 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| HomeDiscussion GroupsEnglish UsageBritish EnglishESL Teaching Learnglish.com Contact UsLink To UsSearch & Site Map |
Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2004Caucus Race
"There was no "One, two, three, and away!" but they began running when they liked, and left off when they liked, so that it was not easy to know when the race was over. However, when they had been running half an hour or so, and were quite dry again, the Dodo suddenly called out "The race is over!" and they all crowded round it, panting, and asking, "But who has won?"" I have just been watching some C-Span coverage of the Iowa Caucuses, and Mr Carroll's description seems very apt for the occasion. Since Lewis Carroll didn't come from Iowa, I suppose that there must have been similar institutions in England. Does anyone know anything about them?  SignatureFrances Kemmish Production Manager East Coast Youth Ballet www.byramartscenter.com > "There was no "One, two, three, and away!" but they began running when > they liked, and left off when they liked, so that it was not easy to [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > have been similar institutions in England. Does anyone know anything > about them? Hmmm. I thought the Iowa ones were modeled after the Carroll ones. Heaven knows what kind of caucus Bush's Bremer, et al have envisioned for Iraq. The Shi'as are screaming already! >"There was no "One, two, three, and away!" but they began running when >they liked, and left off when they liked, so that it was not easy to [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >have been similar institutions in England. Does anyone know anything >about them? The colleges of Cambridge had them, and presumably Oxford since Carroll was an Oxford don. Cornford sends them up in Microcosmographia Academica (written about 1910). ISTR that they were still a part of the system, when it came to electing college masters and similar business, in the 1970s. I don't know whether they predated the American usage of caucus which some authorities think is a genuine American coinage, possibly from an Algonquin word. The fact that OED has the word as American, despite OED being based in Oxford, suggests that it probably is American. Mike Page |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2012 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.