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

What is this talk of rapping up the thread? You haven't been abored long enough to get board.
Admittedly most of our musings are somehow tied up with etymology, but even there some of us have disagreed "gloriously, passionately, devotedly, hopelessly" with the so-called authorities. I, for example, derive all senses of twit from nit wit and can continue to argue the different possible derivations of nit, if required.

I have

Perhaps i have the wrong end of the stick with this thread, but asking a question of an online dictionary may well give a supposedly authoratative answer, but asking the same question here can lead to all sorts of unexpected knowledge and linguistic treasure. Sometimes it is even the simplest most basic questions which generate reams and reams of text. Sometimes, hidden amongst ~jwf~'s ramblings there is even the answer

btw. which is the wrong end of the stick? How do you tell?

I agree,concur and am of the same opinion,Ictoan.
I assume the wrong end of the stick is the dirty end, from the Roman use of sponges on sticks, pre-dating loo paper, but I'm happy to be entertained by anyone who thinks different(ly)

I believe the expression comes from sticks which were used for bottom-wiping purposes. You *really* wouldn't want to get the wrong end of the stick then. Eugh...

Very sinister all together!

Can I ask all here if this is a real word?

Paleolontological - referring to the evidence provided by Paleontology

I just does not feel right.

turvy

It is certainly a plausible word and follows the usual 'rules' of word construction, but you're right, it does 'feel' odd. I think it's the way it ends with 'ontological.' Of course, any lexical unit which conveys meaning between two or more people could be argued to be a real word...

pa·le·on·tol·o·gy
Pronunciation: "pA-lE-"än-'tä-l&-jE, -&n-, esp British "pa-
Function: noun
Etymology: French paléontologie, from palé- pale- + Greek onta existing things (from neuter plural of ont-, On, present participle of einai to be) + French -logie -logy -- more at IS
Date: 1838
: a science dealing with the life of past geological periods as known from fossil remains. See also pa·le·on·to·log·i·cal

Resorting to a dictionary is surely cheating!

Not with that spelling it isn't. It should be 'palaeontological', not 'palaeolontological'.

In America, it is spelt 'paleontological' because Americans don't like the ae and oe combinations in such words, hence Eon instead of Aeon, medieval instead of mediaeval etc.

Thanks

turvy

There are enough "A"s in the States, we don't need any extras thank you.

I just got an e-mail that post No 5665 which I posted in November last year has had two asterisks inserted. I thought I put the asterisks in myself when I posted it. Probably not though, as Spiff rapped me on the knuckles afterwards. Whatever.

Did the word used to be Seat? Soot? Iraq?

Ok. Enough trouble from me. I'll go back to lurking unless someone else wants to talk about Aiches 'n Ays.

what's a phobia for wrongly spelt homophones called?
Hoards of people a currently hording face masks here. (who has just finally given that speaking lesson in which all present were wearing surgical masks)

what's a phobia for wrongly spelt homophones called?
UHmm.. ho-moan-ophono-phobia?



In my original query about 'ample' I suggested it was not a widely used word. I could not think of more than two examples. It usually preceeds advertised amenities like 'free parking' where it implies that there is 'plenty' of space for any expected circumstance. It even sounds assured of having a built in comfort zone for any contingency. In this sense, it is a good thing.

But when the question of buxom comes up, 'ample' seems to imply more than just plenty, in fact it suggests abundance to a fault. While some of the male persuasion have an unhealthy enthusiasm for these at their prime and they do have a built in comfort zone, there is an inevitable downside to oversized breasts. This is not such a good thing.

Now I have finally thought of another example of ample and it is quite disturbing.. In 'ample warning', we find it is used generally in a negative way. "The victims did not have ample warning..." or "You did not give us ample warning..."

If you overcome your reflexive sympathy for these victims and look at the statement logically, it becomes obvious that they did not really need 'ample' warning, but probably could have been saved with just 'sufficient' warning. There is no need for extra warning, no sense of wanting any 'surplus' warning, only a wish that there had been 'enough', perhaps even 'any' warning.

Makes me wonder how ample came to mean all of the above: plenty, excessive and merely sufficient.


You have been warned.
Sufficient unto thy end is the ample there-of.


~jwf~

Mikey,

"I'll go back to lurking unless someone else wants to talk about Aiches 'n Ays."

Whilst looking for something completely different, I happened upon:
http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/drlang007.html

If it was dragged out earlier, I'm sorry I must have missed it. There may not be much that wasn't covered one way or another but it has got some nice, complicated words and concepts.

Hmm the ample discussion also brings to mind the word girth which seems only to used in somewhat more salacious writings and only seems to be really used to describe the circumference of the male member.
Or are you all going to tell me you use it all the time for all sorts of things?

We clearly move in different circles.
Amongst my acquaintances "girth" applies to waist measurement.