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>>do we really require two(2) spellings for the word 'disk'?
http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/<<
Well, that's as clear as mud! Waugh-gh-gh!
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>do we really require two(2) spellings for the word 'disk'?
I never thought about it before, so I looked in my dictionary, where I discovered that disk comes from the Latin word for quoit. Which raises an interesting question:
If we stop people from using one of the two spellings, could we possibly be performing quoitus interruptus???
TEd
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Ted and some friends were taking a stroll by the river one fine Parisian evening when he slipped and rolled down the Left Bank. "I guess I am in Seine," quipped Ted with riparian glee as he dragged himself from the water.
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>Ted and some friends were taking a stroll by the river one fine Parisian evening when he slipped and rolled down the Left Bank. "I guess I am in Seine," quipped Ted with riparian glee as he dragged himself from the water<
I didn't do it. (I'm in de Nile.) So you can just Crimea River (with apologies to Judy Collins).
I was wandering through England, trying to get to London, when I founds the Signs of the Thames. Then I opted for solitude, so it was off to: Avon to be alone. From there I went to Rome, where I wrote a tale by the Tiber.
Which sort of reminds me of the story of Pancho Villa. He knew that if he controlled the Rio Grande he would control northern Mexico. Ambrose Bierce suggested to him that he could prevent American gunboats' entering the river if he scuttled garbage scows across the mouth. Villa sneered at him, "Barges? Barges? We don't need no sinking barges!"
(Remember, YOU started this!!!) GRIN!!!!!
TEd
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In addition to the peeves mentioned already, nothing drives me more insaner than the double comparative!  Except possibly (and I thought I was going to be safe saying this as gasharootie had tsuwm locked away somewhere, but I see he's back!  ) the use of momentarily to mean 'in a moment'. Tsuwm, my dictionary is not only British (Shorter Oxford) but an old edition. I'm sure you have a US source to defend your usage - do you have any international ones, or is this purely a North American usage? And sorry, even if you quote me a source, I'll still hate it! This is beyond rational. I only ever hear it on planes about to land, and it always makes me wonder how the passengers are all meant to get out in that single moment...
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I seem to recall that this came up here previously and there was some agreement that it is yet another British v. American usage. Webster's Third New Int'l gives four senses for momentarily: 1) for a moment <only momentarily troubled by such reports> 2) instantly <he groaned, but momentarily recovered his composure> 3) in a moment <we expect his arrival momentarily> 4) in a few minutes <I'll be there momentarily>  I'll try to check the OED when I get a chance, unless someone has it to hand.
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which leads momentarily to the way that temporal terms in general tend to become inexact; or in the case of 'jiffy', an indeterminate time from a few seconds to forever, various disciplines use it to mean a) 1/100 of a second b) one millilscond and c) approximately one nanosecond.
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>YES! Your post...
Max, help! without context (at this late date) it's difficult to know with whom you're agreeing...
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