Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2004

Here's a little puzzle ... in what city in England did
this takeaway converstaion take place?
"Cheese and tom in a bap."
"There you go, loov."

Can anyone tell me which of the following is correct? My head says the
second but the first sounds better.
People who compare the "oppression" of homosexuals to the persecution of
the Jews by Nazi Germany are insulting the dead.

I just remembered another use of "truck."
I don't think most SUV owners call their vehicles "trucks" but people in
the motor trade in these parts (Montreal) do -- I've heard it from a
salesman in in the leasing business and from a couple of mechanics.

Where can I get duckboards made from real ducks?

I know that pronunciation place names is hard to talk about in a text only
group, but I was looking for some help about two place names.
The first is that beautiful town in Holland called Scheveningen; throughout
my life I have pronounced it almost as if it were an English word:

In a TV commercial (ad) this morning, what I call "rubber bands" were
called "elastics." (Later in the same commercial, they were called
"rubber bands.")
Is "elastics" a new name for rubber bands? An older name? Is it,

An AP wire story in this morning's paper had this:
"Japan, the second-biggest financier of the United Nations,..."
This seems an odd use of "financier"; I wonder if the author meant
"financer".   My usual dictionaries agree that a financier is someone

Rey, what's this mean:
"Maledicta 1/2 (Winter, 1977), 220 pp., is permanently out of print as of 1
February 2003. Very sorry."
This issue of Maledicta will *never* be in print again?  Why?  How can you say

Did I hear that the Queen has clubbed a peasant to death?  I would
think she is too old to accomplish such a thing.
s/ meirman    If you are emailing me please  
say if you are posting the same response.

It's not fair, Rey!  How come they're out of print?  Do a Maledicta BOX SET!!
I'd totally ask Santa Claus for it!  Also "Hillary's Pen Pal" is not available
on Amazon, except used.  And used books are NARST!  I don't know if someone
didn't cream all over it or something.  Many ...

A "philosopher" is a "culture thinker".  So, a "philologist" must be a "culture
logicist", right?
What exactly is the difference between "logic" and "thought".  And, then,
what's a "philologian" and how does it differ from a "philologist"?  In

plz can anyone help me and tell me the meaning of this sentence!I GAVE
ESTELLA HER GROOVE BACK.
coz ive been hearing this sentence in a lot of rap songs!
id be thankful incase u help.

"Hillary Clinton 'truly regrets' Gandhi joke"
Why?  How can you "regret" something you did?
"Remarks called stereotypical, racially insensitive"
How so?  Why?

My wife just had a promotion offer from a mail order company she deals in.
Cheesy effort, couched as if it were a transcript of an internal memo
indicating why she had been a customer too long for the bronze award given
to recent customers, too regular a shopper for the silver award ...

I have heard something like "Down brise fire". Who can help me to understand
it? Thanks in advance
Eduardo
(Cadiz: Andalucia-Spain)