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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
good one, consuelo!
fresh - a. 10c. Of a cow: yielding a renewed or greatly increased supply of milk; coming into milk. U.S.
freshen - v. d. Of a cow: to become fresh (see fresh a. 10c). U.S.
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2
stranger
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OP
stranger
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2 |
Wow, thank you all for the feedback. I thought it might be British. I have been using "quiet down" the whole of my life but, I rather like "quieten" now! : )It's always fun to learn new words - even if they aren't all that new!
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189 |
quiet/quieten down
I have always used both as well. But I always use "Quiet down!" as an order, a brusque assertion, or an exclamation. As a more gentle command it's usually, "Okay, everybody, quieten down." Strange, but I never really thought about it before this thread!
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Welcome, Brunetterr. It's interesting to me that using the three-syllable version seems more likely to accomplish the goal. It forces the hearer(s) to listen for a beat longer, and if they're listening, then presumably they are not making quite so much noise...
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204 |
Thanks for a n interesting thread, Brunetterr, I hope you stay around for a long while. To me, as a Brit, "to quieten" comes much more naturally as a verb, although I'll agree with b-y that "to quiet" is in very common use over here these days. But whenever I hear it, my mind registers it as 'an Amercanism' (with all the pejorative connotations that phrase has over here!)  As to "quieten down!, used as an imperative, I greatly prefer the old-fashioned (and rarely heard, these days) Brit naval command, "Keep silence!"
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204 |
Thanks for an interesting thread, Brunetterr, I hope you stay around for a long while. To me, as a Brit, "to quieten" comes much more naturally as a verb, although I'll agree with b-y that "to quiet" is in very common use over here these days. But whenever I hear it, my mind registers it as 'an Amercanism' (with all the pejorative connotations that phrase has over here!) As to "quieten down!", used as an imperative, I greatly prefer the old-fashioned (and, these days, rarely heard) Brit. naval command, "Keep silence!"
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 393
enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 393 |
Well, brusque imperatives don't have to be verbs. I could say "Quiet!" as I would "Silence!", "Here!", "Down!", "Slow!", "Bigger!.
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