Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2007

When I were a lad, things like pizza crusts properly done, Smith's
potato crisps, the batter around deep fried fish, brandy snaps at
Christmas, nicely done bacon, were said to be "crisp". More and more
these days, that adjective seems to be in the process of being

[Excerpts -- ask for complete text by e-mail]
Thoughts by a Jew about Christmas
---------------------------------
The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on a CBS

I was wondering what noun you'd use to describe the act of "deposing a
leader". "Deposition" doesn't sound quite right. Any ideas?
TOF

I was under the impression that "the late XXXXX" meant "the recently
deceased XXXXX". But I often encounter the phrase "the late President Chiang
Kai-shek", even though he died more than 30 years ago; not exactly recent.
Roughly how long should someone be dead before it is ...

I'm looking for a word that means something similar to this:
'When you see something you want to do it'
Any info would be appreciated thanks.
SE

Very good software for English writing
I have recently bought software for English writing. It is really a
good software.
It not only checks & corrects English grammar but it also has one

I see very often the Chinese Premier in papers.
I am wondering whether this expression is correct or not.
Strictly speaking, the Chinese Premier does not necessary mean that he is
the Premier of China, but he is the Premier whose race is Chinese.

Hello :) Kindly tolerate my lack of knowledge on this, and help me
amend it by explaining whether or not the following sentences are
grammatical and why.  :)
1.  "No eating allowed."  -  Seen very frequently, so one would think

Several years back, the only people who had access to personal
information were licensed private investigators, police detectives and
the federal government. Now with the newly passed laws and databases
available here you too can investigate practically anyone - job

Which of the following is correct
However old as she was, she managed to win the race.
or
However, old as she was, she won the race.

what does the following mean?
"iPhone--To Steve, You Had Me at Cingular..."
http://blog.sciam.com/index.php?title=iphone_to_steve_you_had_me_at_cingu
lar&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

Hi. Recently I  found myself using the form 'What happened was that...'
. But on thinking about it, 'What happened is that...'  sounds better;
the argument  being that 'what happened', even though it happened in
the past, is a current fact,i.e 'what happened' hasn't changed since it

I don't quite get the "the best from soup to nuts" and "Corona Corona."
Could it be "feeling satisfied, like a man who has treated himself to
a great meal, from start to end, including a Corona beer (Mexican beer)?"
It seems that "the best from soup to nuts" has some recognition as ...

How many Georgia policemen does it take to arrest a middle-aged
English History Professor?
This is worth reviewing purely as a Jolly Good Yarn, but there are
couple of language points which come out if you watch the (rather

I have recently bought software for English writing. It is really a
good software.
It not only checks & corrects English grammar but it also has one
excellent text enrichment feature, which suggests adjective & adverbs