Discussion Groups / English Usage / November 2006

The only definition I was able to cull for "What ho!" is "an
exclamation of calling."
Is there more significance to it?
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Excerpt from today's NYTimes:
But when The New York Times prints a timely editorial about "sock
puppets," meaning false identities assumed on the Internet, the
O.E.D. has more work to do.  [end excerpt]

What's the difference between a request and an invitation?

I'm not sure about the meaning of the following (and the dictionary is
of not much help):
-I'm booked sold today
-a whack-job

I see this in reviews of movies all the time. The reviewer will say the
actor and actresses "chew up the scenery". What are they talking about?

"Renia" <renia@DELETEotenet.gr> wrote in message
news:ei0vt6$jcd$1@mouse.otenet.gr...

Or LEARNED.

I'm trying to locate those few parts of English spelling which are
consistent. I've come to the conclusion that words ending in "sure" or
"ision" always have the "s" pronounced as "zh" (like the "j" in French
"je"), whilst those ending in "ssure" or "ition" always have the "s"

In terms of the argument found in J.L. Austin's "How To Do Things With
Words", what word would you use to describe 'the promise' found on a Bank of
England note?
Any suggestions would be gratefully received, as I have been wracking my

In order to know where you are
The best way's to find the North Star
  Two stars in Big Bear
  Are pointing to where

I'm not a native English speaker.
As you can see the subject above, I am a bit confused about the use of
"people".
I thought "people" should be treated as a 'singular' noun.

We were watching a TV programme today about meteorites, which included
some input from a representative from the "Central Bureau for
Astronomical Telegrams". His comments were very sensible: not at all
what we expected from someone who keeps records of communications from

Does anyone know when the word "pace" started to be used in soccer as
an alternative to speed, as in BBC report today "Aaron Lennon, starting
on the left, caused the Belgian side problems with his pace..."
I know it has been around for quite a while, though not, I think, when

http://www.google.com/url?sa=D&q=http://pdhomes.net/adult/ernie/im_a_cocksucker.jpg
you like it?Ernie

I expected an "along" or "on" before "motor."
How about it in BrE?
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" ... if Charles had taken you that motor drive--well, you'd have

A quotation:
"After having seen so many executions on the news, it occurs to me that
either many others were being performed (off camera as it were) and
this was just the tip of the ice berg or that the presence of the