Discussion Groups / English Usage / October 2008

What with one thing and another, the papers and broadcasts seem to be
using "oligarch" in the Russian context as a near-synonym for
"successful gangster". It's never been a word with amiable resonance, of
course, but it would be an unfortunate loss to communication if the use

Interesting Signs no. 37 (in an occasional series)
On the back of a large truck:
"If you can't see my mirrors, I can't see you."
Interesting, IMHO, because a) it's useful b) it's not entirely true and c)

On June 15, 1996, I posted to say in part
   This reminds me of one of my favorite John Kenneth
   Galbraith stories:
      A young man and his girlfriend were strolling through

From the BBC interview I'm watching, Peter gives me the impression he
knows exactly what he is talking about when he talks about curing the
ills of the British economy. America and Ireland could use their
Princes of Darkness too, it seems to me.

From a recent interview of Sarah Palin:
<<I've always been a proponent of making sure kids understand – even
in schools – they'd better take preventative measures so that they
don't find themselves in these less than ideal circumstances. >>

Do you think that in this quotation,
long johns = long underwear
or other types of clothing?
Normally, one doesn't mention what someone wears on the inside (except

Hello.
Does omitted capitalization constitute misspelling?
When a proper name, such as a person's name,
is written in all lower case is the name misspelled?

Dear Native English Speackers,
I can't tell the subtle differences between the following 4 sentences:
1) He will leave for Japan next week.
2) He is leaving for Japan next week.

From the Financial Times, for whom Matthew Engel is covering the US
election:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Headline from the Duluth (Minnesota) News-Tribune: SUPERIOR MAN WAKES UP

Face the music -- audience participation
I want to reconsider the possible theatrical origin
of the phrase.  Indeed, it was the first explanation recorded,
but I went looking for other origins becuase it seemed

This
"here come you"
is "poetical," isn't it?
-------

Joe Wurzelbacher is slamming Obama,
When asked, "Did Barack Obama win you over when you met him?"
Joe the hard working plumber responds,
     No, not at all. His answer actually scared me even more.

How can someone in alt.politics (Google groups) see my IP and
location? Is it possible?

Which "brakes" are we talking about in the last sentence? What would be
your first read?
Rough, broken, or marshy land?
Torture rack?

Received from Bob B., a Canadian librarian:
Signs seen in the toilets of a huge Chinese shopping mall near Toronto:
"Please do not put your gums in the urinals"