Pedants' Paradise

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  • jean
    Late member
    • Nov 2010
    • 7100

    But probably only if you were using the Reformed Classical pronunciation

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    • mercia
      Full Member
      • Nov 2010
      • 8920

      Originally posted by mercia View Post
      ....... after the Prime Minister's statement on energy prices, the energy minister's words were "more caveated" [i.e. more cautious]
      just re-listened to this

      the correspondent says "the energy minister ............. didn't directly contradict the Prime Minister, his language was softer, more caveated".

      having googled the word I find that it seems to be quite commonly used

      EDIT - for the 10pm news the word was changed to "nuanced"
      Last edited by mercia; 18-10-12, 21:10.

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      • gurnemanz
        Full Member
        • Nov 2010
        • 7432

        Originally posted by jean View Post
        We can't really complain, if we've been using a third person singular as a noun all this time, that it finally seeks to return to its verbal origins.

        A bit like exit...
        or "exeat" (let him leave) which is the same subjunctive verb form as caveat and which has also become a noun in English, meaning a leave of absence. I suppose someone given such permission could be said to have been "exeated".

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        • french frank
          Administrator/Moderator
          • Feb 2007
          • 30610

          Well, there's a turn up! OED agrees caveat can be a transitive verb: 'To enter a caveat or caution against'; or 'To serve with a caveat':

          1667 Naphtali 196, I would caveat this.
          1707 in Colonial Rec. Pennsylvania (1852) II. 347 Charged or Caveated the Mr. of the Rolls that he should make out no Exemplification or Coppy thereof.


          It's tagged 'Obsolete' ....
          It isn't given us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world.

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          • mangerton
            Full Member
            • Nov 2010
            • 3346

            Originally posted by gurnemanz View Post
            or "exeat" (let him leave) which is the same subjunctive verb form as caveat and which has also become a noun in English, meaning a leave of absence. I suppose someone given such permission could be said to have been "exeated".

            Yes. We used to have half-term exeats at school. Similar also is "fiat", now an English legal term meaning a command or decree. The Latin means "let it be (done)". Hence "fiat lux", let there be light.

            (NB it's not the Italian for car wash.)

            Comment

            • Pabmusic
              Full Member
              • May 2011
              • 5537

              Originally posted by mangerton View Post
              Yes. We used to have half-term exeats at school. Similar also is "fiat", now an English legal term meaning a command or decree. The Latin means "let it be (done)". Hence "fiat lux", let there be light.

              (NB it's not the Italian for car wash.)
              We had exeats, too, at school. I'd quite forgotten.

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              • gurnemanz
                Full Member
                • Nov 2010
                • 7432

                Floreat Etona

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                • vinteuil
                  Full Member
                  • Nov 2010
                  • 13030

                  ... caveats, exeats, floreats - my pertickler fave, gleaned from childhood perusal of 1066 & All That , is aegrotat. It was the university degree I always hoped for - sadly I had to make do with something much more hum-drum

                  Last edited by vinteuil; 19-10-12, 14:08.

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                  • jean
                    Late member
                    • Nov 2010
                    • 7100

                    But despite the similarity of ending, aegrotat is just an just ordinary indicative - you either were really sick, or you managed to persuade them that you were.

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                    • vinteuil
                      Full Member
                      • Nov 2010
                      • 13030

                      Originally posted by jean View Post
                      But despite the similarity of ending, aegrotat is just an just ordinary indicative - .
                      ... ahem, some of us know our indicatives and subjunctives :ruffled emoticon: . .

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                      • mangerton
                        Full Member
                        • Nov 2010
                        • 3346

                        Originally posted by vinteuil View Post
                        ... ahem, some of us know our indicatives and subjunctives :ruffled emoticon: .

                        Quite. One might say it's imperative to understand the difference.

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                        • french frank
                          Administrator/Moderator
                          • Feb 2007
                          • 30610

                          And for a passive subjunctive, English'd as a noun: imprimatur (1641 Milton Animadversions 8 'Your proud Imprimaturs not to be obtain'd ...')
                          It isn't given us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world.

                          Comment

                          • vinteuil
                            Full Member
                            • Nov 2010
                            • 13030

                            Originally posted by french frank View Post
                            And for a passive subjunctive, English'd as a noun: imprimatur (1641 Milton Animadversions 8 'Your proud Imprimaturs not to be obtain'd ...')
                            ... I'd certainly give my nihil obstat to that!

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                            • gurnemanz
                              Full Member
                              • Nov 2010
                              • 7432

                              Originally posted by french frank View Post
                              And for a passive subjunctive, English'd as a noun: imprimatur (1641 Milton Animadversions 8 'Your proud Imprimaturs not to be obtain'd ...')
                              That's a bit of a non sequitur.

                              Comment

                              • jean
                                Late member
                                • Nov 2010
                                • 7100

                                Originally posted by french frank View Post
                                And for a passive subjunctive, English'd as a noun: imprimatur (1641 Milton Animadversions 8 'Your proud Imprimaturs not to be obtain'd ...')
                                I wondered if that one had taken the final step of been re-verbed - apparently it has:

                                The articles below were taken entirely from the Imprimatured book, "THE SINCERE CHRISTIAN" by the Rt. Rev. Archbishop George Hay which was first published in 1787.

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