Pedants' Paradise

[french frank]

.

BBC news website : "Man found guilty of unsolved 1991 murder"

ermmm???

.

Random man obviously framed.

[oddoneout]

Random man obviously framed.

Business as usual in the brave new world of the malfunctioning police force.

[french frank]

Just reading the BBC story about the US Senate debt ceiling vote: "Among the four Democrats who voted against were left-wing senators Bernie Sanders, John Fetterman and Elizabeth Warren". A bit odd odd not to have named the fourth, but Axios provides the name: the BBC's four senators were Sens. Bernie Sanders, John Fetterman, Ed Markey, Jeff Merkley and Elizabeth Warren.

'Our chief weapon is surprise!... Surprise and fear... fear and surprise... Our two weapons are fear and surprise... and ruthless efficiency! Our three weapons are fear, and surprise, and ruthless efficiency... and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope... Our four... '

[oddoneout]

I've just been looking at footage from space of the smoke from the Canadian wildfires. The text says "The cloud of smoke can be seen moving through Lake Superior", and says the same about Lakes Michigan, Huron and Erie. What I can see is smoke moving over those places.
I understand how it is possible to travel through a town, since there are routes to enable that, but a lake...

[kernelbogey]

The text says "The cloud of smoke can be seen moving through Lake Superior", and says the same about Lakes Michigan, Huron and Erie.

Possibly the headline writer has only ever seen those lakes in two dimensions... on the screen of their phone perhaps?

[Sir Velo]

Within the last few years there has been an alarming rise in the abuse of the meaning of the word euthanasia, particularly in respect of animals. Today I read again of an otherwise perfectly healthy animal being "euthanised". As far as I could gather the wretched animal had not given its consent to its death, so how it was "euthanised" is beyond me!

[oddoneout]

Within the last few years there has been an alarming rise in the abuse of the meaning of the word euthanasia, particularly in respect of animals. Today I read again of an otherwise perfectly healthy animal being "euthanised". As far as I could gather the wretched animal had not given its consent to its death, so how it was "euthanised" is beyond me!

Is it a misuse of the term though, which simply means "good death" and is used to refer to the intentional ending of life? With humans, for obvious reasons there has to be consideration of the matter of consent but with respect to animals, particularly domestic/domesticated, humans in effect have control over all aspects of their life, with no consent on the part of the animals involved, and that includes the time and method of their death.

[french frank]

Is it a misuse of the term though, which simply means "good death"

I would agree with Sir Velo, however, in that a word's meaning depends on its common usage rather than its etymology. The scaffold erected on the exterior of your house prior to maintenance work being carried out will almost certainly not serve the purpose of reverently displaying your deceased corpse.

Euthanasia is a euphemism as is the term 'to put to sleep'.

[oddoneout]

I would agree with Sir Velo, however, in that a word's meaning depends on its common usage rather than its etymology. The scaffold erected on the exterior of your house prior to maintenance work being carried out will almost certainly not serve the purpose of reverently displaying your deceased corpse.

Euthanasia is a euphemism as is the term 'to put to sleep'.

Is it though? In the context of putting an animal down it is a veterinary term to describe the ending of an animal's life usually to end suffering(which is where the "good death" comes in), to distinguish from animal slaughter.
I don't think the common usage changes that since it is understood to be the deliberate ending of life by means other than natural causes, to end suffering. The means by which that is achieved vary, as will the consent process.
I would agree that the example Sir Velo gives is at odds with the commonly understood usage, in that it is being used on a healthy animal, rather than to end an animal's suffering. However if the decision has been made to end that animal's life(commonly dogs whose behaviour is deemed dangerous), one would hope that the principles of the good death(ie humanely done) aspect would be observed nonetheless.

[cat]

Lab animals are euthanised for experiments.

Dangerous dogs are normally destroyed are they not?

I think it's related to how the humans who cause the death rationalise their actions.

[Joseph K]

It's been the case for some time that my local pharmacy has had a sign up saying 'sorry for the inconvince' - but today there was another sign up saying 'sorry for the inconvience'!

Nice bit of irony today.

I walk into my local pharmacy and see a sign up saying 'sorry for the inconvenience' but for the first time in a long while there was no queue and my item was given to me immediately!

[french frank]

Have just written to BBC News to point out that in their story about the dreadful shootings in Brittany , they refer to the mayor as Mr Bleuzen and 'he'. Hint: her name is Marguerite. I referenced 2 sources which had photos of the mayor just in case there was any doubt. I find they're usually pretty quick to respond because I often write in to point out mistakes

[kernelbogey]

...a word's meaning depends on its common usage rather than its etymology....

I think I should make these words into a large poster to remind myself of this, especially at my most harrumph moments.

[Pulcinella]

Train speak seems now to have infiltrated the Court Circular.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/court-circular-june-12-2023-7qlrj9cqw?shareToken=430496281070743d362dfbe4e472d1b0

The King this morning arrived........into Pickering....

It could just about be argued that the 'into' is associated with the 'pulled', I suppose.

[smittims]

BBC news says that motorists in Nottingham are asked to use 'alternate' routes, to avoid the closure of part of the city centre. I have visions of them driving round repeatedly, using one route, then another.