Pedants' Paradise

[gurnemanz]

... 'fells' are one of the few things you can mong - along with fish, cheese, and iron. Not Draco's kind of fells, of course...


.

Interesting that new types of monger usually involve derogatory connotations. Newsmongers may be gossipmongers and like to refer to scaremongers and hatemongers. If monger is used on its own with no specific attribution it tends to be in street language always disparagingly.

[ardcarp]

With respect, this kind of error is not the problem of the machine spell-checker: it's that people don't read their texts before sending.

I think I should have been referring to predictive text (as on an iphone). I want to type what I want to type not what it thinks I want to type. Yes, yes, I know you can do it again...but it still annoys me.

[Padraig]

I do not like thee, Doctor Fell,
The reason why – I cannot tell;
But this I know, and know full well,
I do not like thee, Doctor Fell.

Tom Brown (1680)

...or, as they say in current everyday reporting, " What I can tell you" (Hoc tantum possum dicere).

see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_do_not_like_thee,_Doctor_Fell

[kernelbogey]

Wikipedia is wonderful here! -

"From Middle English fel, fell (“strong, fierce, terrible, cruel, angry”), from Old English *fel, *felo, *fæle (“cruel, savage, fierce”) (only in compounds, wælfel (“bloodthirsty”), ealfelo (“evil, baleful”), ælfæle (“very dire”), etc.), from Proto-Germanic *faluz (“wicked, cruel, terrifying”), from Proto-Indo-European *pol- (“to pour, flow, swim, fly”). Cognate with Old Frisian fal (“cruel”), Middle Dutch fel (“wrathful, cruel, bad, base”), German Low German fell (“rash, swift”), Danish fæl (“disgusting, hideous, ghastly, grim”), Middle High German vālant (“imp”). See felon."

So you're right, Ferney.

So doubly interesting that OED does not include the MacDuff line under fell, but references 'one fell swoop' under swoop, as I indicated in my second fell post.

[ardcarp]

one of the few things you can mong - along with fish, cheese, and iron

There's a costermonger of course...but I don't think he sells coffee.

[Pabmusic]

...He was, nonetheless quite a popular figure - the origin of the phrase "Ooh, you are Ælfæle; but I like you" (which became corrupted over the centuries).

.........

[kernelbogey]

On arrival at my doctors' surgery yesterday, I was unable to use the electronic check-in system which instead asked me to report to reception.

'Oh that's alright,' said the receptionist, 'it's playing up today: but don't worry, I'll arrive you'.

As my GP was running late I had plenty of time to reflect on this novel phrase, which. though odd, is quite efficient.

[Padraig]

On arrival at my doctors' surgery yesterday, I was unable to use the electronic check-in system which instead asked me to report to reception.

'Oh that's alright,' said the receptionist, 'it's playing up today: but don't worry, I'll arrive you'.

As my GP was running late I had plenty of time to reflect on this novel phrase, which. though odd, is quite efficient.

Yes it works, kb.

You happened fortunate with your polite receptionist.

[french frank]

"Beth Francis takes a dip in the cold sea for the 100th time today as she seeks a migraine cure."

Posted 1 hr ago on the BBC News homepage. Well, she's certainly determined

[teamsaint]

Footy pundit Martin Keown was urging Man City to “ keep concentrated” yesterday. Of course we usually use “ keep concentration”. But his use seems ok , although unusual.

Thoughts?

[Padraig]

Footy pundit Martin Keown was urging Man City to “ keep concentrated” yesterday. Of course we usually use “ keep concentration”. But his use seems ok , although unusual.

Thoughts?

On football - no opinion, didn't watch the game.

On words - 'keep concentrated' more actively focussed than 'keep concentration'. Seems better advice.

[teamsaint]

On football - no opinion, didn't watch the game.

On words - 'keep concentrated' more actively focussed than 'keep concentration'. Seems better advice.

Oh I didn’t watch the game, just listened to the words of wisdom.

[Pulcinella]

Two gems (!) from the Summary Funding Statement that arrived today from USS (Universities Superannuation Scheme):

........which decides how any increase in contributions are split.......

The principle calculation assumes that.....

[french frank]

Two gems (!) from the Summary Funding Statement that arrived today from USS (Universities Superannuation Scheme):

........which decides how any increase in contributions are split.......

The principle calculation assumes that.....

Only schoolteachers are supposed to no grammer and spelling. Actually, I had that yesterday too and was going to post on the 'Words and phrases that…' thread: "X is at the heart of everything we do." Common BBC phrase.

[Serial_Apologist]

Two gems (!) from the Summary Funding Statement that arrived today from USS (Universities Superannuation Scheme):

........which decides how any increase in contributions are split.......

The principle calculation assumes that.....

I've only just figured out () that anthropomorphisms are involved.