|
|
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 1
stranger
|
OP
stranger
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 1 |
I like the theme of this week. I wonder if we will get 'opera' (quite likely) and 'panini' (less likely)!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295 |
Panini? (welcome) Ain't those little crispy buns? Never knew it as singular. Is it really? I came across a sentence in the book I'm now reading : "Like his sister Marguerite, Francis wanted to tolerate the Protestants, but the sect were not content with being let alone." etc.
Never knew sect is a plural singular.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,075
old hand
|
|
old hand
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,075 |
>>but the sect were not content with being let alone. etc.
Never knew sect is a plural singular.<<Hmmm! Interesting, Bran. I think it might depend on what you're saying about the sect. E.g., I would definitely say, "The sect was a strict one," rather than "were" In the e.g. that you give, the context is the members of the sect were not comtent, whereas in my e.g. it is a function of the sect itself. I don't know if I'm right or not (and someone here will soon tell me!  ) but that seems a logical analysis.
I'm immortal until proven otherwise
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
This is not a standard in American English. It is fairly common in British English and often going the way Rhuby suggests. Since Anu mentioned opera in the introduction to Monday's word I doubt it will be in the week's word.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 6
stranger
|
|
stranger
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 6 |
In the U.S., anyway, "panini" is consistently used as both singular and plural in every place I've been that sells them. I tried ordering, "I'll have a ... panino, please" a couple of times, and got a strange look each time. By the way, again at least in the U.S., they aren't crispy buns, they're warm sandwiches on sliced bread pressed flat in a grill press. In Italy, I remember the word referring to a cold sandwich on a small baguette.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295 |
Thank you. I've done the image search. Indeed panini are flat and pressed in a toaster, also the italian where the baguette is pressed. They are very similar to the French 'croque monsieur' ou 'croque madame' and the Dutch 'tosti'.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,706
Pooh-Bah
|
|
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,706 |
I've seen Martha Stewart make 'panini' on TV...its a favourite of hers. The word is not common here in Oz.
And I agree with FF...Anu seldom repeats himself, so I doubt he will include opera in this weeks list.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290 |
opera
This week reminds me of a favorite subject of mine: incorrect Latin plurals. Opus 'work' and *opii (correct opera), virus 'poison; slime' and *virii (there is no correct plural, the word only occurs in Latin as a singular), octopus and *octopi (correct Greek octopodes), syllabus and *syllabi (correct syllabus), same with apparatus and *apparati (apparatus).
In english, the plurals I would use are: opus and opuses (opera has a new specialized meaning in English), virus and viruses, octopus and octopuses, etc.
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
|
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,351
Members9,182
| |
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
|
0 members (),
775
guests, and
0
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
