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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788 |
The phrase "recommended for deletion" sounds like some Brave New World, Matrix, Borg term for someone selected to die. There are lots of words which I wouldn't mind deleting from the English language, but the populist thing about English is that no one can delete anything from it ... only by dissuse can a word finally slip off the stage, unnoticed.
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891 |
Hmmm, Kitty corner is never used to describe intersections here. It usually describes a the positioning of an object/furniture in the corner of a room so that it touches both wall. This leaves a triangular space behind the object.
Like in a letter "A" the horizontal bar is placed kitty corner to the two longer bars.
Am I explaining this correctly? Is it understandable?
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788 |
In some cities, notably San Francisco and Minneapolis, urban pedestrians who wish to cross two streets at an intersection, traveling from one corner to the corner diagonally opposite, are afforded that opportunity by a system whuch stops vehicular traffic in all four directions, allowing them to cross kitty-corner all at once, rather than using two cross walks and waiting on two traffic lights. Clever.
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891 |
Ooof, there'd be an awful lot of dead pedestrians in Québec if they tried that.
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788 |
There'd be a lot of dead Seattlites if we tried that here, too.
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
Like in a letter "A"Makes sense to me. The lovely AnnaS useed it the other day to describe the street corner thang only without the streets: +
+ Those two plus signs are kittycorner to each other.
I mo stay clear of Seattle and Québec if the drivers there are going to run red lights just because the cross traffic also has a red light.
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,624
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,624 |
I've never, ever heard either of the versions of this expression before ... hey, I've learned something new! 
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Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,230
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,230 |
Thanks, Capfka, I'm glad to know that I wasn't the only one unfamiliar with thses terms.
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891 |
Bien non, you can come to Québec anytime Faldage. I'll teach you and AnnaS how to zig and zag through our streets without fear.
Well, o.k., a little bit of fear, but it's good to get the adrenalin going once in a while.
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692 |
I am more used to hearing the expression as ‘katey-corner’, so I Googled that and found the following from someone in Minneapolis:
“I watched a guy sitting kiddie-corner to me (that's katey-corner to you southerners - I didn't misspell it; that's what we call it here).”
That was the only link I could find, which surprised me. Any comments from all y'all southerners or Minneapolites?
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