Search found 1476 matches

by sluggo
Tue Jun 21, 2011 10:01 am
Forum: Grammar
Topic: Never = certainly not
Replies: 6
Views: 25649

When-never I hear this type of use of never I assume the speaker is British. It's almost never used as such on this side of the pond.
by sluggo
Tue Jun 21, 2011 9:54 am
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: STAVE
Replies: 7
Views: 17565

One Mr Albert Pujols will be comforted to know there's a word for this kind of injury. I never heard this one before.

When I see stave I think of music.
by sluggo
Mon Jun 20, 2011 12:32 pm
Forum: The Rebel-Yankee Test
Topic: Pronunciation of "Missouri"
Replies: 4
Views: 36986

I've heard both #1 and #2 but have never heard it pronounced with an unvoiced S (3 & 4) anywhere.

A worthy companion poll might be one on the pronunciation of Louisville.
by sluggo
Mon Jun 20, 2011 11:28 am
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: OVERWEEN
Replies: 1
Views: 9930

Re: OVERWEEN

(It would be overweening of us to take all the credit for today's Good Word, so we will rightfully share credit with John Evans, who first suggested it.)

Really?
I have so many names I can't keep up :?
by sluggo
Mon Jun 20, 2011 11:17 am
Forum: Slang
Topic: Why did LOL infiltrate the language?
Replies: 3
Views: 30370

Good story. I agree that some sort of emotive tool helps in textual relationships, but "LOL" overdoes it, and "LMAO" even more so. The subtler "<g>" or an emoticon like :-) is more proportional for the actual intent most of the time. As even the apologist in the article...
by sluggo
Mon Jun 20, 2011 11:00 am
Forum: Grammar
Topic: The "Nonplussed" Problem
Replies: 3
Views: 19475

Interesting analysis, but I wonder in what circles he gets these new meanings. I haven't heard them misused as such (with the exception of momentarily which is not much of a leap anyway).

Mayhaps a better example would have been the word hopefully.
by sluggo
Mon Jun 20, 2011 10:45 am
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: ETIOLATE
Replies: 2
Views: 11903

Re: ETIOLATE

Etiolated asparagus works well on plates where green clashes with the colors of the other servings.
Yes, the first thing I think of when making food is, "oh wait, I can't make those together-- the colors will clash" (/snark)

Nice word though.
by sluggo
Wed Mar 03, 2010 2:09 am
Forum: Grammar
Topic: would have/had
Replies: 22
Views: 69686

I left home early.... What about this one? I left home early to make sure I would have extra time in case I were to get lost. The uncertainty of getting lost seems to call for the subjunctive. Sounds stuffier, but the meaning is certainly clear. I agree that this is the clearest version yet. The mo...
by sluggo
Tue Mar 02, 2010 7:18 pm
Forum: Good Word Suggestions
Topic: bruxism
Replies: 4
Views: 15372

How very incisive! I like it- a word with some dentsity, by gum.

Of course, we've already chewed on this one before...
by sluggo
Tue Mar 02, 2010 7:01 pm
Forum: Suggestions
Topic: Agora Font Poll
Replies: 19
Views: 85912

Referring back to the double-space after full stop request , if the font currently used can be changed to something that doesn't squeeze sentences together so much, that would be a big help. I don't remember seeing this poll before, but having been referred here I just tried to vote for a serif chan...
by sluggo
Tue Mar 02, 2010 6:50 pm
Forum: Res Diversae
Topic: Sad Names
Replies: 42
Views: 84006

This is always loads of pun :D I made up a couple of names for radio colleagues- Myra Flection was one, although the last name is a stretch. And this was the basis of my stage name Jerry Grette in the Basin Street Sheiks . But a colleague made up her own radio name that I've always envied: Jenny Say...
by sluggo
Tue Mar 02, 2010 6:44 pm
Forum: Grammar
Topic: would have/had
Replies: 22
Views: 69686

Seems to me it's dependent on the phrase "in case". With that in there, #1 works. If in case was replaced with a simple if , then #3 works best, and the whole sentence flows better: I left home early to make sure I would have extra time if I got lost. -but either one denotes a conditional....
by sluggo
Tue Mar 02, 2010 6:37 pm
Forum: Suggestions
Topic: Sentences sentenced to head-on collisions
Replies: 28
Views: 124119

I've given up on Firefox (again) but the onus should not be on the end-user anyway-- if the site is using an illegible font, it should be the site that makes the change, otherwise we're addressing symptoms instead of the disease.
by sluggo
Tue Mar 02, 2010 5:54 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: SNOG
Replies: 12
Views: 30083

Never heard of this one, although I agree with Saparris that it's not the most sonorous synonym. Sounds like it has to do with either bad air or nasal congestion. I'm disappointed that spark didn't make Doc's list of synonyms :? Another little factlet: I've always understood "make whoopee"...
by sluggo
Tue Mar 02, 2010 5:44 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: DIDDLY-SQUAT
Replies: 3
Views: 12504

See also Bupkis.

We could do with more of these synonyms for nothingness -- :wink:

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