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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Something I read #185478 06/26/2009 4:24 AM Joined: Aug 2002 Posts: 2,154 British Columbia, Canada Zed Pooh-Bah Zed Pooh-Bah Joined: Aug 2002 Posts: 2,154 British Columbia, Canada I liked a turn of phrase that I read today, well actually that I heard today on one of Mom's talking books. The author described a character as "a man who used oaths as crutches to get him from one word to another." Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Something I read Zed #185482 06/26/2009 8:13 AM Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 Netherlands, the Hague BranShea Carpal Tunnel BranShea Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 Netherlands, the Hague Does oath mean swearing or curse here? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Something I read BranShea #185485 06/26/2009 12:54 PM Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 3,290 R'lyeh zmjezhd Carpal Tunnel zmjezhd Carpal Tunnel Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 3,290 R'lyeh Does oath mean swearing or curse here? Yes. It's interesting that both oath and to swear have come to mean blasphemous or obscene utterances, but together to swear an oath only means 'to declare solemnly'. Swearing and cursing in their newer sense, must be an extension of invoking a deity or other religious thing to support the seriousness and/or validity of one's oath. Ceci n'est pas un seing. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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