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

Well Alexander is easy enough. Listen to it: Alec-Sander.

Hugh to Shug is an odd one, but no odder than "Nobby" Clark. (I assume we have had "Why 'Nobby'?" somewhere in the backlog of this illustrious thread?)

B

>> Munchkin, only posting cause he got mentioned. <<

Hmmm.. I wonder.



Mycroft
anhaga
cl zoomer
tonsil revenge
nicki
Spiff
Bossell
azahar
tefkat
six7s
Jack Naples
Clare
Zarquon's Singing Fish
manolan
Phil
David B the singing librarian
casper
Is mise Duncan
Bald Bloke
Researcher 135640...

Now let's sit back and see if they come when they're called.

~jwf~

Er... Hello
You called

Oh yes - please bring back Mycroft and Nikki!

Hello. Yes I'm still here reading the postings but without much to add.
A question did almost cross my mind the other day but then I thought nought of it till now.
Why are subscribers and underwriters not quite one and the same thing?

Hello all,

wasn't around much in 2003, but, hey, "When you call my naa-aame, Oh I couldn't explai-aine!"

As for the topic(s):

Well, on the subject of 'nouning adjectives than of adjectivising nouns.'

We may not talk about 'labours' (at least not in parliamentary terms, Hercules), but Senator McCarthy referred unfondly to 'reds'.

These words often seem to stick more firmly when terms of abuse. As Tory was, initially.

Oh, and I had to look up 'portly' for a look at the origin Gnomon gave us, and found in my Chambers the suggestion that it used to be rather more positive than the modern usage. ie 'portly' meant 'having a *good* or stately comportment.

Today of course, it just means phat!

cya one and all
spiff

Still here, just lurking. In the words of Young Mr Grace, "You're all doing very well!"

Following ~jwf~'s success I wonder if this will work? (or just end in me being ostrich-sized)

nighthoover

I think ~jwf~'s list had actually contributed to the thread, Ictoan.

Nice try, though

just because you can do the smiley!

The answer to one of the cryptic crossword clues in the paper the other day was 'inapt'. I must admit I didn;t get it as I have never heard of this word before, although I have now found it in the Miriam Webster oinline dictionary. So am I just woefully undereducated or is this an americanism? Or a britishism I haven't heard of? Has anyone here heard of it? Personally I'd tend to say 'that isn't apt' if I had to make a negative of apt. I can see how, if it isn't an original word on its own, it might have come from inept and inert. Hmm, I wonder if that is where Stormin' Norman get his 'the troops are ert' from?

Phil not sure what you mean, as the words have many uses.

I think the difference is (in the financial world)
Subscribers pay a subscription to to someone else in order that something is created in return they may receive something, share of profits, copy of magazine / book.

An underwriter doesn't pay anything at the time but gaurentees to provide something usually money if it's required and the conditions of the gaurentee are met.
So someone underwriting, for instance, the publication of a book would only cough up to cover the costs if it failed to sell enough copies.

Apropos of prefixed words we have lost 'Inapt' reminds me of 'inept' - though we don't have 'ept' to go with it.

Subscribe and Underwrite remind me of Vanguard and Avant Guard both of which came into English from the same French route, but which took on different spellings and meanings because of the different times in which they were imported.

Oh, and a Canuk pun especially for ~jwf~

"The Left Wing in Candada is more gauche than sinister"

Ben

Head Mistress W has noted that we are set upon a New Year. At times of new beginnings it seems appropriate to take attendance, as it were. I felt it incumbent upon me to call the roll.

Even more so because it is the Chinese New Year, the year of the Monkey. And it was in this spirit (to the haunting strains of Auld Lang Syne played on classical oriental instruments somewhere's off) that old acquaintances were remembered.



Wumbeevil
Grey Desk
Pheroneous
Red Dog
Clive the flying Ostrich
james
Spiny
ArgonO
and
Muqtadee
who once summed up a common BRITENG raisin d'etre quite brilliantly:

"In Tower Hamlets the more 'established' gangs have names such as 'Cannon Street Posse', 'Brick Lane Massive', and 'Stepney Massive'. Now, 'posse' is quite clear to me -- but 'massive'? I'd ask one of the youngsters, but I'd rather appear cool and 'with it' to them by finding out here first!"


~jwf~

PS:
a note to philatelists from
http://www.canadapost.ca/textonly/personal/collecting/default-e.asp?stamp=whatnew&allstp=0

"Now Available - Year of the monkey -
January 8, 2004
There's something new under the moon.
Canada Post's very popular Lunar New Year stamp series celebrates its eighth year with a difference. This year's stamps illustrate a narrative - two scenes from the classic Chinese tale Journey to the West."

For the whole monkey tail:
http://www.canadapost.ca/textonly/personal/corporate/about/newsroom/pr/default-e.asp?prid=972



~jwf~

And for those who prefer to just look at pictures:

http://www.downtownstamps.bc.ca/stamps/monkey.html

Ictoan - picking up on 'inapt'.

I might say inappropriate - perhaps inapt is therefore an abbreviation?

Ictoan -

I have heard of it, altho I can't recall where I read it

I bet the crossword designer just threw it in to befuddle people, and annoy those people who fill crosswords in pen...

What was the clue for that answer?

....maybe it was derived from aptitude...some admin clipboard person that couldn't be bothered to write the whole inaptitude thing....

Well, apt is a perfectly usable Brit Eng word.

B

Indeed it it is, and I am fully cogniscent of 'apt'!

The lcue was "Not fit to sleep in it (5)" and if anyone can explain how you get from that to 'inapt' I would be most grateful!

I'm used to the word pit equating to bed, as in
"Get out of that stinking pit." or an inebriated person referring to his (invariably his) spinning pit.
"Fit" associated with "P.T."
"Not" with "in"

I give up.