AWADmail Issue 276
Oct 11, 2007
A Compendium of Feedback on the Words in A.Word.A.Day
and Other Interesting Tidbits about Words and Languages
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From: Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org)
Subject: Interesting stories from the net
Use It or Lose It: Why Language Changes over Time:
http://sciam.com/article.cfm?articleId=8B115001-E7F2-99DF-346F909C5D6D751C
Evolution of a Hip, Ironic Catchphrase:
http://www.salon.com/comics/boll/2007/10/04/boll/
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From: Natty Bumppo (borfents windstream.net)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--gravamen
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/gravamen.html
I'm a lawyer, and I love words, and I love to argue. But I am not allowed
to argue in my own house. None of my many wives ever told me to "go tell
your lies in court." In fact, none of them ever accused me of lying.
What they have said, and what my children and stepchildren have said, is
that it is not fair for me to argue with them, because I am a lawyer --
a professional arguer. A lawyer is without freedom of speech in his own
home.
But that's OK: One cannot win an argument with women or children in the
first place.
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From: Tom Jayson (tomjay5 hotmail.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--force majeure
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/force_majeure.html
Just as it is looking as if negotiations between the Writers Guild of
America and the networks and studios are reaching a serious impasse I
wake up to the news that strikes count as force majeure (since confirmed
by my attorney) and that I could come out of six months of no employment
to find that the deals I just signed have been nullified.
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From: Jay Florey (jfflorey olywa.net)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--force majeure
>From my days as a sailor, force majeure has a slightly different meaning.
It is an event, either external or internal, that happens to a vessel or
aircraft that allows that vessel or aircraft to enter normally restricted
areas without penalty. A recent example would be the U.S. Navy aircraft
that landed at a Chinese military airbase after a collision with a Chinese
fighter. Under the principle of force majeure, the aircraft must be allowed
to land without interference.
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From: Rosina C. Morgan (r-cmorg comcast.net)
Subject: Re: force majeure
We had picked up a siamese cat who resisted all attempt at housebreaking
which on a yacht is not supportable, So when we moored under the
Tour d'Argent we decided the cat had to go.
I had seen a small curiosity shop on the Isle de la Cite with a window full
of cats. So I went there with our cat in a basket and a prepared story about
a sister, gravely ill in London and I had to go and help nurse her, but the
cat, you know, British quarantine laws, could not go with me and I had to
find a home for him. The elderly ladies looked at the cat and debated,
"Ah, Madame, c'est force majeure," and they took the cat.
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From: BranShea (via Wordsmith Talk bulletin board http://wordsmith.org/board )
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--per stirpes, per capita
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/per_stirpes.html
Interesting matter, law.
Per capita: Would be good for you Hydra!
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From: David Montague (vermontague juno.com)
Subject: intellectual stimulation / curiosity vs. utility has finally been
settled
The recent discussion about whether "words for words' sake" or "useful words"
was nicely resolved this morning for me in the discussion of 'per stirpes'.
As I recently had a will prepared, distributing my estate among my five sons
"per stirpes", I was glad to get an explanation which I understood... from
AWAD! However, it may cost me. I'm enjoying my grand-daughters (five of
them) so much that perhaps "per capita" may be the better way to go, which
would mean revising the document! (I sure feel sorry for those poor souls
who are stuck with just grandsons)!
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From: Gary Muldoon (muldg aol.com)
Subject: stirpital distribution
Because of having taught an estate law course to paralegal students for
several years, I was pleased to see this term come up. Per stirpes is
a bit difficult to grasp. In New York State, the three general methods
of distribution are per stirpes, per capita, and by representation. My
co-teacher used a thumbnail explanation to begin explaining the difference
between the three: "by the head" (per capita), "by the level" (by
representation), and "by the stock" (per stirpes).
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From: Alexandra Halsey (alexandra.s.halsey gmail.com)
Subject: Re: per stirpes/George Eliot
I'm writing not about the word of the day, but the quotation of the day.
I was happy to learn of its author, since some time ago I'd seen this
quotation, unattributed, on a card, with the word "friendship" substituted
for the words "feeling safe with a person" and thought it a lovely
description. There are, however, some differing opinions about its true
provenance; a British writer named Dinah Craik may well be the true
originator of these words (see http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dinah_Craik
[scroll down to the heading "A Life for a Life (1859)] and
http://www.geonius.com/eliot/quotes.html
Quotations are not Wordsmith.org's primary focus, but they are a wonderful
part of your daily offerings, and you give such care and attention to the
provenance and expression and usage of words I thought you might likewise
appreciate validating the accuracy of a quotation as well. And I found it
illuminating to learn about this less-well-known author. Cheers!
Thanks for the correction.
-Anu Garg
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From: P. Nagendra Prasad (pnagendraprasad yahoo.com)
Subject: Thank you
I have been a subscriber of AWAD for nearly three years now and I have
enjoyed every single word. Recently, I scored 98% in the verbal section of
Graduate Record Examination. I am much indebted to AWAD for such a score.
Thanks a lot!
............................................................................
Language is the archives of history. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and
philosopher (1803-1882)
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