 24469
Re: Adamant
Wolverine's skeleton was changed with adamantium.
- Sat Nov 09, 2013 6:59 pm
- Forum: Res Diversae
- Topic: Huh?
- Replies: 5
- Views: 10978
Re: Huh?
I detest that syllable. So many people -- distinct from those with genuine hearing loss -- tend to react to the visual cue of another person speaking by interrupting to bark, "Huh?" If I wait patiently the hearing/understanding part of their brain kicks in, and it turns out that they heard...
- Sat Nov 09, 2013 6:43 pm
- Forum: Good Word Suggestions
- Topic: genuflect
- Replies: 7
- Views: 11331
Re: genuflect
I no longer have my copy of Growing Up Catholic * but it includes a passage on church entry procedures, including holy water font etiquette and correct genuflection and self-crossing techniques. To paraphrase, a casual, breezy dip of a knee is flippant and disrespectful. But to drop to both knees an...
- Wed Nov 06, 2013 8:29 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Stereophonic
- Replies: 22
- Views: 32641
Re: Stereophonic
^ Like jetpacks and flying cars?
- Mon Nov 04, 2013 10:32 pm
- Forum: Good Word Suggestions
- Topic: hobble
- Replies: 9
- Views: 13294
Re: hobble
Variations of the hobble skirt have gone in and out of fashion, starting ca 1910. The entire purpose of the hobble skirt is to restrict the stride to tiny, mincing steps. A very theatrical version appears from ~3:27-3:47 in Soomo Publishing's Bad Romance: Women's Suffrage, a dramatization of the wom...
- Mon Nov 04, 2013 10:10 pm
- Forum: Good Word Suggestions
- Topic: avoirdupois
- Replies: 8
- Views: 11700
Re: avoirdupois
Aye, a "Me" should always be real. There are me's and me's. (Sorry about that apostrophe -- I'm trying to keep the 'me' intact.) The Sumerian goddess Innana tricked Enki out of all the arts of Civilization, the ME. This poem is dated to 2000BC, and has a delightful cadence when read aloud...
- Mon Nov 04, 2013 9:55 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Decide
- Replies: 7
- Views: 9834
Re: Decide
An addition to the non-exhaustive list of relatives: wasn't there some person out there not all that long ago who called himself "the decider"? My thoughts as well, as I noted the strict definition. Alexander decided to cut through difficulties by cutting the Gordian Knot with a single de...
- Mon Nov 04, 2013 9:41 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Effable
- Replies: 18
- Views: 32440
Re: EFFABLE
Where is our 'like' button?