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#200931 07/03/11 05:35 AM
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I was really surprised to start my week off at work with this word.
Before google started dominating the "search engine world, i was a staunch follower of the website called www.askjeeves.com, which now is just www.ask.com.

It also reminds me of the popular Bruce Wayne/Batman and his jeeves - Alfred Pennyworth.

Cheers,
neo

Last edited by neo; 07/03/11 05:36 AM.
neo #200932 07/03/11 08:22 AM
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If you have not yet read any of the P.G. Wodehouse novels about Jeeves, you should do so. Delightful stuff, marvelously written.

Tromboniator #200942 07/03/11 03:02 PM
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Hear, hear.
And being a real fan of Bruce and Alfred, I cheer him too.


----please, draw me a sheep----
neo #200955 07/04/11 12:07 AM
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The book on tape version of Wodehouse with Johnathan Cecil as reader is even better than reading it yourself. the variety of accents are marvellous.

neo #200962 07/04/11 05:12 PM
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I am from the land of Jeeves but today I want to speak of 'ravel'. This is a word I had never heard until I came to the US 39 years ago. I grew up with 'unravel', which curiously, you show used in one of your example. So which is it?
I have always thought of 'ravel' as American English.

haoleboy #200963 07/04/11 05:28 PM
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>which is it?

that's the whole point of this week's theme - to ravel can mean ravel or unravel! : )

haoleboy #200964 07/04/11 05:37 PM
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WELCOME HAOLEBOY


----please, draw me a sheep----
neo #200969 07/04/11 09:54 PM
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I know that sleep can knit the raveled sleeve of care but that is the only place I have seen it un-un'ned.

Zed #200970 07/04/11 10:02 PM
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un-un'ned. grin
or disunned wink

Zed #200971 07/04/11 10:19 PM
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My first association at seeing today's word was with the composer Ravel. Then I read the whole story.
Middle Dutch word ravelen lives on as rafelen and it has the same somewhat ambiguous meaning.

BranShea #200981 07/05/11 12:47 PM
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Thats interesting Bran.

And I think the word ravel relates to sewing and embroidery because if you unravel the woven material it then becomes very tangled if one is not careful.

Candy #200995 07/05/11 11:26 PM
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Originally Posted By: Candy
Thats interesting Bran.

And I think the word ravel relates to sewing and embroidery because if you unravel the woven material it then becomes very tangled if one is not careful.


That's pretty close to the actual history of the word.

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