If you have been "hoist by your own petard" You have been strapped across a wide mouthed short barreled cannon and blown to bits
I once made a set of bookmarks with “Without Outwith Within” printed on them and used to slip them into dictionaries In bookshops and libraries
🙂
talked about ‘unchartered territory’ in it’s headline and copy.
Oh, the ironing 😉
The use of personally when expressing an opinion, as in "well personally I think that all Guls have brown heads". No neeeeeeeed!
If you have been “hoist by your own petard” You have been strapped across a wide mouthed short barreled cannon and blown to bits
Naaa. A petard was a small bomb or hand grenade. it means the thing has gone off in your face.
You're confusing it with being blown from a cannon which (I think) was a punishment originating in the Sikh army and adopted by the East India company as it was suitable gruesome.
If you have been “hoist by your own petard” You have been strapped across a wide mouthed short barreled cannon and blown to bits
No, you have not, it was an illusionary device written originally by Shakespeare (Hamlet, I think). It has no meaning other than the one given to it. it's never had any other use
Christ almighty, you're a crap pedant.
And while we are at it bring back thee and thou. YOu being used for plural and singular causes huge confusion
not in Glasgow. You is singular. Yous is plural!
Infinity is less clear as the maths is changing and there are now various different infinities. Eeeh when I were a lad there was just one.
Yes, but all infinities are infinite. They are not just a fairly big number. Cantor died in 1918.
talked about ‘unchartered territory’ in it’s headline and copy.
Oh, the ironing 😉
Arsebaubles.
Christ almighty, you’re a crap pedant.
But good at getting a 3 page stupid useless debate with lots of folk in it going.
🙂
But good at getting a 3 page stupid useless debate with lots of folk in it going.
Yes, I believe it's called "The Edinburgh defence" An original phrase meaning to hurriedly backpedal when you realise that you've been found out.
Oh, (as the kids say) teh ironing...
I find the use of genius irritating. Newton was a genius, someone kicking a football into a net from 10m not so much.
Christ almighty, you’re a crap pedant.
It all depends on how you define "pedant"
It all depends on how you define “pedant”
In this case, it's some-one who's been hoist by their own petard.
He was like, I've got your back, take an uninterested look at, can I get, don't get me wrong, if that makes sense, could of.
I'm sure Petard never meant a wide mouthed canon. I've always understood it as any disposable explosive device used in siege warfare. The internet now says it was a small conical or bell-shaped device, which I think is illustrative of how material is copied between websites. Derived from the French 'pet' (the English word for domestic companion animal must cause just as much amusement in French schools as the German for 'journey' does in English schools).
I think Shakespeare must have been referring to a real device as the audience wouldn't have understood the point if he'd just invented it; the next line of the play is about going one yard below their mines and blowing them to the moon - that's a reference to the original military use of 'mine', which meant digging a tunnel under the fortifications and exploding a bomb beneath them.
Cantor died in 1918.
Eddie Cantor is dead!? 😳
No, you have not, it was an illusionary device written originally by Shakespeare (Hamlet, I think). It has no meaning other than the one given to it. it’s never had any other use
Christ almighty, you’re a crap pedant.
Correct, it is indeed from Hamlet.
Fun fact, the etymology for 'petard' comes from a Latin word meaning fart. So you could argue that it means that one has farted so hard that it's knocked them off their feet.
I find the use of genius irritating. Newton was a genius, someone kicking a football into a net from 10m not so much.
In much the same way as "legend" has changed from the person who attacks a machine gun nest single-handedly to save the entire platoon, to coming back from the bar with bags of scratchings.
I find the use of genius irritating. Newton was a genius, someone kicking a football into a net from 10m not so much.
I like Schopenhauer's definition of genius- talent hits a target no one else can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see.
affect/effect
I've never in my life conflated / confused these two words until recently, where I've seen them used incorrectly so often that I now have to pause and think about which one if should be.
it is generally the stupid people that actually change it.
My biggest personal bugbear is the word "prevaricate". People use it in place of the word "procrastinate". There's a world of difference in their separate meanings.
I also like Robertson Davies on genius-
He was a genius - that is to say, a man who does superlatively and without obvious effort something that most people cannot do by the uttermost exertion of their abilities.
weight is a force and measured in newtons. W = mg therefore isn't a constant unlike mass. It is basic 1st year science.
also this is a misuse of words thread so STFU 😛
.
The only gul with a full black head is the Mediterranean Gul.
Or an Exxon one
“we will be landing momentarily”
Having looked this up, I learn "momentarily" can mean
"for a very short time."
or
"at any moment; very soon."
Though one appreciates this uniquely North American meaning is a recent perversion.
Happy - as in 'Find your happy'
Rich - as in 'Find your rich'
FFS
W = mg
W is watts, i.e. power.
🙂
I once landed momentarily at LBA. Well we didn't quite land - got to about 5 metres above the deck and suddenly we're at full power and going round for a second shot.
Passion is one where the meaning has drifted somewhat. I can't explain it better than David Mitchell.
Just thought of another one - eXpresso instead of eSpresso for coffee
Its not fast!
People who talk about mute points should just STFU.
I bet most of them could care less.
Surely a mute point has to be conveyed through the medium of sign language 🤔
"Salary" to mean "money". I always insist on being paid in bags of salt.
"Salad" to mean a plate of vegetables. I always make the waiter go fetch a salt grinder and turn that plate of vegetables into a proper salad.
In much the same way as “legend” has changed from the person who attacks a machine gun nest single-handedly to save the entire platoon, to coming back from the bar with bags of scratchings.
And here was me thinking it meant a story where people did difficult to believe things.
I thought it meant "foot."
Legend
Anthem
Act
Franchise
So, the first word in answer to a question.
Just thought of another one – eXpresso instead of eSpresso for coffee
Its not fast!
Are you doing this on purpose now?
There's no "X" only because it's not normally a part of the Italian alphabet. Espresso can mean many things...Expressed as in pressed out, or especially for the customer (as it's a individual serving), or fast like Express, there's no real settled etymology* I think the first patent for the espresso machine was granted because one of the innovations was that by using steam it was brewed near instantaneously.
* although I've no idea what the study of insects has to do with all this...(nerd joke)
* although I’ve no idea what the study of insects has to do with all this…
The relevance is these are things that 'bug' TJ 🙂
I have no idea if it's been said yet (I can't bear reading through four pages) but...
October: the tenth month when it means the eighth
December: the twelfth month when it means the tenth
This is because the original calendar only had 10 months until the Roman Empire and they decided to add a couple more named after Caesars.
Go on, see if you can work our which two months were added (no Googling).
Go on, see if you can work our which two months were added (no Googling).
Saladuary and Sidtember
Go on, see if you can work our which two months were added (no Googling).
March - after Marcus Aurelius off of Gladiator
April - after that Ape off of Planet of the Apes
Rare. Used to mean difficult to find or not happening very often and now seems to mean pile of shite that you should not waste any time on
Eleventyber - the month after October for the people of the village
Wetbutwarm - the long month in between September and May.
