Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 2 of 3 1 2 3
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,289
B
veteran
Offline
veteran
B
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,289
In re translationis Jenetis
Fiddle faddle. It is true that eat is in the subjunctive, but if so, why? There is no occasion for it in this sentence except possibly as the hortatory subjunctive, but try making any sense out of that, particularly as you would have another verb, possum, in the indicative.

I suspect this is some arcane schoolboy joke (in English). And incidentally, there are people who think that possums make great eating.

Latin mottos and short quotes are notoriously difficult to grasp and translate since they generally are greatly condensed and often have peculiar word order. An example is the motto of the State of Maryland on the Great Seal: Scuto bonae voluntatis tuae coronasti nos.
Have a go at that one. There are two schools of thought about the usage, hence the exact meaning, of 'scuto'.


Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Faldage Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
there are people who think that possums make great eating.

Don't be confusing possum with 'possum. Two totally nother animals.


Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,230
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,230
>Don't be confusing possum with 'possum. Two totally nother animals.


Which is the point I was trying to make, obliquely.


Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Faldage Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
I was just trying to splain BobY that. Not sure he got the point.


Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,230
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,230
Indeed. The error in my last post was that I forgot to include a thanks for the assist. I'm not sure BobY would want to eat our possums, given that they are the major vector for bovine TB in NZ. That's a cross-species contamination I'm not willing to risk any more.


Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,289
B
veteran
Offline
veteran
B
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,289
Faldage, if you and max are trying to make the point that the Zildian marsupial is a possum and the American one is a 'possum, I have to cry Nitpicking! I don't believe I've ever heard anyone use the full form, opossum, except in a technical context and I don't think you find it with an apostrophe in the dictionary. Are you going to tell us that the plural of possum is possa?


Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,230
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,230
>Faldage, if you and max are trying to make the point that the Zildian marsupial is a possum and the American one is a 'possum, I have to cry Nitpicking!

Not I. The point I was trying to make was exactly as Faldage stated it, that they are two completely diferent animals, nothing more. The point was made relevant by your comment that some people like eating possums. Unless you've spent time in Oz or Zild, I think I can state with confidence that you've never eaten one of our possums.


EDIT I've just noticed that said disease-carrying, kiwi-killing, flora-munching pests were called "Zildian". Not so. They're an Oz invasion, and we would happily send them all back, if we could.

Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
W
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
And from what I gather about our USA 'possums, they ain't really that good--kinda like eating baked grease wrapped in skin.


Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Faldage Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
I merely included the apostrophe in the name of the USn beast to distinguish it from the antipodean one. As for nit-picking, my reputation exceeds me.


Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
B
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
B
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
Mmmmmmmmmm baked grease, wrapped in skin. Is it salted?


Page 2 of 3 1 2 3

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,283
Members9,179
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 302 guests, and 2 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,510
LukeJavan8 9,916
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5