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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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This expression was in a letter quoted in our newspaper the other day, and got me to thinking: how often do we even see, let alone use, the words cordial and cordially these days? I pretty much never do. (Cordial as noun or adj.)
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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I haven't in years.
Yet it is a lovely concept to end a letter with.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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When I think of a cordial, I think of an after dinner
drink or a chocolate-covered cherry piece of candy.
----please, draw me a sheep----
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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At first sight it makes me think of ropes.
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old hand
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old hand
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At first sight it makes me think of ropes.
A type of knot...perhaps?
Cordial is still commonly known down here as a flavoured drink.
Last edited by olly; 03/28/2011 12:11 AM.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Cordial is still commonly known down here as a flavoured drink.
Same here: menus will offer "After Dinner Cordials".
----please, draw me a sheep----
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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A type of knot...perhaps?Xactly. When I read "cordially yours" I see ropes and knots. 
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old hand
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old hand
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I knew of a barbershop quartet years ago called the Chordials. One of the members owned a bar and motel called Harry's Chordial Inn.
Peter
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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They played harpsichord all four? 
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old hand
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old hand
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I don't know, but they played a few bars.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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I wouldn't use cordially in signing off a letter or email.
Mostly I just put my name. Usually I have already written all I have wanted to say and ending with yours sincerely, faithfully or anything else seems a false statement to me, especially if a formal correspondence.
And now days most electronic devices recognise a 'sender' so even your name might not be necessary at the end of a message.
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Carpal Tunnel
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----please, draw me a sheep----
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I wouldn't use cordially in signing off a letter or email.
Mostly I just put my name. Usually I have already written all I have wanted to say and ending with yours sincerely, faithfully or anything else seems a false statement to me, especially if a formal correspondence.
And now days most electronic devices recognise a 'sender' so even your name might not be necessary at the end of a message.
I still have the text book from high school giving all the rules for letter writing, among other things. This is called the "Complimentary Closing": Yours truly, Affectionately yours, Sincerely yours, etc. I have not used them for decades either.
----please, draw me a sheep----
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enthusiast
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enthusiast
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I use Respects for work emails, unless I don't respect the person, then I use my name only.
Many people use Regards.
some others: Thanks, Cheers & Sincerely.
Are there others that might work well?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Religious types use "Peace" and "In Christ", or "In Him"
or "In His Name". I get those in junk mail.
Received one the other day that ended in "Yo,Dude".
Go figure!
----please, draw me a sheep----
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Carpal Tunnel
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a regular mailer uses LATER, all caps. :-P
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Carpal Tunnel
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And of course, solicitors and fundraisers, use:
Eagerly Awaiting your Response, and then sign.
----please, draw me a sheep----
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newbie
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newbie
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I'm all for honesty so it irks me that some of these closings aren't used more often: Nonchalantly, (on a get well card from people at work) Irrationally, (when HR sends out a new company policy) Malevolently, (when the phone company announces rate hikes) Perversely, (when I write to...er I mean, somebody sent me a letter like that once...  )
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I like to keep it simple.
Kind or friendly regards for those I don't really know.
Love for people I like or love.
Just my name for those I must write in anger.
And honestly never ever 'sincerely'.
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Carpal Tunnel
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In high school I had a friend, pen pal, in Lyon, France
who ended his letters with "Amicalement".
----please, draw me a sheep----
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Amicably! Now there's another word that seems to be on its way out. Though I still read it in novels. But I'll bet no more of us use amicable/amicably than do cordial/cordially.
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old hand
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old hand
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I'll bet no more of us use amicable/amicably than do cordial/cordially. Those words are all part of my working vocabulary, which is to say that I use them in conversation or writing quite unselfconsciously, as circumstances warrant, though not in closing a letter or other message. Peter
Last edited by Tromboniator; 03/30/2011 7:01 AM.
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Carpal Tunnel
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formerly known as etaoin...
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I use them in conversation or writing quite unselfconsciously Huh. Good for you! I see amiable fairly often; amicable rarely.
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old hand
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old hand
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This is not intended as a criticism of you nor your choices, but my knee-jerk response to such a closing is: best what?; but I suppose that in the modern world it is more appropriate than, say: "I remain, most sincerely, your very humble servant, Dumbledore." My response to that would be, "Yeah, right." Okay, okay, I know what you mean, and it's fine. I just can't help being…me. Upon reflection, I have to say that your closing, to my ear, has a greater ring of sincerity than the very similar "Best." That smacks of perfunctory obligation. Interesting, the little tricks our brains perform. Peter
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Carpal Tunnel
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And you sign your name in every post, never with the
salutory closing. Hmmmmm.
----please, draw me a sheep----
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Carpal Tunnel
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I thought in this case the writer is giving his best, so he's left with the lesser part of himself. Therefore I think he's very generous.
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Carpal Tunnel
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I thought in this case the writer is giving his best, so he's left with the lesser part of himself. Therefore I think he's very generous. perzackly.
formerly known as etaoin...
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Carpal Tunnel
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Opportunist!
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addict
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addict
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Coming to this much later on...(sorry!) I would say that I always use: Many thanks, but I often have great fun trying to work out which faithfully, sincerely etc would go at the bottom of a formal letter, which I love to address as To Whomsoever it may concern (rather than dear sir/madam) and get repeatedly told off by proof-reading friends. Many thanks, from an over enthusiastic poster 
----The next sentence is true. The previous sentence is false----
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Carpal Tunnel
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but I often have great fun trying to work out which faithfully, sincerely etc would go at the bottom of a formal letter, which I love to address as
I often had the problem in the past, and solved it
by just saying "Yours".
----please, draw me a sheep----
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addict
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I can remember reading an epistolary style novel set in the 1800s and each letter had yours /faithfully/sincerly and after that just had etc etc etc - made me laugh!
----The next sentence is true. The previous sentence is false----
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Carpal Tunnel
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When I hear the word cordial, I think of somebody who is trying to remain polite to somebody he doesn't particularly like. I think it is because I've often read sentences like, "o.k., let's try to remain cordial."
The way I sign off depends upon who I am writing to.
For friends, French or English, I typically write Salut ("bye" in French).
Business correspondence varies. I use "regards" most often. If it is a harse e-mail or letter, I don't use a sign off. Why say regards, when I don't mean them. In French correspondence, the whole, "please accept our sincerest..." type of closing is still in use here and the variety is large depending on who you are writing.
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Carpal Tunnel
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When I hear the word cordial, I think of somebody who is trying to remain polite to somebody he doesn't particularly like. I think "cordial relations" is diplomat speak for "we didn't bite each other's heads off."
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Pooh-Bah
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journeyman
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but I often have great fun trying to work out which faithfully, sincerely etc would go at the bottom of a formal letter, which I love to address as
I often had the problem in the past, and solved it
by just saying "Yours".
That would be fine as long as you didnt forget yourself and add 'up' before the "yours"..............
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Don't think I have not thought that at a very great
number of times. Good comeback, slow...
----please, draw me a sheep----
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Just found this thread.
Interesting.
Every time I see a patient I send a report to the patient's primary physician. And every letter, addressed as it is to a colleague, is signed "Cordially," etc.
But then, I'm a dinosaur.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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either that or you need to get a new secretary/typist!
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