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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Yep -- a prolate spheroid is a shape.
TEd
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Carpal Tunnel
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Yep -- a prolate spheroid is a shape
Can't resist:
a prolate spheroid is a grape
an oblate spheroid is a shape
...
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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a prolate spheroid is a grape
an oblate spheroid is a shape...
oblate is "squashed," prolate "stretch'ed"
I've never seen a rhyme more wretched
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old hand
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old hand
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Likewise in great form. I b'lieve that's the USn standard. Canadaers?
Other Canadaers may correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall hearing either expression used much - so I'm not sure which is the norm here. Read through this debate with interest, though!
didn't Fisk suggest on form = wit and in form = physique? dang, will have to go back and have another look. Anyway, wot he said made sense to me.
Anyone else notice what a weird word "form" is, if you say/read it often enough?! I remember one hapless teacher choosing to give us an example of verb conjugation with the word "farm" - also a doozy if you hear it too often:
I farm
you farm
he/she/it farms
we farm
you farm
they farm
Form. Farm. Barmy....!
If you can't see the bright side, polish the dull side.
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Carpal Tunnel
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I've always heard it as, "You're in rare form today." And I've always taken it to mean you are even better than usual.
TEd
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Carpal Tunnel
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I say in great form, too. But, I'm reading the latest in Janet Evanovitch's silly mystery stories, set among the working class in Trenton, New Joisey (hi, Juan!  ), and she refers to her usually quick-on-the-uptake, funny friend as being somewhat "off [n.b. not 'out of'] her form today." So, go figger.
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Carpal Tunnel
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In reply to:
I've always heard it as, "You're in rare form today." And I've always taken it to mean you are even better than usual.
...or even worse than usual, as the case might be.
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veteran
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being somewhat "off [n.b. not 'out of'] her formAh yes Annati, yet another variant.. " Out of form" would definitely be a sporting (especially horse-racing) reference this side of the pond. " Off form" is quite close to "off colour" (i.e. ill, implying a temporary aberration), but is mostly a reference to social behaviour. Someone who's off form is "not themself" at the moment. You could talk about, say, a horse being "off form", and would be understood, but there's still an implication of unusual (and disappointing) behaviour over and above the horse running its races like a donkey. " Bad form" would be extremely - possibly irretrievably - off form. This would never be used about anything other than someone's behaviour. Surprisingly rich area, this. 
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veteran
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I've asked my wife (Brummy origin) and best mate (Kentish origin) about this matter, and their conclusions are almost identical to my own on the UK usage:
"in (good) form" implies being good at a skilled task, usually a sport, though could be something more cerebral.
"on (good) form" implies being witty, entertaining, good company, definitely a pleasant person to have around.
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old hand
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old hand
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I think I will agree with mg's assertion that "on form" is just plain new to me, and I wouldn't guess it to have meant witty if you guys hadn't told me! I would've just thought it was someone bungling "in form" or "in great form".
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