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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
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The San Francisco Chronicle is in the forefront once again. If we knew how to reach this guy, we could invite him to join our ever-dwindling ranks of prescriptivists -- gotta love his passion: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7174569Check out the YouTube hip-hop rendition.
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
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the guy brings up a (possibly) interesting point: the difference between a redundancy and a tautology. what say you, Faldage, Defender of the Superfluous? 
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
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invite him to join Good God, no! That guy is over the edge...
EDIT: em...[belatedly realizing you surely weren't serious e]
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 456
addict
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Dwindling?  Perhaps that expression is a subtle characterization of the piece itself, or would that need to be 'pilotless droning'? 
ÅΓª╥┐↕§
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Quote:
the guy brings up a (possibly) interesting point: the difference between a redundancy and a tautology. what say you, Faldage, Defender of the Superfluous?
Well, since there are at least three definitions of drone for which pilotlessness is a totally irrelevant concept, to specify that something is a pilotless drone eliminates any possibility of ambiguity.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2002
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The irate one definitely has a drone in his bonnet.
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Posts: 2,891
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Good grief, I wonder if all editors have to live with this ?
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 456
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Well, it does make a distinction from a bumblebee.
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
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Quote:
Good grief, I wonder if all editors have to live with this ?
not if they're good at their job...
formerly known as etaoin...
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
Quote:
Well, it does make a distinction from a bumblebee.
Or the unchanging notes of, say, a bagpipe.
Seriously, folks, it is generally obvious from the context, and, in this case there's no chance that someone tuned in halfway through the story, but it still serves to distinguish the pilotless airplanes from male bees or lazy men or people engaged in mind-numbing work. It might be redundant but hardly worth someone going all Iowa over.
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
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It's been about three months and I have just discovered this on Language Log. It was linked to from this recent article.
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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A marvelous entry. Thanks, Faldo. But, with argumentation like this, I am reminded of the old Far Side cartoon.
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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