Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2004

In the prison memoir "Newjack" by Ted Conover, the inmates
cry "Dimmie" to mean an Uncle Tom. Anyone know where it comes from?

What is the origin of this word, in the sense of "Severe criticism,
especially a negative review"?  
Is it a metaphor for "frying" the recipient of the pan in a hot
cooking utensil?

Will you tell me the closest word which can replace both "unreal"s
which appear in the following excerpt.
Since I was underaged, I was not allowed to enter the casino, but I
could watch. The cashiers give the people who are playing the slot

[Emailed to Andrew Franklin of Profile Books, and posted to
alt.usage.english.]
Dear Sir,
I opened all my Christmas presents on Christmas Eve, same as

What's the difference in meaning between:
I wouldn't be surprised if someday you wouldn't be going with us.
and
I wouldn't be surprised if someday you would be going with us.

I'm look for a sample memo that request for additional headcount and
will be send to my HR department.
Does anyone has any resources related to this topic?
Million thanks!

So Mary goes "What are you doing here?"
Then I go "Waiting for John"
And Marcia went "None of you business, whatever"
In Australia, we had a comedy character "Kylie Mole" (no relation to to Kylie Minogue) who became infamous for her "she goes, she goes" routine.

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Anyone with a serious professional or avocational interest in lexicography
is welcome to join a new Lexicography email discussion list. For details,
visit Internet URL:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lexicographylist/

Anyone with a serious professional or avocational interest in lexicography
is welcome to join a new Lexicography email discussion list. For details,
visit Internet URL:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lexicographylist/

There is slight confusion over the British way with
quotation
marks. If the quotation is known to be a complete sentence
then the full stop (or, indeed, comma) IS included within

More from the land of freedom of speech:
Boy punished for talking about gay mom
http://tinyurl.com/xbq4
On cnn.com today.

In that song (I have the Frank Sinatra's version), there are some words and
expressions that I do not understand nor can I find them in my dictionaries:
1.- "Macheath", as in
" Just a jack knife has macheath dear

What is the proper way to refer to the waste inside your nose? Nose sh.t?

Wrt the CAPITALIZED expression:
-------
But after a moment we shall perceive that if at nineteen Pansy has
become a young lady, she does not really fill out the part; that if