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

Me I try and drink ale rather than just generic beer though some are rather bland and generic ales. I will therefore have some pints of ale. Sometimes I have some ales. At other times I'll have pints of some ales.

It's just taken me an hour to read what you've been doing while I've been away - getting rid of my gall bladder. Since the function of this organ is to store alkaline bile and add it to the exiting stomach contents to stop the acid burning the guts, how does gall come to mean impudence or cheek, or bitterness or spitefulness? I would have thought those qualities implied acid? The gall meaning a painful swelling is, I believe, related to the oak gall or oak apple. Since the adjective from Gaul is Gallic, do you think the spite etc meanings are yet another dig at the French? - who is about to try non generic ales

Lovely to have what's left of you back with us, WS!

I brief glance in my small dictionary reveals that gall is from Old Norse. I'm sure we must have several Old Norse experts contributing to this thread.

Where's the Spearcarrier? Where's TC? Are they having bits removed too?

Old timers will recall that TC long threatened us with an index for this and the original thread. I have always feared that it would be too great an undertaking. But how about a page for 'Highlights' - those gems of wit and wisdom that have enriched the thread from the beginning?

I agree that 'if I were' sounds better, i.e. of a higher register, but 'if I was' usually sounds more natural to me.
I was thinking more about the indicative subjunctive – 'We demand that he be released' etc., which, as you said yourself, "[the subjunctive] is pretty much only used in the conditional". This is true for Brit Eng, but not elsewhere.

I believe some conservative dialects, e.g. Western, preserved elsewhere obsolete forms such as 'whom' and the subjunctive up to the 17th Century. These dialects then formed the basis of speech in the Colonies. As you mentioned, these forms should by rights have evolved out of existence. In colloquial English speech, they generally have. However they have been kept alive by (among others) grammarians anxious to maintain English's tenuous links with Latin.

Pattern-chaser, the bracket (or square bracket) convention is certainly that used by newspapers. Can't shed any more light than that.

Thanks, manolan. I've carried on looking for info myself, and found an article (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_quote.html) that says that omitted material should be represented by an ellipsis (no square brackets), and added or changed material should be enclosed in square brackets. I was just wondering how authoritative this was? [I.e. is there an 'authority' on this, or is it just as variable as everything else about English? ]

Pattern-chaser

"Who cares, wins"

Those seeking enlightenment on 'gall' should search for 'the four humours', a Medieval medical concept which identified the four major vital fluids in the body including gall, bile, phlegm, ..etc.

These four bodily fluids are the products of the internal organs and each has a distinctive colour and effect. It was believed that any major imbalance of these fluids caused illness and any minor imbalance merely determined personality and behavior.

I will cite only 'phlegmatic' as one example we still hear today and leave those interested to discover for themselves the joys of medieval science.

Shakespeare was well steeped in the bodily fluids and their effect on mood and personality and refers to them often. He not only has a sincere belief in the accuracy and authourity of these new-fangled notions but seems to be committed to educating others to be more aware of these determinants.
peace
jwf

Gall, as in "the Gall of the Fella" probly comes from the "chafing" meaning as in

v. galled, gall·ing, galls
v. tr.

To make (the skin) sore by abrasion; chafe.

I must say I'd never thought of it as similar to Bile before - however it appears Gall is "The bitter, alkaline, viscid fluid found in the gall bladder, beneath the liver. It consists of the secretion of the liver, or bile, mixed with that of the mucous membrane of the gall bladder." Thus Bile is part of Gall ()...

manolan,

'Since this is the BritEng thread, that really should say "I would only use the term in two cases" or "the only times...." '

The first time I read this, I thought it had hit one of my bêtes noires right between the eyes. I speak, of course, of:
"This is ONE OF THE ONLY (e.g.)U Boats to have survived the war."
Aaaaarrgghhh!

The chief weapon of the British English Inquisition is constant vigillance; constant vigillance and pedantry. Ah! The two main weapons of the British English Inquisition are constant vigillance and pedantry; constant vigillance and pedantry and willingnes to speak out. Ah! The three ....

That's the beauty of cut and paste: once you've made a spelling mistake you can repeat it as often as you like with hardly any inconvenience.

Gobles Propoganda Manual: "Tell the same lie often enough and the masses will believe it."
six7's

That's a lie!

Or,
"Even this shall pass away."
Theodore Tilton

Is that the actual original quote which is much bandied-about these days as 'This too shall pass.'
Supplementary question sir?
Who is Teddy Tilton and where does he say this?

There's material for a whole new thread - 'Popular Misquotes'.

jwf 'what goes around comes around'

There was a guy at our church whose boast was:
"The laws of the Medes and Persians may change but my watch never does." by which he meant not that his watch had stopped, but that it was never wrong. The M & P in the bible had the reputation for strict adherence to their rules which made things look black for poor Daniel after the king had been conned into issuing a decree about not worshipping unauthorised deities.

http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?passage=daniel+6&version=KJV&showfn=yes&showxref=yes&language=english
This, I fancy was the inspiration for the poem - which is:

http://www.concentric.net/~conure/away.shtml

Isn't it great having the links back?

Oh, I'm not suggesting I'm an authority on middle eastern styled verse (I only like limericks) we just seem to collide in that area.

"I only like limericks"

To be more precise, I like only limericks.

And, what is more, I dislike "thee" "thou" and "... eth" and the poseurs who stick to it, so I don't know why I gave you the old King James' stuff. This is much clearer:
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?passage=daniel+6&version=NLT&showfn=yes&showxref=yes&language=english
Mea culpa!
Sorry.

It's not pseud if it's your mother tongue is it? eg there are large bits of northern England where they still use "thee", if not "thou", and where the possessives are "his'n" and "her'n", at least if the things possessed are plural.
Re humours and bodily fluids:like Inspector Clouseau "I knew that",jwf, but it still strikes me that the ancients got it the wrong way round as bile does the pacifying.

"This is ONE OF THE ONLY (e.g.) U Boats to have survived the war."

OK, plaguesville, educate me if you will. I'm always happy to learn something knew. What is the lingua-crime of which this is an example? I'm afraid I can't see the problem.

Pattern-chaser

"Who cares, wins"

<>

Woe, woe and thrice woe! It really annoys me when others do that! I meant "something new", of course.

Pattern-chaser

"Who cares, wins"