Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2004

I've tested all of the links in the Resources (Categorized
Links) file at my Web site.  There were eleven bad links,
and they have now been repaired.
You can see a list of the repairs in my "What's New" file at

In a recent discussions of standards of measurement I made
the mistake of picking up on something someone else had said
and using it myself as if it was true.
It appears that I shouldn't have been so trusting.  A little

"Wail on his head" seems to be a fairly rare American expression (only
a few googlehits). Is that usage regional, dialect or just something
that's rare or rarely written down?    
Best regards,

"Part of Crown State (Mental) Hospital land was to be sold for
develoment, and I led a hike there to see it before home builders
bought it and cut it down.  I didn't explain in advance that it was
posted No Trespassing, because I don't think such signs have any

A friend bought a Tivo, like a vcr with a hard drive instead of a
cassette tape.
It turns out that, although they used to work on their own or with
their info service (basically a digital TV Guide and some frills) for

I hate the new M-W site. First of all it's ugly; but worse yet, they removed
all the dates from their definitions! I wonder why? Maybe they were found to
be innacurate. Does anyone know?

They used the word "shambles" twice tonight in one tv show.
Coincidences are fun.
s/ meirman    If you are emailing me please  
say if you are posting the same response.

In the US, what's 'low rise' for dwelling type?  Basement?

"Aroo from "x"?
"I am. aroo?
"Do you eat schputs?"
"Bedad, I do"

Hi, I'm Korean and I'm working on updating English-Korean dictionary, so I
need plenty of information about newly emerging English. Could anybody help
me getting this information?

"It's a red herring that misguided people throw up to distract you
from the real issues."
What does it mean?
Well, a herring is a fish, you know, a small Atlantic fish that swims

Can someone tell me if the parts in capital letters in the following text
are right or wrong?
"Will you let me know if you want me to send you this book or if you'd
rather I 'LL KEEP (1) it until the next time I SEE YOU (2)?

Who's embedded these days?

I apologize if this has been discussed before. I searched through the AUE
site and FAQ and couldn't find it mentioned.
I've always thought it was a rule of grammar that when you list people, you
should always put yourself last, e.g.:

I often get confused whether to use a to-infinitive verb
or a bare verb after the verb "help."
Even in a single well-known book, an author uses sentences like;
(1) This method helps the researcher understand the problems.