Discussion Groups / English Usage / August 2007

Grant Barrett indulges some word play on "patron" at his blog this
week:
playtron
n. an observer or visitor at a Renaissance fair or festival who wears

What's the difference between "I can't remember" and "I can't seem to
remember"???

What are now called flip-flops used to be called thongs, maybe because
of the post between the big toe and the next toe, or maybe because of
the two straps that end at the post.
Does the name flip-flops only apply to cheap floppy ones, like the

Lest I be accused of a clandestine resignation, please be informed
that Mrs. Bob and I are off for a beach sojourn of indefinite duration
(ie., for as long as she can stand having me around all day).  The
computer goes off as soon as this is posted.

Can I say "my work did meet with the satisfaction of my supervisor"?
Thanks

"Boy you can give me a shine" is from the lyrics of
"Chattanooga Choo Choo". Can "shine" also
mean someting like "ticket", or does this mean
something completely different?

At a genomic level, purebred dogs are usually characterized by
 reduced levels of genetic heterogeneity compared to mixed-breed
 dogs.                                        -- American Scientist
That is to say,

Just heard "tilly room" on one o' tham thar TV property shows. :) Has it
made it into the OED?

A current news article from the _Telegraph_ has a Scots-word,
"bothies:"
http://tinyurl.com/2czql7
"...In so many of the landscapes I had reached on my journeys, I had

Can you find any errors in the following paragraph?
I¡¯m a civil servant. Everybody around me envies me and always says that you
have a stable and well-paid job, but I really don¡¯t like it. Since I practiced
yoga, I have deeply liked the exercise. So I want to leave the job and ...

"Every year, most Americans spring forward and fall back so that the
Sun God will send extra rays to we who honor him with the ceremony of
the changing of the clocks."
That's quoted from an op-ed article in the NY Times, written by the

Could you, native speakers explain to me what "blow clear" means in
this sentence:
" If she'd been wearing socks, P. thought as she aimed for her
bedroom, they'd have blown clear across Jones Street during that good-

Who coined the meme, "You can't make this stuff up"?
Many webpages mention Dave Barry and Molly Ivins, and then there's
this webpage:
http://www.joesherlock.com/Simpsons.html

Although former Washington DC mayor and ex-jailbird Marion Barry is
generally not held in high regard on the east coast, the people out there on
the west coast have named a fruit after him, apparently as a tribute -- the
marionberry. It is delicious in jams and pies.

Gilbert White, a favourite author, wrote 9 March 1773
a double negative phrase to treasure in any anthology
of quotations:
"He will not, it is to be hoped, unndertake that tour