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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jul 2001
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Somebody I know decided to Google it, and apparently some dictionaries list it now.
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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"Never force anything, just get a bigger hammer".
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 3,058
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 3,058 |
Just read the thread that sparked this one.
Misspelled and made up words bug me in all media, even this wondrous outpost.
The one grinding my gears lately is the use of "loose" when benighted writers mean "lose".
�When in doubt, I whip it out.� Uncle Ted
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 38,915 Likes: 9
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 38,915 Likes: 9 |
Hey, it worked for "straightly".
Not a real member - just an ordinary guy who appreciates being able to hang around and say something once in awhile.
Happily Trapped In the Past (Thanks, Joe)
Not only a less than minimally educated person, but stupid and out of touch as well.
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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Is it a verb, a noun, or both?
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Joined: Sep 2007
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Sep 2007
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I�m surprised my employment of �poetical� has generated controversy. I didn�t want to seem discourteous by ignoring the fact and am grateful for Mule Deer for diverting discussion to this thread. I�m in a hurry at the moment, but if necessary, I can check an OED and/or _Garner�s Common Usage_ later. I would argue that �poetical� was more common and correct earlier in history�say, the 18th-19th centuries--when literature and philosophy were less distinct fields and/or genres. For example, there�s lots of stuff like this published: https://archive.org/details/completepoetical01keat. I assume we�ll not fault Keats for incorrectly employing �poetical,� so I�ll assume the word is as �correct� as �poetic.� But it is true that �poetical� is seldom used recently; �poetic� would be more typical in most contexts. However, in my original post I expressed an interest in a somewhat archaic type of writing�one that is both thoughtful, big-picture oriented, and attentive to the expressive qualities of language. In this case, I submit that my employment of �poetical� is both �correct� and appropriate, as I�m interested �poetical� writing not just �poetic� writing. (�Poetical� could also be correctly employed today to express some light irony or sarcasm or by someone exercising poetic or poetical licenses�.) If anyone wants to submit evidence to the contrary, I�m more than happy to listen and learn. I think sometimes our early English teachers impart to us more rigid notions of correctness/incorrectness than are appropriate when talking about grammatical and stylistic choices. There are clear rules and then there are lots of gray territories. Also, language evolves (in better or worser ways) and is doing so particularly these days as new media put pressure on its conventions (texting, emoticons, etc.). Ella
Last edited by Ella; 08/20/14. Reason: serious typo
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 9,737 Likes: 4 |
I like the word poetical. While it's not an example of a malaprop, it reminds me of Norm Crosby. Does anyone remember him? At any rate, in honour of words ending in 'al', here's...
Ode to a Testicle
The doctor said it's mystical The nurse was ever practical My friends were always cynical I have an extra testicle
In school they called it magical The tailor called it tragical The girls all had a festival I have an extra testicle
The jealous called it minuscule Their thoughts so very clerical It's all extremely medical I have an extra testicle
A few have said it's radical And all have called it laudable It's totally symmetrical I have an extra testicle
Stephen Redgwell - 1998
Safe Shooting! Steve Redgwell www.303british.comGet your facts first, then you can distort them as you please. - Mark Twain Member - Professional Outdoor Media Association of Canada
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Posts: 35,900
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 35,900 |
Gratifyingly thinkful post.....thanks!
The 280 Remington is overbore.
The 7 Rem Mag is over bore.
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Joined: Apr 2001
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 9,737 Likes: 4 |
Therefore never send to know for whom the sheep bleats; he bleats for thee...
Safe Shooting! Steve Redgwell www.303british.comGet your facts first, then you can distort them as you please. - Mark Twain Member - Professional Outdoor Media Association of Canada
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Joined: Jan 2007
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 35,900 |
Steve lets google "bleats"...is that a noun or a verb?
The 280 Remington is overbore.
The 7 Rem Mag is over bore.
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Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 9,189
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 9,189 |
Therefore never send to know for whom the sheep bleats; he bleats for thee... HAAAA HAAAAA HAAAAAA!!
I belong on eroding granite, among the pines.
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Posts: 78,304 Likes: 2
Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 78,304 Likes: 2 |
Topographical apparently became a word too�
Topographic used to be enough.
Ironical, isn't it?
"...the left considers you vermin, and they'll kill you given the chance..." Bristoe
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Posts: 9,189
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 9,189 |
I blame political discourse and public officials for some of the butcherification of speechifying. Bush Jr was one of the worst I've seen in my lifetime. My biggest pet peeve: nucular. WTF is nucular? I've heard officials, scholars, pundits, historians use that word. It is 'nuclear'! I'm really anal about proper use of the language. There seems to be more memery of language in the last few decades, that the evolution of language is happening more quickly, and more variations on formerly proper verbiage are becoming acceptable.
I am prone to overthinkification though.
I belong on eroding granite, among the pines.
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Posts: 23,114 Likes: 2
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 23,114 Likes: 2 |
And gentlemen of the Campfire now a-bed Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here, And hold their manhood's cheap while any speaks That waxed poetically upon this day. -with apologies to W.Shakespeare
"You can lead a man to logic, but you cannot make him think." Joe Harz "Always certain, often right." Keith McCafferty
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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Bleat is usually employed in its verbial capacitance, although it is used nounially upon occasion.
My old English professor Spoke these words most kind 'Tis apples and oranges Unless the words all rind.
English is an enjoyable language to observe from afar.
From the Wizard of Oz:
Dorothy: If you were king, you wouldn't be afraid of anything? Cowardly Lion: Not nobody! Not no how! Dorothy: Not even a rhinoceros? Cowardly Lion: Imp-oceros!
Tin Man: How about a hippopotamus? Cowardly Lion: Why, I'd thrash him from top to bottom-us!
Dorothy: Supposing you met an elephant? Cowardly Lion: I'd wrap him up in cellophant!
Safe Shooting! Steve Redgwell www.303british.comGet your facts first, then you can distort them as you please. - Mark Twain Member - Professional Outdoor Media Association of Canada
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Posts: 2,760
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,760 |
If I may be analytical, the use of �poetical�, was a systematical dumbing-down of grammatical rules by a historical group of heritical poetical poetesses whose rhetorical grammatical style was of a rather radical etymological / philological persuasion. Irregardless, rather easy peasy simple.
Last edited by GaryVA; 08/20/14.
�I've never met a genius. A genius to me is someone who does well at something he hates. Anybody can do well at something he loves -- it's just a question of finding the subject.�
- Clint Eastwood
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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 60,170 Likes: 17
Campfire Kahuna
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OP
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 60,170 Likes: 17 |
Well, English is a living language, as opposed to Latin, and also has some of the most convoluted spelling and grammaticalicular rules of any language. There are also endless examples of specialized usage, such as "shall" for "will," which apparently was a product of English upper classes to set them apart from the lower classes.
Then there's local usage. My friend Ron Rau, who used to write some pretty poetical (and often funny) hunting stuff for early Gray's Sporting Journals, grw up in the U.P. of Michigan. He said a lot of the local dropped or added syllables to various words. His primary example was Morial Day, but they made up for the missing syllable with "insect repellement"--perhaps because spending much time outdoors during Morial Day weekend often required quite a bit of repellement.
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 42,625 Likes: 1
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 42,625 Likes: 1 |
The problem with the English language is there is no single source for validation other than private sources like say Webster's. Spanish for example is governed by the Royal Academy of Languages and they have been the validating authority for Spanish since the Middle Ages.
A good principle to guide me through life: “This is all I have come to expect, standard lackluster performance. Trust nothing, believe no one and realize it will only get worse…”
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 96,121 Likes: 1
Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 96,121 Likes: 1 |
I can promise you that 'shall' and 'will' in contract language can cause many an hour of meetings.
"Dear Lord, save me from Your followers"
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Joined: Jun 2004
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 44,872 Likes: 5 |
How about resiliency? What's next, doing due dilligency?
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