Pedants' Paradise

[Pabmusic]

Talking of horses, here's a bit of Medieval language develoment. I think I've posted about it before, but I can't find it.

Hackney Marshes were famous for the horses bred there. They were generally 'everyday' working horses - neither destriers nor heavy ploghing types. In particular, they were the horses inns would hire out to travellers leaving London, or carters would use. They were known as Hackney nags (this also became a term for a prostitute), often shortened to hacks. The name was then applied to the work - particularly to any kind of repetitative drudgery that was 'hackneyed'. Then the people who did hack-work became 'hacks' (I think we're in the 18th century now). And of course the usage still remains for writers of a certain type of journalistic drudgery.

Of course, various attempts to regulate the hire of horses and their successors led to the Hackney Carriage Acts.

[french frank]

And of course the usage still remains for writers of a certain type of journalistic drudgery.

I did not know that. Thank you

[But to M Vinteuil: some of those links to Primitive Indo-European were above my little European noddle, but interesting all the same ]

[kernelbogey]

Talking of horses, here's a bit of Medieval language develo[p]ment. I think I've posted about it before, but I can't find it[....]

And of course 'hack' in the sense ' A ride on a horse, typically through countryside' (OED).

(Just spent several serendipitous minutes in online OED, helpfully provided by my local library to me as a member.)

[un barbu]

There's a fine book on literary drudges (and worse) by Pat Rogers: "Hacks and Dunces: Pope, Swift and Grub Street." Dr Johnson defines 'grubstreet' thus: 'Originally the name of a street in Moorfields in London, much inhabited by writers of small histories, dictionaries, and temporary poems; whence any mean production is called grubstreet.'

[vinteuil]

There's a fine book on literary drudges...

... we recall Dr Johnson's own definition of a lexicographer - 'a writer of dictionaries; a harmless drudge, that busies himself in tracing the original, and detailing the signification of words.'


.

[Serial_Apologist]

"Students get first hand job experience" -

Heading on unspecified newspaper link on Facebook today.

Just goes to show the importance of correct hyphen placement!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

"Students get first hand job experience" -
Heading on unspecified newspaper link on Facebook today.
Just goes to show the importance of correct hyphen placement!

[teamsaint]

All rather unsavoury.

which reminds me...Savoury, and unsavoury......not really opposites.
Discuss.

[kernelbogey]

An interesting report in the Guardian today of a new study, from the University of Pennsylvania, and published in Nature, into how language evolves: the researchers show how random chaance plays a part.

[cloughie]

All rather unsavoury.

which reminds me...Savoury, and unsavoury......not really opposites.
Discuss.

Actually they are if you take the different meanings of savoury, although when referring to food usually the opposite is sweet!

[Stanfordian]

"Students get first hand job experience" -

Heading on unspecified newspaper link on Facebook today.

Just goes to show the importance of correct hyphen placement!

Just goes to show the state of one's mind. Whether clean or ......

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

SOUTHAMPTON is in the south.
NORTHAMPTON is in the south too, though it's further north than Southampton.
EASTHAMPTON is in the west.
WESTHAMPTON is definitely in the west, as it's in the USA.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

SOUTHAMPTON is in the south.
NORTHAMPTON is in the south too, though it's further north than Southampton.
EASTHAMPTON is in the west.
WESTHAMPTON is definitely in the west, as it's in the USA.

I love the way Middlesbrough hedges its bets.

[Bryn]

I love the way Middlesbrough hedges its bets.

And as for Middlesex ...

[Serial_Apologist]

SOUTHAMPTON is in the south.
NORTHAMPTON is in the south too, though it's further north than Southampton.
EASTHAMPTON is in the west.
WESTHAMPTON is definitely in the west, as it's in the USA.

As for Littlehampton...