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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 2
stranger
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stranger
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 2 |
Hi there,
I have been trying to discover the proper spelling of the word "ona" (not the right spelling I suppose), which means: without, excluding.
Example sentence: I ate a peanut butter and jam sandwich "ona" the jam; in other words, I ate a peanut butter sandwich.
Any idea how this word is spelt?
Thanks
Sarah
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290 |
There is a German preposition ohne meaning 'without'. I have heard people use foreign words like French sans 'without' or German über 'above, super' before in a jocular manner, but there still foreign words IMO.
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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Joined: Aug 2002
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,154 |
I've never heard ona or ohne before but I do hear the French sans used either is a joking way or trying to be fancy.
Last edited by Zed; 09/07/2009 5:48 AM.
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Joined: Mar 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Welcome, Sarah. I ran 'excluding' through Onelook's Reverse Dictionary and didn't see anything even resembling ona. Where did you hear this word? It is totally unfamiliar to me. And, is it pronounced oh-nuh, on-uh, or something different?
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 2
stranger
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stranger
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 2 |
Thank you so much! I must have picked up the word when I was in Germany several years back and, without realizing it, continued to use it as though it was a commonplace English word. It does have such a nice ring to it and does seem to innately connote "without."
Cheers,
Sarah
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Posts: 11,613 |
I'll send wseiber a note asking him to take a look at this thread; he'll probably know.
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Joined: Mar 2000
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027 |
Hi,
Actually I have nothing to add to zmjezhd's concise answer...
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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oh, someone really should take nuncle z to task for failing to properly contract: but there[sic] still foreign words. - ron o. 
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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oh, someone really should take nuncle z to task for failing to contract: "but there[sic] still foreign words". - ron o. heh I figured he was writing in sound...
formerly known as etaoin...
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Joined: Aug 2005
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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someone really should take nuncle z to task for failing to properly contract
Huh, what, er ... snort ... Yes, I had noticed my solecism earlier this morning, but by then I was SOL as the period in which I could edit my infelicities had expired, and I was stuck with this lapse in spelling.
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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Joined: Dec 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
I call it finger-think. When your fingers know where they're going and don't care what your brain is saying.
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