|
|
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 9
stranger
|
OP
stranger
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 9 |
Is the plural of mongoose, mongeese or mongooses?
foggy gardens
foggy gardens
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,409
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,409 |
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 819
old hand
|
|
old hand
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 819 |
Is the past tense mongoosed? Oh. It's a noun. Sorry. 
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788 |
The owner of a small zoo lost two prize animals in a fire. To order another pair, he wrote a letter to a zoological supply company: "Dear Sirs: Please send me two mongooses." That didn’t sound quite right, so he began again: "Dear Sirs: Please send me two mongeese." Still not sure of his plurals, he made this third attempt: "Dear Sirs: Please send me a mongoose, and, while you’re at it, please send me another mongoose."
~Richard Lederer, Writer’s Digest, June 1991
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 688
addict
|
|
addict
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 688 |
Is the past tense mongoosed?Who are you mongoosing Geoff? 
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204
Pooh-Bah
|
|
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204 |
On the slender evidence that the plural of wayzgoose is wayzgooses, I plump for the same construction for Rikki.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 819
old hand
|
|
old hand
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 819 |
Who are you mongoosing Geoff? Come closer, and let me tell you.  Mon-goose is one, bi-goose is two, multi-goose is an indefinate number BTW, didn't we discuss the plural of mongoose about a year and a half ago?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
Since "mongoose" is derived from a native word that sounds like it, and has nothing to do with "goose" it is absured to make its plural like plural of the bird.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 688
addict
|
|
addict
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 688 |
Who are you mongoosing Geoff? Come closer, and let me tell you.OUCH!!!!!!!!!!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 9
stranger
|
|
OP
stranger
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 9 |
It is fun to read all your posts, thank you. Last night while reading a book from the library I came across the sentence with the word mongeeses. Someone had written on the edge, "mongooses, puhleez."
foggy gardens
foggy gardens
|
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,809
Members9,187
| |
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
|
0 members (),
403
guests, and
0
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
