h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The verb "to be" doesn't have objects. (ie it is intransitive)
My sons ARE handsome young men. The things both sides of the verb are =.Technically they are both subjects, in the nominative case. Traditionally, the second one has always been called a complement.
Thus, "Which man is your husband?" - both man and husband are subjects.
Other verbs operate in the same way: "My long-distance friend is called jwf". It is possible to change the order of this type of sentence without changing the underlying meaning, but the emphasis does change slightly: "the chap called jwf is my long distance friend"
Translate "What is that?" into German and the possibility of sucj switches should become clearer.
My Chinese students mostly think that ALL verbs can have objects; it's very difficult to convince them otherwise

Apparently, the original smart aleck was called Alex Hoag, a 19th century thief who used prostitutes to rob their customers.

http://www.wordwizard.com/askww/foundaskww.asp?num=342

On another point, I've known an Alexander who shortened his name to Sandy, I think it's a Scottish thing.

Thank you, . Now I am more actively aware that the verb "to be" does not have an object, which I should have known really, as we have to take the nominative in German for both parts of the sentence.

So now I just need someone to confirm that it's simply the one placed *before* the verb that determines the form of the verb, or whether it depends on the meaning intended. It's even harder in German, where syntax, like in Latin, plays no part in affecting the meaning, because of the unambiguousness due to declinations (OKOK I know we're talking intranstive verbs, and that applies to sentences with transitive verbs in them, but that is exactly what the problem is.)

Plaguesville, I did see your post and read it a couple of times, but although it answered one or two points, it didn't quite specify what was bothering me.

I promise to all lookers-on who aren't bothered by this that this will be my last post on this subject.

TC,

I feel stupid because I cannot appreciate the meaning of your question.

Does this help:

Numerous athletes will convey the Olympic Flame to the Olympic Stadium.

"It is they who convey the Flame."

"They are the select group which conveys the Flame."

Each is a combination of two sentences. One sentence uses the verb "to be", one doesn't:

"It is they. They convey the Flame."

"They are the select group. The select group conveys the Flame."

The individual subjects govern the appropriate verb.
If you want the passive usage, I'll give it a go but it won't be so clear.

Logicus agreed,with me
I am still trying to work out which post
Not that i can explain it,or even remember it
Larry.Curley,Mo. Baseball sketch i thing covers it,someone i dare say will have a link.
What on first base who was on third base and all that,but then again
Understanding complexities ,involving past pretense postprepreposition followed by a suposition lead to a something or other.what with some verbs and adverbs being one and the same past or present
other complications ect
e:g run ran ,running (never ranned ranning)

What was that about a preposterousness followed by a suppository?

Some girls called Alexandra are known as Lexy. Haven't heard that applied to Alexander.

Getting back to our core topic, I recently discovered a curiously British English thing about 'balmy'.

To most of the English speaking world the word 'balmy' simply describes the weather on those wonderfully warm days of sunshine that are refreshed by warm gentle breezes.

So I've always wondered how it ever came to have a second meaning in British English which is actually listed at dicdotcom as a synonym for:

>> "1: informal or slang term for mentally irregular [syn: bats, batty, bonkers, buggy, cracked, crackers, daft, dotty, fruity, haywire, kooky, kookie, loco, loony, loopy, nuts, nutty, wacky]" <<

In researching the best way to present this item to the thread I did manage to figure it out. I won't divulge the story here just yet because I'm sure you will enjoy the discovery if you don't already know.

It involves a corrupted spelling of another British English word because the English accent rendered the other word into sounding like 'balmy'.

Foaming at the mouth and beer drinking are essential elements in this metamorphosis, but happily (plaguesville will be pleased) no preposterousness or suppositories are involved.


~jwf~

>> ..girls called Alexandra are known as Lexy. Haven't heard that applied to Alexander. <<

The name Lex as in 'Lex Luther' (from Superman) or 'Lex Gigeroff' (writer of the Halifax produced scifi series 'Lexx - The Dark Zone' is originally a contraction of Alex or Alexander.

But it's like some of the other nicknames we've discussed that have come to exist on their own. Some children are christened or registered as Betty (not Elizabeth) or Maggie (not Margaret).

So today, Lex is often just 'Lex', and people named Lex will protest if you insist their name is Alex or Alexander. They will produce birth certificates and driver's licenses that show they are not an Alex just a 'Lex'. It is my experience (based on the two I mentioned in my opening preamble) that as a group they tend to be highly strung and favour their dark side.


~jwf~

yesa plug what a nice smiley

Possible ref to lex and alexandra/ia would or may be found
(lex taken for king)
is feaseable.

"So I've always wondered how it ever came to have a second meaning in British English which is actually listed at dicdotcom as a synonym for:

>> "1: informal or slang term for mentally irregular [syn: bats, batty, bonkers, buggy, cracked, crackers, daft, dotty, fruity, haywire, kooky, kookie, loco, loony, loopy, nuts, nutty, wacky]" <<"


Erm, what?
Now I am confused because as far as I am concerned, "balmy" is the nice sunny day with beautiful skies etc. The looney variety is "barmy".
Balmy != Barmy.
As in 'Barmy Army'
But then I put 'barmy' into Miriam Webster and it came back with ": full of froth or ferment" which is not the main meaning as far as I am concerned although I can see how it gave rise to the meaning I know.
Bloomin' second rate foreign dictionaries

Of course, I do admit to not being the greatest authority on language so I could be wrong!

Yeah it seems strange, but to an non-British ear the Brits pronounce 'barmy' exactly like 'balmy'. Obviously I am not alone in this perecption or dictdot would not list them as synonyms of each other. And if dictdot lists it, the corrupted spelling msut be well established.

I still wonder if the 'barm' bit in the original 'barmy' refers to the foaming-at-the-mouth of 'mad' dogs or the suds on the faces of beer sodden fools, but clearly 'balmy' is 'barmy' is 'balmy'.

If 'barm' cakes have nothing to do with any of this I hope someone will steer me away from heading down that long and winding road.


~jwf~

olde english
be doing no harm>shortening< be'arm less> as in he be harmless
or he do you harm he will he'll be harming you
much easier to say he barmy
be doing you harm><barmy

Barmy is definitely frothy, or as Estuary-speak would have it, fwoffy.

A favourite cakey raisin bread here (IRL) especially around halloween is barm brack

Hey Guys, This Barmy business has been did. Back in the days shortly after Mamma Kaeori kicked off the whole thing; when TC was being wheeled about in her pram and Wanderin' was trying to keep her offspring in order. There are other names which may be familiar to some of you. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/F19585?thread=46483&post=357168#p357168 starting at #59 with a short run and revisited at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/F19585?thread=46483&post=669459#p669459 #1354 with a longer run. My reference to Bludragon was erroneous, it should have been Cheerful Dragon; but when you've seen one dragon ... Her favourite colour is blue, which I claim to be the reason for my mistake.

The OED admits no connection between balm(y) and barm(y).
No crossover.
Nada.
Zilch.
Anyone who tries to tell you different is a false prophet.

Balm is sweet smelling resinous substance, ointment, and what is used for embalming.

Barm is the product of fermenting yeast like what Recumbentman said: "It's fwoffy, man".
It has been in use at least since the early 17th century as mild abuse or reproof: "barm-froth poet" and "barmy-brained". Today, probably equating to "air-head".

~jwf~ You'll be familiar with Jack's and Vera's use of the phrase:
"You barmpot".

A "barmcake" is made from bead dough, it is from 5 to 10 inches in diameter depending on the whim of the bakery and, similarly, stands an inch and a half or so high. It may or may not be baked in a baking tray. Normally used for making sandwiches.

Lurking if you don't mind.

We don't mind. The more the merrier (which is an interesting construction difficult to translate into other languages)
you had me fooled: I really believed you'd read the backlog of the original thread event -u -ally (post Rupert)Perhaps, like me, your synapses are slipping
The one before the verb governs the agreement eg It appears to me that they're barmy. They appear to be doolally. I am completely round the bend and so are the other contributors to this thread.We seem to have covered that one then. OK, folks, we won't mention it again (we shall not mention it again?)

>> .. you had me fooled: <<

Another myth shattered.

If I was the national debt - and believe me sometimes that negative concept is all I have to hang on to, intellectually and emotionally and therefore quite often physically - would you forgive me?

There is such a sweet mix of guilt and honour and hope and duty in the idea of a national debt. Call me balmy, but if ideas are all we have, then maybe it would be a good idea to forgive all debts and start afresh.

Inevitably, erasure or forgiveness or forgetfullness or revisionism closes the book on our true past. But interestingly it also means that the best ideas will be revisited again and again as we strive toward perfection in a world of heartless thieves, merciless killers, cheating husbands, drunks and gamblers.

Such is the nature of life and so it is reflected in the myths, for that is the story of, that's the glory of, Liff, the Uni et al. Each generation fills in the blanks and writes another blank cheque.


~jwf~