The most frequently confused words I see in bicycling forums

[Colorado Bicycler]

Just for fun.

The most frequently confused words I see in bicycling forums:

lose - loose - loss

"I want to loose some weight."

advice - advise

"Please give me some advise on bicycling"

a lot - alot

"There were alot of bicyclers there."

there - their - they're

"There bikes were their because there always sure to lock they're
bikes."

You're - your

"Your the best bicylist I now."

Know - now (see above).

Anyone else with some favorites?

[zulutime]

Colorado Bicycler wrote:
> Just for fun.
>
> The most frequently confused words I see in bicycling forums:
>
> lose - loose - loss
>
> "I want to loose some weight."
>
> advice - advise
>
> "Please give me some advise on bicycling"
>
> a lot - alot
>
> "There were alot of bicyclers there."
>
> there - their - they're
>
> "There bikes were their because there always sure to lock they're
> bikes."
>
> You're - your
>
> "Your the best bicylist I now."
>
> Know - now (see above).
>
> Anyone else with some favorites?


Could of, should of...hilarious.

[Brian Huntley]

You forgot 'web sight'.

[Patrick Lamb]

On 9 Dec 2005 18:53:18 -0800, "Colorado Bicycler" >
wrote:

>Just for fun.
>
>The most frequently confused words I see in bicycling forums:
>
>Anyone else with some favorites?

OB bikes:
brake - break
e.g., the breaks on my bike aren't working.
(That should be a good thing, right?)

Pat
Email address works as is.

[Rich]

Colorado Bicycler wrote:

> The most frequently confused words I see in bicycling forums:
>
> lose - loose - loss
>
> "I want to loose some weight."
>
> Anyone else with some favorites?

genius - moron

"Rich is a moron"

Rich

[[email protected]]

> The most frequently confused words I see in bicycling forums:

C'mon guys, you've missed the most obvious one of all:

pedal - peddle

You can pedal your bike or you can peddle it. But it's probably wise
to know which of the two you are doing at any particular time, as the
mental processes involved are quite different . . .

[Bill Sornson]

Rich wrote:
> Colorado Bicycler wrote:

>> Anyone else with some favorites?

> genius - moron
>
> "Rich is a moron"

Sarcams?

<eg> <eg>

[Human powered]

"Colorado Bicycler" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Just for fun.
>
> The most frequently confused words I see in bicycling forums:
>
> lose - loose - loss
>
> "I want to loose some weight."
>
> advice - advise
>
> "Please give me some advise on bicycling"
>
> a lot - alot
>
> "There were alot of bicyclers there."
>
> there - their - they're
>
> "There bikes were their because there always sure to lock they're
> bikes."
>
> You're - your
>
> "Your the best bicylist I now."
>
> Know - now (see above).
>
> Anyone else with some favorites?
>

You see rode and road interchanged.

[Pinky]

"Colorado Bicycler" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Just for fun.
>
> The most frequently confused words I see in bicycling forums:
>
> lose - loose - loss
>
> "I want to loose some weight."
>
> advice - advise
>
> "Please give me some advise on bicycling"
>
> a lot - alot
>
> "There were alot of bicyclers there."
>
> there - their - they're
>
> "There bikes were their because there always sure to lock they're
> bikes."
>
> You're - your
>
> "Your the best bicylist I now."
>
> Know - now (see above).
>
> Anyone else with some favorites?
>


Nice post 'cos you hit all the ones that have me itching ( hitching!) to
respond to and correct.!!!!!!!!!!--

Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom.
Remove PSANTISPAM to reply
www.tapan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

[Colorado Bicycler]

than and then

==========================

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in
waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht
the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae.

The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm.
Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef,
but the wrod as a wlohe.

[Roger Zoul]

Human powered > wrote:
:>
:> You see rode and road interchanged.

I've done this.... :)

[Leo Lichtman]

"Colorado Bicycler" wrote: (clip) Anyone else with some favorites?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
You are so wright... er, um...write.

[what does THIS button do?]

sneaux. I see sneaux here alot.

...max

[Mark Hickey]

"Colorado Bicycler" > wrote:

>Anyone else with some favorites?

It's vs its

I've seen this one screwed up in "real literature" like magazines and
newspapers quite often.

Remember - It's is ALWAYS a contraction of "It is". It's is NOT the
possessive form of "It". Its is.

How's THAT for a couple tortured sentences?

Mark "it happens" Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame

[Bill Sornson]

Mark Hickey wrote:

> It's vs its
>
> I've seen this one screwed up in "real literature" like magazines and
> newspapers quite often.
>
> Remember - It's is ALWAYS a contraction of "It is". It's is NOT the
> possessive form of "It". Its is.
>
> How's THAT for a couple tortured sentences?

Corporate toady: "Whose (not who's) stapler is that?"

Departmentalized answer: "IT's."

Or something like that...

Bill "slow morning" S.

[DD]

Mark Hickey wrote:
> "Colorado Bicycler" > wrote:
>
>
>>Anyone else with some favorites?
>
>
> It's vs its
>
> I've seen this one screwed up in "real literature" like magazines and
> newspapers quite often.
>
> Remember - It's is ALWAYS a contraction of "It is". It's is NOT the
> possessive form of "It". Its is.
>
> How's THAT for a couple tortured sentences?
>
> Mark "it happens" Hickey
> Habanero Cycles
> http://www.habcycles.com
> Home of the $795 ti frame

Unfortunately that one isn't so clear, there was a brief change of
opinion in education circles many years ago as to how this should be
represented. Some people were taught that as you have stated, others
that "it's" should never be used.
You get this sort of thing happening over time also. English has words
ending in 'ise' whereas American English has 'ize', however over recent
time American culture and spelling (as with other cultures in this
global village) has crept into usage in 'English'-speaking countries.
Some of what has dug up in this thread is either humour or hurried
typing, or as you have suspected more and more peasants are getting hold
of computers.
There is a Mel Brooks film with a scene where a courtier rushes over to
the King of France shouting "Sire, Sire, the peasants are revolting. No
really, the peasants ARE revolting". Is that what you are looking for?

[Bill Sornson]

DD wrote:

> There is a Mel Brooks film with a scene where a courtier rushes over
> to the King of France shouting "Sire, Sire, the peasants are
> revolting. No really, the peasants ARE revolting". Is that what you
> are looking for?

Just got a "grand pa" joke yesterday like that.

Little kid lost in a mall. Goes up to cop and says, "I can't find my
Grandpa." Cop says, "What's he like?"

Kid says, "Scotch and women with big tits."

{rimshot.wav}

Bill "didn't forward it to MANY" S.

[Brian Sanderson]

Knit pick - nit pick

Most Knit pickers should really get a life!

[Bill Sornson]

Brian Sanderson wrote:
> Knit pick - nit pick
>
> Most Knit pickers should really get a life!

So that makes you...the Fuzz Fuzz?!?

[Ken M]

Colorado Bicycler wrote:
> Just for fun.
>
> The most frequently confused words I see in bicycling forums:
>
> lose - loose - loss
>
> "I want to loose some weight."
>
> advice - advise
>
> "Please give me some advise on bicycling"
>
> a lot - alot
>
> "There were alot of bicyclers there."
>
> there - their - they're
>
> "There bikes were their because there always sure to lock they're
> bikes."
>
> You're - your
>
> "Your the best bicylist I now."
>
> Know - now (see above).
>
> Anyone else with some favorites?
>
Sometimes these are silly mistakes. The slip of the fingers on keys.
Sometimes people type to fast for their abilities. Sometimes it just
comes down to proof reading the post before posting. IMO.

Ken
--
Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride. ~John F. Kennedy

[Ray Heindl]

Mark Hickey > wrote:

> Remember - It's is ALWAYS a contraction of "It is".

Except when it's a contraction of "it has". But it's rarely been used
that way.

--
Ray Heindl
(remove the Xs to reply)

[Alex Potter (59)]

Bill Sornson wrote on Saturday 10 December 2005 21:55:

> Brian Sanderson wrote:
>> Knit pick - nit pick
>>
>> Most Knit pickers should really get a life!
>
> So that makes you...the Fuzz Fuzz?!?

I'd say more like confused. Nit is a synonym of head-louse, and
nit-pickers have nothing to do with knitwear.
--
Regards
Alex
The From address above is a spam-trap.
The Reply-To address is valid

[Bill Sornson]

Ken M wrote:

> Sometimes people type to fast for their abilities.

!

> Sometimes it just
> comes down to proof reading the post before posting. IMO.

!

Bill "!" S.

[Chris Z The Wheelman]

Derailler - A device used to mace a (usually) runaway train to jump it's
tracks

Derailleur - A french word for a device fused to shift a (usually)
bicycle chain from one cog/sprocket to another.

- -
Compliments of,
Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman

My web Site: http://geocities.com/czcorner

To E-mail me: ChrisZCorner "at" webtv "dot" net

[Chris Z The Wheelman]

Derailler - A device used to mace a (usually) runaway train to jump it's
tracks

Derailleur - A french word for a device used to shift a (usually)
bicycle chain from one cog/sprocket to another.

- -
Compliments of,
Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman

My web Site: http://geocities.com/czcorner

To E-mail me: ChrisZCorner "at" webtv "dot" net

[tomgaul]

Ken M Wrote:
> Colorado Bicycler wrote:
> > Just for fun.
> >
> > The most frequently confused words I see in bicycling forums:
> >
> > lose - loose - loss
> >
> > "I want to loose some weight."
> >
> > advice - advise
> >
> > "Please give me some advise on bicycling"
> >
> > a lot - alot
> >
> > "There were alot of bicyclers there."
> >
> > there - their - they're
> >
> > "There bikes were their because there always sure to lock they're
> > bikes."
> >
> > You're - your
> >
> > "Your the best bicylist I now."
> >
> > Know - now (see above).
> >
> > Anyone else with some favorites?
> >
> Sometimes these are silly mistakes. The slip of the fingers on keys.
> Sometimes people type *to* fast for their abilities. Sometimes it just
> comes down to proof reading the post before posting. IMO.
>
> Ken
> --
> Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride. ~John F.
> Kennedy

The one that get's me is to, too or two.
As in:
There are too many to get two cookies. :D


--
tomgaul

[Ken M]

Chris Z The Wheelman wrote:

> Derailleur - A french word for a device fused to shift a (usually)
> bicycle chain from one cog/sprocket to another.

But thats is an easy mistake, besides it's French.

Ken
--
Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride. ~John F. Kennedy

[Roger Houston]

"Alex Potter (59)" > wrote in message
k...
>
> I'd say more like confused. Nit is a synonym of head-louse,

O, geez. I REALLY hate to do this, but you're wrong.

The "nit" is the EGG of the head-louse.

I can't believe I did that...

[Paul Turner]

Mark Hickey wrote:

> It's vs its

It could be worse. I saw its' -- I T S apostrophe -- used in a
Wikipedia article the other day. Someone changed it and the author
changed it back, insisting that it was right.

--
Paul Turner

[Bill Sornson]

Roger Houston wrote:
> "Alex Potter (59)" > wrote in message
> k...
>>
>> I'd say more like confused. Nit is a synonym of head-louse,
>
> O, geez. I REALLY hate to do this, but you're wrong.
>
> The "nit" is the EGG of the head-louse.
>
> I can't believe I did that...

Gives new -- or at least /extra/ -- meaning to the term "egg head". (And of
course, that was rather egg-headed about head eggs.)

<eg> Ewww. <eg>

Bill "assistant nit" S.

[Bill Sornson]

tomgaul wrote:

> The one that get's me is to, too or two.

"Get's"???

Sigh.

[Alex Potter]

Roger Houston wrote on Saturday 10 December 2005 23:21:

>
> "Alex Potter (59)" > wrote in message
> k...
>>
>> I'd say more like confused. Nit is a synonym of head-louse,
>
> O, geez. I REALLY hate to do this, but you're wrong.
>
> The "nit" is the EGG of the head-louse.
>
> I can't believe I did that...

teaching Granddad? :)
--
Regards
Alex
The From address above is a spam-trap.
The Reply-To address is valid

[Colorado Bicycler]

Bill Sornson wrote:
> tomgaul wrote:
>
> > The one that get's me is to, too or two.
>
> "Get's"???
>
> Sigh.

This opens a whole new world of opportunity for the apostrophe
challenged!

goe's

hope's

love's

ride's

drive's

walk's

and, finally:

bicycle's

[Zoot Katz]

On Fri, 09 Dec 2005 21:12:18 -0600, Patrick Lamb
> wrote:

>OB bikes:
>brake - break
>e.g., the breaks on my bike aren't working.
>(That should be a good thing, right?)

Of coarse yore wright.

Eye, four won, maid sum mistakes two butt ewe wood no it.
--
zk

[Zoot Katz]

On 9 Dec 2005 18:53:18 -0800, "Colorado Bicycler" >
wrote:

>Anyone else with some favorites?

Bear naked.
--
zk

[Leo Lichtman]

"Colorado Bicycler" wrote: This opens a whole new world of opportunity for
the apostrophe challenged! (clip)
>
> goe's--This one's a definite reject.
>
> hope's--Hope's main benefit is that it makes the future brighter.
>
> love's--"Love's lavor lost."
>
> ride's--The ride's two main benefits were exercise and fresh air.
>
> drive's--The drive's lack of exercise and fresh air makes me want to
> return to the bike.
>
> walk's--A walk's slowness is both good and bad.
>
> and, finally:
>
> bicycle's--The bicycle's headset seemed to have a bearing problem.

[[email protected]]

American English is suffering from inflation. Many old words are not
good enough or maybe people don't know which form to invoke for the
meaning at hand, as we have seen from the offerings in this thread up
to now. Learning top read and write is out of fashion with as much
audio-video as we have at our fingertips. Writing the scripts
requires far fewer people to spend less time than if we all had to
learn the language.

More insidious is the use of "impact" that which occurs when objects
collide. Because most people have no idea when to use "who" and
"whom" (it is for them for 'who' the bell tolls) and whether this will
have an affect or effect on their lives. The words effect and affect
are no longer found in the media or elsewhere in public use. They
have been replaced by "impact".

In the traffic reports, roads are not blocked, "roadways" are blocked.
We don't have rain but "rainstorms", we don't ride bicycle by pushing
on cranks, we use "crankarms", cars don't crash into the median but do
so into "the center divide." Who comes up with this jargon?

When it comes to metaphors it gets worse. Among these, I recall when
uncle Remus used a carrot dangling from the end of a stick to
encourage his donkey to get underway as he sat on the bench in the
buckboard.

Today, in an automotive world, no one seems to visualize that ploy and
the metaphor that arose from it. Even though it is a logical and
reasonable visualization, the common use today places the carrot in
one hand and a stick in the other, never thinking how that
configuration might induce a draft animal to pull a wagon. Besides,
the image is so crude.

http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/41/messages/840.html

I guess punishment by beating with a stick is more convincing in
today's mentality than the lure of reward. I really meant "mindset."

Jobst Brandt

[[email protected]]

On that note, a few words in English could be banned from ones
vocabulary because they emasculate words and concepts when they are
used. Worst of these is "very" which maims adverbs or adjectives it
is meant to enhance. There are better words if a superlative is
needed. When running completely out of modifiers, "very very" comes
out to kill all.

Yu' know!

Another is "hopefully" because it weakens any position the author
takes by not expressing an opinion such as "I hope you will succeed"
but rather "you will succeed, hopefully." That way no one can accuse
the author of having taken a stand. "Hope" was left dangling on a
thread in the middle of the room like an orphaned mobile. Beyond
that, "hopefully" is usually tacked on at the end of the sentence as
so much gratuitous punctuation. Amen.

Jobst Brandt

[Colorado Bicycler]

Patrick Lamb wrote:
> OB bikes:
> brake - break
> e.g., the breaks on my bike aren't working.
> (That should be a good thing, right?)

I guess what you want to know is:

Did my breaks brake?

[Marz]

Colorado Bicycler wrote:
> Patrick Lamb wrote:
> > OB bikes:
> > brake - break
> > e.g., the breaks on my bike aren't working.
> > (That should be a good thing, right?)
>
> I guess what you want to know is:
>
> Did my breaks brake?


My my, so witty, I bet your friends think you're quite the wag.



Laters,

Marz

[Mike Kruger]

> wrote in message
...
>
> In the traffic reports, roads are not blocked, "roadways" are blocked.
> We don't have rain but "rainstorms", we don't ride bicycle by pushing
> on cranks, we use "crankarms", cars don't crash into the median but do
> so into "the center divide." Who comes up with this jargon?
>
Good question. I'd guess there are several factors contributing, two of
which are:

1. Consultant-ese. A consultant can't improve your accounting. They have to
improve your "accounting process". We don't have files anymore, we have
"database structures". Businesses will pay more for jargon. I used to write
specs. Now I write "technical requirements". I don't talk to programmers
anymore; I go to "Joint Application Design" meetings or "Tollgate Review
Processes". These meetings aren't moderated (or refereed!). They are
"facilitated".

2. Fear of dead air. Media people have to fill a certain time slot, and
it's a lot easier to fill it up with circumlocations than actual reporting.
We get used to listening to them, and unconsciously adopt some of their
habits.

[Brian Sanderson]

> I'd say more like confused. Nit is a synonym of head-louse, and
> nit-pickers have nothing to do with knitwear.
> --
Well, excuuussse me! I thought confusion was the POINT of this thread! :)

[Zoot Katz]

On Sun, 11 Dec 2005 01:42:28 GMT, "Leo Lichtman"
> wrote:

>>
>> hope's--Hope's main benefit is that it makes the future brighter.

Hope's Faith's and Charity's sister.

I've passed commenting on past when people meant the former.
--
zk

[Roger Houston]

"Zoot Katz" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 11 Dec 2005 01:42:28 GMT, "Leo Lichtman"
> > wrote:
>
>>>
>>> hope's--Hope's main benefit is that it makes the future brighter.
>
> Hope's Faith's and Charity's sister.
>
> I've passed commenting on past when people meant the former.

At my age, all I can pass is stones.

[Roger Houston]

"Mike Kruger" > wrote in message
et...
>>
> Good question. I'd guess there are several factors contributing, two of
> which are:
>
> 1. Consultant-ese. A consultant can't improve your accounting.

A consultant is someone who steals your watch and then charges you $900 per
hour to tell you what time it is.

[Colorado Bicycler]

>My my, so witty, I bet your friends think you're quite the wag.

I was sort of curious to see just how long it might take for this "just
for fun" thread to go negative.

Seems like we made it at this post.

[The Wogster]

Chris Z The Wheelman wrote:
> Derailler - A device used to mace a (usually) runaway train to jump it's
> tracks
>
> Derailleur - A french word for a device used to shift a (usually)
> bicycle chain from one cog/sprocket to another.
>
> - -
Actually derailleur is an English word, the French word is dérailleur,
you will notice there is a difference.

W

[Leo Lichtman]

"Zoot Katz" wrote: Hope's Faith's and Charity's sister.
>
> I've passed commenting on past when people meant the former.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Bravo, Zoot.

[Zoot Katz]

On 10 Dec 2005 20:12:14 -0800, "Colorado Bicycler" >
wrote:

>>My my, so witty, I bet your friends think you're quite the wag.
>
>I was sort of curious to see just how long it might take for this "just
>for fun" thread to go negative.
>
>Seems like we made it at this post.

Yew wood bee won too say sew.
--
zk

[Zoot Katz]

On Sun, 11 Dec 2005 06:44:31 GMT, "Leo Lichtman"
> wrote:

>
>"Zoot Katz" wrote: Hope's Faith's and Charity's sister.
>>
>> I've passed commenting on past when people meant the former.
>^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>Bravo, Zoot.
>

Hope's, Faith's and Charity's sister, Shirley?
--
zk

[Marz]

Colorado Bicycler wrote:
> >My my, so witty, I bet your friends think you're quite the wag.
>
> I was sort of curious to see just how long it might take for this "just
> for fun" thread to go negative.
>
> Seems like we made it at this post.

The thread was negative to begin with. If you need to deride other
peoples' lack of correct English language skills to exact some fun,
then you are a very sad (miserable) individual.

Do you consider people unable to fathom calculus funny too?

Laters,

Marz

[Colorado Bicycler]

>The thread was negative to begin with. If you need to deride other
>peoples' lack of correct English language skills to exact some fun,
>then you are a very sad (miserable) individual.

>Do you consider people unable to fathom calculus funny too?


>Laters,


>Marz


Hay, thet is grate advise! Your so write!

[Colorado Bicycler]

Ooops. Maid a misteak. Shood bee:

Hay, thet is grate advise! Your SEW write!

[Alex Potter]

Colorado Bicycler wrote on Sunday 11 December 2005 13:07:


> Your SEW write!
yaw sow rite :)
--
Regards
Alex
The From address above is a spam-trap.
The Reply-To address is valid

[Colorado Bicycler]

"Do you consider people unable to fathom calculus funny too?"

Hay, I jest installud a "calculus checkur" on my email client. Wurks
grate. Almust as grate as my grammer and spilling checkur.

[Marz]

Colorado Bicycler wrote:
> >The thread was negative to begin with. If you need to deride other
> >peoples' lack of correct English language skills to exact some fun,
> >then you are a very sad (miserable) individual.
>
> >Do you consider people unable to fathom calculus funny too?
>
>
> >Laters,
>
>
> >Marz
>
>
> Hay, thet is grate advise! Your so write!

I know. Thanks.

Laters,

Marz

[Colorado Bicycler]

"you are a very sad (miserable) individual. "

Yes! I no. Pleeze safe mi sole!

[Marz]

Colorado Bicycler wrote:
> "you are a very sad (miserable) individual. "
>
> Yes! I no. Pleeze safe mi sole!

You have one worth saving?

[Roger Houston]

"Marz" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> Do you consider people unable to fathom calculus funny too?

No, but they are doomed to repeat it.

[DD]

Marz wrote:
> Colorado Bicycler wrote:
>
>>"you are a very sad (miserable) individual. "
>>
>>Yes! I no. Pleeze safe mi sole!
>
>
> You have one worth saving?
>
Can't you see that his sole is floundering, do it if not for the halibut.

[bernmart]

Yup. After all, we live in a culture where to be concerned with
accurate expression is considered snobbish, effete, even "gay." So
using "hopefully" instead of "I hope", "momentarily" instead of "in a
moment" (the one that drives me nuts), etc. somehow marks the speaker
as unaffected and sincere.

When I was teaching, and would point out spelling, punctuation and
useage errors in my students' essays, many would complain that what
really mattered was the point they were making. They just didn't get
it that their point was incomprehensible because of the way they'd
expressed it.

I blame Marshall McCluhan.

[Leo Lichtman]

"Roger Houston" wrote: No, but they are doomed to repeat it.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Or change majors.

[Leo Lichtman]

"Zoot Katz" wrote: Hope's, Faith's and Charity's sister, Shirley?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Shirley?" You jest!

[[email protected]]

Bern Mart writes:

> Yup. After all, we live in a culture where to be concerned with
> accurate expression is considered snobbish, effete, even "gay." So
> using "hopefully" instead of "I hope", "momentarily" instead of "in
> a moment" (the one that drives me nuts), etc. somehow marks the
> speaker as unaffected and sincere.

Oh yes!

"He'll be here momentarily." Oh that's too bad he can't stay awhile.

As in "Just press the button momentarily, don't hold it down."

> When I was teaching, and would point out spelling, punctuation and
> usage errors in my students' essays, many would complain that what
> really mattered was the point they were making. They just didn't
> get it that their point was incomprehensible because of the way
> they'd expressed it.

These same folks discount what Black English and Mexican American
speakers say because it isn't grammatically correct. What a bunch of
hubris.

> I blame Marshall McCluhan.

Not at all! But I think you mean McLuhan:

http://www.marshallmcluhan.com/

Jobst Brandt

[Colorado Bicycler]

>>Can't you see that his sole is floundering, do it if not for the halibut.

ROTFLMAO!!

Best one yet.

[[email protected]]

wrote:
> Bern Mart writes:
>
> > Yup. After all, we live in a culture where to be concerned with
> > accurate expression is considered snobbish, effete, even "gay." So
> > using "hopefully" instead of "I hope", "momentarily" instead of "in
> > a moment" (the one that drives me nuts), etc. somehow marks the
> > speaker as unaffected and sincere.
>
> Oh yes!
>
> "He'll be here momentarily." Oh that's too bad he can't stay awhile.
>
> As in "Just press the button momentarily, don't hold it down."
>
> > When I was teaching, and would point out spelling, punctuation and
> > usage errors in my students' essays, many would complain that what
> > really mattered was the point they were making. They just didn't
> > get it that their point was incomprehensible because of the way
> > they'd expressed it.
>
> These same folks discount what Black English and Mexican American
> speakers say because it isn't grammatically correct. What a bunch of
> hubris.

Does hubrus come in bunches?

Bern Mart's point is quite valid. It is possible to produce a
sentence that because of structure, punctation or spelling that is
either incomprehensible or subject to serious misinterpretation. Our
last Prime Minister, concluding a visit to a farm is reported to have
said "I'd like to thank Mr Smith for the use of his farm and his
wife". I would suggest that either this is not good English or else
Jean was carry on a bit.

And I am sure that you have seen the "Eats, shoots, and leaves" book.

[Roger Houston]

"bernmart" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> I blame Marshall McCluhan.

Marshall McLuhan
What are ya doin'?

[Roger Houston]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> wrote:
>
> And I am sure that you have seen the "Eats, shoots, and leaves" book.

Send a box of our candy, and nuts to your girlfriend.

[bernmart]

Thanks, Jobst, for the correction about McLuhan's name. I really do
think he's partly to blame for celebrating fuzzy language and imagery
as evidence of creativity. And during the 60's, it became cool to be
vague in one's language--you know, like war sucks, you know? I mean,
it does, you know? Leftie that I was, and am, that aspect of the
sixties drove me nuts, and it has stuck in our culture while what was
best about that era sloughed off.

As I once said to an SDS member, "if you can't express yourself
clearly, shut the f..ck up!!"

But, like, that's me, y'know?

[willarch]

wrote in message
oups.com...

wrote:

And I am sure that you have seen the "Eats, shoots, and leaves" book.

Send a box of our candy, and nuts to your girlfriend.

Surely the most misused word relating to cycling is the use of "bike" to mean "motor bike"?

[Peter Cole]

bernmart wrote:
> Yup. After all, we live in a culture where to be concerned with
> accurate expression is considered snobbish, effete, even "gay." So
> using "hopefully" instead of "I hope", "momentarily" instead of "in a
> moment" (the one that drives me nuts), etc. somehow marks the speaker
> as unaffected and sincere.

From m-w.com:

Main Entry: hope·ful·ly
Pronunciation: 'hOp-f&-lE
Function: adverb
1 : in a hopeful manner
2 : it is hoped : I hope : we hope
usage In the early 1960s the second sense of hopefully, which had been
in sporadic use since around 1932, underwent a surge of popular use. A
surge of popular criticism followed in reaction, but the criticism took
no account of the grammar of adverbs. Hopefully in its second sense is a
member of a class of adverbs known as disjuncts. Disjuncts serve as a
means by which the author or speaker can comment directly to the reader
or hearer usually on the content of the sentence to which they are
attached. Many other adverbs (as interestingly, frankly, clearly,
luckily, unfortunately) are similarly used; most are so ordinary as to
excite no comment or interest whatsoever. The second sense of hopefully
is entirely standard.

Also:

Main Entry: mo·men·tar·i·ly
Pronunciation: "mO-m&n-'ter-&-lE
Function: adverb
1 : for a moment
2 archaic : INSTANTLY
3 : at any moment : in a moment

Finally:

Main Entry: anal
Pronunciation: 'A-n&l
Function: adjective
1 : of, relating to, or situated near the anus <anal fin>
2 a : of, relating to, characterized by, or being the stage of
psychosexual development in psychoanalytic theory during which the child
is concerned especially with its feces b : of, relating to,
characterized by, or being personality traits (as parsimony,
meticulousness, and ill humor) considered typical of fixation at the
anal stage of development <anal disposition> <anal neatness>

[Brian Huntley]

willarch wrote:
> Roger Houston Wrote:
> > wrote in message
> > oups.com...
> >
> > wrote:
> >
> > And I am sure that you have seen the "Eats, shoots, and leaves" book.
> >
> > Send a box of our candy, and nuts to your girlfriend.
>
> Surely the most misused word relating to cycling is the use of "bike"
> to mean "motor bike"?

Which leads to another peeve - folks calling me a 'biker'.

[Bill Sornson]

willarch wrote:

> Surely the most misused word relating to cycling is the use of "bike"
> to mean "motor bike"?

http://reuters.excite.com//article/20051209/2005-12-09T175658Z_01_DIT964638_RTRIDST_0_ODD-LIFE-LESBIANS-DC.html

[Mark Hickey]

"Roger Houston" > wrote:

>"Marz" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>>
>> Do you consider people unable to fathom calculus funny too?
>
>No, but they are doomed to repeat it.

It's most important during the winter riding season to NOT mix up
"your" and "you're"... for example, it's a compliment to suggest that
someone rides to work in the snow that "you ride to work to show your
co-workers you're nuts".

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame

[Mark Hickey]

"Leo Lichtman" > wrote:

>"Zoot Katz" wrote: Hope's, Faith's and Charity's sister, Shirley?
>^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>"Shirley?" You jest!

I'm jest what? And don't call me Surely.

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame

[[email protected]]

Peter Cole writes:

> From m-w.com:

> Main Entry: hope.ful.ly
> Pronunciation:
> Function: adverb
> 1 : in a hopeful manner
> 2 : it is hoped : I hope : we hope

> Usage In the early 1960s the second sense of hopefully, which had
> been in sporadic use since around 1932, underwent a surge of popular
> use. A surge of popular criticism followed in reaction, but the
> criticism took no account of the grammar of adverbs. Hopefully in
> its second sense is a member of a class of adverbs known as
> disjuncts. Disjuncts serve as a means by which the author or
> speaker can comment directly to the reader or hearer usually on the
> content of the sentence to which they are attached. Many other
> adverbs (as interestingly, frankly, clearly, luckily, unfortunately)
> are similarly used; most are so ordinary as to excite no comment or
> interest whatsoever. The second sense of hopefully is entirely
> standard.

Whether the use of hopefully has been taken up by the dictionary you
cite or not has little bearing on its effective use. I disagree on
the definition of it being an adverb. The dangling hopefully is none
of the above and that is why its use is inappropriate. Appending a
"hopefully" to the beginning or end of a sentence gives it a doubtful
ring and most likely not what the author intended. Because being
opinionated is a great faux pas in our society, "hopefully" is invoked
to avoid that criticism. The speaker wants to underwrite a concept
but is afraid to do so. For instance take a moment to compare: "This
will work, hopefully." and "I hope this will work."

In that vein, many writers on this forum slide into the subjunctive to
avoid actually voicing their opinion. "If I were to believe that, I
would probably say it wasn't contrived.".. (aka, but I wont say that).

As you may have noticed in this forum, when looking for a harsh
criticism in response to something I wrote, "opinionated" is what
comes out of people civil enough to not use four letter words in their
response.

Jobst Brandt

[Leo Lichtman]

>: (clip) As you may have noticed in this
forum, when looking for a harsh criticism in response to something I wrote,
"opinionated" is what comes out of people civil enough to not use four
letter words in their response.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
You consider "opinionated" a harsh criticism? Hopefully, you will come to
recognize it as an apt description.

BTW, since we are discussing language and its correct use, I must take
exception to your writing: "when looking for a harsh criticism in response
to something I wrote, 'opinionated' is what comes out" (clip). This
contains two errors. "Something I wrote," should read, "something I have
written." I will leave it to you to search for the other.

Some people would also object to "to not use," on the ground that it is a
split infinitive. I regard Fowler's Modern English Usage as the ultimate
authority, and he does not object to them. I believe that "not to use" is
preferable, however--it flows more smoothly.

[Leo Lichtman]

"Mark Hickey" wrote: I'm jest what? And don't call me Surely.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I didn't call you surly. But, if you'll give me your number, I'll surely
call you.

[Zoot Katz]

On Sun, 11 Dec 2005 22:04:21 -0700, Mark Hickey >
wrote:

>>No, but they are doomed to repeat it.
>
>It's most important during the winter riding season to NOT mix up
>"your" and "you're"... for example, it's a compliment to suggest that
>someone rides to work in the snow that "you ride to work to show your
>co-workers you're nuts".

You'd get fired and arrested for misspelling that one.
--
zk

[Roger Houston]

> The dangling hopefully is none
> of the above and that is why its use is inappropriate. Appending a
> "hopefully" to the beginning or end of a sentence gives it a doubtful
> ring

It's intended to give it a hopeful ring, sort of like Paul McCartney's
facial expression, particularly the eyebrows.

[Roy Zipris]

FWIW, although I still find it useful, Fowler's may be somewhat out-of
-date, despite subsequent editions, and Anglo-centric. I've been
meaning to get a copy of this, more current and based on US usage:
Garner's Modern American Usage (see, e.g.,
http://www.worldwidewords.org/reviews/re-gar1.htm). Regards, Roy Zipris

[Dave Larrington]

In article >, Mike
Kruger ) wrote:
> > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > In the traffic reports, roads are not blocked, "roadways" are blocked.
> > We don't have rain but "rainstorms", we don't ride bicycle by pushing
> > on cranks, we use "crankarms", cars don't crash into the median but do
> > so into "the center divide." Who comes up with this jargon?
> >
> Good question. I'd guess there are several factors contributing, two of
> which are:
>
> 1. Consultant-ese. A consultant can't improve your accounting. They have to
> improve your "accounting process". We don't have files anymore, we have
> "database structures". Businesses will pay more for jargon. I used to write
> specs. Now I write "technical requirements". I don't talk to programmers
> anymore; I go to "Joint Application Design" meetings or "Tollgate Review
> Processes". These meetings aren't moderated (or refereed!). They are
> "facilitated".

Don't get me started on this kind of thing. Since the Nut Mines were
Borged by a BigCo a few years ago, we get more and more of this stuff,
to the extent that I may find myself running amok with a headset spanner
the next time someone uses the word "leverage" as a verb within earshot.

A friend reported the use of the word "path" as a verb recently. I have
not the words.

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
God was my co-pilot, but we crashed in the mountains and I had to eat
Him.

[Peter Cole]

wrote:
> Peter Cole writes:
>
>
>> From m-w.com:
>
>
>>Main Entry: hope.ful.ly
>>Pronunciation:
>>Function: adverb
>>1 : in a hopeful manner
>>2 : it is hoped : I hope : we hope
>
>
>>Usage In the early 1960s the second sense of hopefully, which had
>>been in sporadic use since around 1932, underwent a surge of popular
>>use.

>>The second sense of hopefully is entirely
>>standard.
>
>
> Whether the use of hopefully has been taken up by the dictionary you
> cite or not has little bearing on its effective use.

It's unclear what you mean by "effective". The point in my post was that
the original complaint (of the word being misused because of confusion
over meaning) was wrong (as was the complaint about "momentarily"). All
this quibbling over small lapses in such an informal medium strikes me
as fussy. This isn't rec.bike.effectivewriting.

English is not precise or static, meaning is established through
convention, dictionaries merely describe those. It's a common phenomenon
for a word to acquire a new meaning, and not unknown for that meaning to
be even an antonym, with opposing meanings in simultaneous circulation,
relying on context to disambiguate.

> I disagree on
> the definition of it being an adverb.

That would seem to be a difficult claim to support.

> The dangling hopefully is none
> of the above and that is why its use is inappropriate. Appending a
> "hopefully" to the beginning or end of a sentence gives it a doubtful
> ring and most likely not what the author intended. Because being
> opinionated is a great faux pas in our society, "hopefully" is invoked
> to avoid that criticism. The speaker wants to underwrite a concept
> but is afraid to do so.

Or, more likely, it merely implies an outcome or opinion that isn't
certain, but likely and/or desirable. It is very much a matter of taste
to qualify opinions -- some find qualifications to be superfluous
because they're implicit anyway, others take their absence to confer
(inappropriately) the status of fact to conjecture. I think (note
explicit qualifier) that in a forum as contentious as this, qualified
opinions may be less provocative, even if they sound weak to some ears.

> For instance take a moment to compare: "This
> will work, hopefully." and "I hope this will work."

Perhaps this distinction is too subtle for my ear, I find the meanings
to be identical (as m-w.com describes).

> In that vein, many writers on this forum slide into the subjunctive to
> avoid actually voicing their opinion. "If I were to believe that, I
> would probably say it wasn't contrived.".. (aka, but I wont say that).
>
> As you may have noticed in this forum, when looking for a harsh
> criticism in response to something I wrote, "opinionated" is what
> comes out of people civil enough to not use four letter words in their
> response.

I think "opinionated" would be one end of a reasonable range of
adjectives. "Blunt", "gruff" or "crusty" might be more descriptive.
Hopefully, you won't mind my saying so.

[Colorado Bicycler]

And the original thread post stated:

"Just for fun."

[Buck]

wrote:
> On that note, a few words in English could be banned from ones
> vocabulary because they emasculate words and concepts when they are
> used. Worst of these is "very" which maims adverbs or adjectives it
> is meant to enhance. There are better words if a superlative is
> needed. When running completely out of modifiers, "very very" comes
> out to kill all.

Ah, but we live in a society of superlatives. What was once described
as "neat" has now become "Awesome!" When everyday objects or events are
described as "awesome," what do we use to describe events which truly
inspire awe?

The only choices for our slang-ridden society are to either subvert the
use of another word or phrase or create new words and phrases to
replace the old. I agree with some observers on this thread that this
subversion is the direct result of widespread media coverage and the
need to generate more "hype" than the competitors.

-Buck

[Pat Lamb]

what does THIS button do? wrote:
> sneaux. I see sneaux here alot.
>

I always figured that was Quebecois snow. Or maybe yellow snow...

[David L. Johnson]

On Sat, 10 Dec 2005 23:28:45 -0500, The Wogster wrote:

> Chris Z The Wheelman wrote:
>> Derailler - A device used to mace a (usually) runaway train to jump it's
>> tracks
>>
>> Derailleur - A french word for a device used to shift a (usually)
>> bicycle chain from one cog/sprocket to another.
>>
>> - -
> Actually derailleur is an English word, the French word is dérailleur,
> you will notice there is a difference.

No, derailleur is a French word typed on an English keyboard.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Some people used to claim that, if enough monkeys sat in front
_`\(,_ | of enough typewriters and typed long enough, eventually one of
(_)/ (_) | them would reproduce the collected works of Shakespeare. The
internet has proven this not to be the case.

[David L. Johnson]

On Sat, 10 Dec 2005 05:25:21 -0800, Colorado Bicycler wrote:

> than and then
>
> ==========================
>
> Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in
> waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht
> the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae.
>
> The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm.
> Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef,
> but the wrod as a wlohe.

Amazing. My spellchecker didn't like this, though.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | And what if you track down these men and kill them, what if you
_`\(,_ | killed all of us? From every corner of Europe, hundreds,
(_)/ (_) | thousands would rise up to take our places. Even Nazis can't
kill that fast. -- Paul Henreid (Casablanca).

[David L. Johnson]

On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 10:07:17 -0600, Pat Lamb wrote:

> what does THIS button do? wrote:
>> sneaux. I see sneaux here alot.
>>
>
> I always figured that was Quebecois snow. Or maybe yellow snow...

"Watch out where the Huskies go, don't you eat that yellow snow!" --
Frank Zappa

That song's been rattling around my head since the latest storm here; I
guess because my dog's been making plenty of yellow snow.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | It is a scientifically proven fact that a mid life crisis can
_`\(,_ | only be cured by something racy and Italian. Bianchis and
(_)/ (_) | Colnagos are a lot cheaper than Maserattis and Ferraris. --
Glenn Davies

[David L. Johnson]

On Sun, 11 Dec 2005 02:21:35 +0000, jobst.brandt wrote:

> On that note, a few words in English could be banned from ones
> vocabulary because they emasculate words and concepts when they are
> used. Worst of these is "very" which maims adverbs or adjectives it
> is meant to enhance.

My favorite is "very unique".

But close behind this are the newscaster-speak modifiers: I have yet to
hear "more good", but you hear "more safe", "more clear" from newscasters
who seem to think this is correct. I long gave up any expectation that
they would get who/whom or I/me usage anywhere near right. But these are
people who are paid to do nothing more than speak. They really ought to
be able to use decent grammar.


--

David L. Johnson

__o | I believe that the motion picture is destined to revolutionize
_`\(,_ | our educational system and that in a few years it will supplant
(_)/ (_) | largely, if not entirely, the use of textbooks -- Thomas
Edison, 1922

[Leo Lichtman]

"David L. Johnson" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 11 Dec 2005 02:21:35 +0000, jobst.brandt wrote:
>
>> On that note, a few words in English could be banned from ones
>> vocabulary because they emasculate words and concepts when they are
>> used. Worst of these is "very" which maims adverbs or adjectives it
>> is meant to enhance.
>
> My favorite is "very unique".
>
> But close behind this are the newscaster-speak modifiers: I have yet to
> hear "more good", but you hear "more safe", "more clear" from newscasters
> who seem to think this is correct. I long gave up any expectation that
> they would get who/whom or I/me usage anywhere near right. But these are
> people who are paid to do nothing more than speak. They really ought to
> be able to use decent grammar.
>
>
> --
>
> David L. Johnson
>
> __o | I believe that the motion picture is destined to revolutionize
> _`\(,_ | our educational system and that in a few years it will supplant
> (_)/ (_) | largely, if not entirely, the use of textbooks -- Thomas
> Edison, 1922
>

[Leo Lichtman]

"David L. Johnson" wrote: My favorite is "very unique".
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
How about "in order to form a *more perfect* union?"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
But close behind this are the newscaster-speak modifiers: I have yet to
hear "more good", but you hear "more safe", "more clear" from newscasters
who seem to think this is correct.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
At least they're not redundant, like "more better."
And what about the weather casters who talk about *hotter* and *colder*
temperatures?

[Benjamin Lewis]

Dave Larrington wrote:

> A friend reported the use of the word "path" as a verb recently. I have
> not the words.

"Verbing weirds language." -- Calvin & Hobbes

--
Benjamin Lewis

Now is the time for all good men to come to.
-- Walt Kelly

[Benjamin Lewis]

David L. Johnson wrote:

> On Sat, 10 Dec 2005 05:25:21 -0800, Colorado Bicycler wrote:
>
>> than and then
>>
>> ==========================
>>
>> Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in
>> waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht
>> the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae.
>>
>> The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm.
>> Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef,
>> but the wrod as a wlohe.
>
> Amazing.

Also not true, I believe. I think in this example the order of the
internal letters was in fact carefully chosen, not randomized. I seem to
recall that Cecil Adams addressed this in a Straight Dope column at some
point; anyone interested could try searching the archives at

www.straightdope.com

--
Benjamin Lewis

Now is the time for all good men to come to.
-- Walt Kelly

[[email protected]]

David L. Johnson writes:

>> On that note, a few words in English could be banned from ones
>> vocabulary because they emasculate words and concepts when they are
>> used. Worst of these is "very" which maims adverbs or adjectives
>> it is meant to enhance.

> My favorite is "very unique".

How about "Most uniquest."

> But close behind this are the newscaster-speak modifiers: I have yet
> to hear "more good", but you hear "more safe", "more clear" from
> newscasters who seem to think this is correct. I long gave up any
> expectation that they would get who/whom or I/me usage anywhere near
> right. But these are people who are paid to do nothing more than
> speak. They really ought to be able to use decent grammar.

Ah yes, but lie and lay have a special problem. Along with being
opinionated, lying is an even worse sin,so just using the word is
therefore dangerous. In that vein, lay and laying is used where lie
and lying should be. That "After hens lay eggs the eggs are lying
there." seems to be too complicated a construct to use safely.
Just lay down and take it easy...

Just the hazard of mentioning untruth is to great to use the correct
form.

Jobst Brandt

[Colorado Bicycler]

I gesus taht msut be the csae. You wulod not be tilelng us an utnrtuh
now, wulod you?

(Agerdarnd in roandm oderr)

[The Wogster]

David L. Johnson wrote:
> On Sat, 10 Dec 2005 23:28:45 -0500, The Wogster wrote:
>
>
>>Chris Z The Wheelman wrote:
>>
>>>Derailler - A device used to mace a (usually) runaway train to jump it's
>>>tracks
>>>
>>>Derailleur - A french word for a device used to shift a (usually)
>>>bicycle chain from one cog/sprocket to another.
>>>
>>> - -
>>
>>Actually derailleur is an English word, the French word is dérailleur,
>>you will notice there is a difference.
>
>
> No, derailleur is a French word typed on an English keyboard.
>

Except that English has adopted the accent free version of the word,
otherwise we would call it something else. It's why English is so hard,
it doesn't invent words, it just adopts a word from another language.
We could call it, a gear changer, or use the German way of inventing a
new word, gearchanger. Derailer would work, chain mangler would also
work, but someone decided to use the French word dérailleur, and called
it a deraileur, so that's that.

W

[Mike Kruger]

"Dave Larrington" > wrote in message
>
> Don't get me started on this kind of thing. Since the Nut Mines were
> Borged by a BigCo a few years ago, we get more and more of this stuff,
> to the extent that I may find myself running amok with a headset spanner
> the next time someone uses the word "leverage" as a verb within earshot.
>
Give me leverage and a place to steal and I can remove the world.

[Benjamin Lewis]

Colorado Bicycler wrote:

> I gesus taht msut be the csae. You wulod not be tilelng us an utnrtuh
> now, wulod you?
>
> (Agerdarnd in roandm oderr)

Whether or not it's true, it's certainly more likely to be able to read
such a sentence when it contains shorter words. I don't think I would have
figured out "agerdarnd" very quickly without the context.

I'm fairly certain that at least the "according to Cambridge University
research" portion of the claim is false.

--
Benjamin Lewis

Now is the time for all good men to come to.
-- Walt Kelly

[John Pitts]

Voilà - "wallah", "wahlah".

Eg "Wallah! He pulled a rabbit out of the hat."

Took me ages to figure out what people meant.

--
John >
(Remove hat before emailing)

[Colorado Bicycler]

>I'm fairly certain that at least the "according to Cambridge University
research" portion of the claim is false.


You msut be kniddig!

A fhoasleod on the irnetent? Not lkeily. No way.

Taht wulod be cunfoisng.

Hvea a garet day!

[Bill Sornson]

John Pitts wrote:

> Voilà - "wallah", "wahlah".

Irregardless, I was just settin' here, and...

VIOLA!

Bill "sarcams a la mold" S.

[Leo Lichtman]

"Bill Sornson" wrote:
> Irregardless, I was just settin' here, and...
>
> VIOLA!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I could care less!

[David L. Johnson]

On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 21:19:28 +0000, jobst.brandt wrote:

> Just the hazard of mentioning untruth is to great to use the correct
> form.

Considering the thread, we'll assume this was just a typo.


--

David L. Johnson

__o | "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored
_`\(,_ | by little statesmen and philosophers and divines." --Ralph Waldo
(_)/ (_) | Emerson

[Mark Hickey]

"Leo Lichtman" > wrote:

>"Mark Hickey" wrote: I'm jest what? And don't call me Surely.
>^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>I didn't call you surly. But, if you'll give me your number, I'll surely
>call you.

I'd surely be sorely stockless on Surly.

Mark "should I have named my company 'Grumpy Cycles'?" Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame

[[email protected]]

David L. Johnson > writes:

>> Just the hazard of mentioning untruth is too great to use the
>> correct form. ^^^

was "to"

> Considering the thread, we'll assume this was just a typo.

My spell checker doesn't find that sort of thing and my lazy finger
typing skips all sorts of characters that create words of this type.

I was disappointed in "Visual Thesaurus" not even recognizing that
lying in bed could be a truthful pastime. To them is is all lies.

http://www.visualthesaurus.com/

Jobst Brandt

[[email protected]]

Mark Hickey > writes:

>> "Mark Hickey" wrote: I'm jest what? And don't call me Surely.
>> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

>> I didn't call you surly. But, if you'll give me your number, I'll
>> surely call you.

> I'd surely be sorely stockless on Surly.

I think we should give credit to Richard Feynman who made this phrase
famous in his book:

"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!"

.... and don't call me Shirley!"

http://tinyurl.com/aalx4

I can recommend it as a good book on things like those discussed on
wreck.bike.tech.

Jobst Brandt

[Leo Lichtman]

> wrote: (clip) To them is is all lies.
(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
That depends on what your definition of "is" is.

[Bob]

Mark Hickey wrote:
> "Colorado Bicycler" > wrote:
>
> >Anyone else with some favorites?
>
> It's vs its
>
> I've seen this one screwed up in "real literature" like magazines and
> newspapers quite often.
>
> Remember - It's is ALWAYS a contraction of "It is". It's is NOT the
> possessive form of "It". Its is.
>
> How's THAT for a couple tortured sentences?

My favorite Winston Churchill anecdote-

In the process of typing it from the original longhand, Churchill's
secretary once changed a letter that Churchill had handwritten.
Churchill asked him (coldly, no doubt) why he had presumed to change
his words. The secretary replied, "Sir, I knew you would never
knowingly end a sentence with a preposition so I assumed it was a
mistake."
Churchill's alleged reply- "That is the sort of assumption up with
which I shall not put."

Regards,
Bob Hunt

P.S.- I screw up on "it's/its" on a too frequent basis. Damn
apostrophes. :-)

[Roger Houston]

"The Wogster" > wrote in message
...
>>
>
> Except that English has adopted the accent free version of the word,
> otherwise we would call it something else. It's why English is so hard,

In British, isn't it a "mech"?

[Roger Houston]

"John Pitts" > wrote in message
...
>
> Voilà - "wallah", "wahlah".
>
> Eg "Wallah! He pulled a rabbit out of the hat."
>
> Took me ages to figure out what people meant.

That's not confusion, it's just stupidity and laziness. Taking a stupid,
wild-assed guess at the spelling and just hammering it up there.

[Peter Cole]

wrote:
> Mark Hickey > writes:
>
>
>>>"Mark Hickey" wrote: I'm jest what? And don't call me Surely.
>>> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
>
>>>I didn't call you surly. But, if you'll give me your number, I'll
>>>surely call you.
>
>
>>I'd surely be sorely stockless on Surly.
>
>
> I think we should give credit to Richard Feynman who made this phrase
> famous in his book:
>
> "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!"
>
> ... and don't call me Shirley!"
>
> http://tinyurl.com/aalx4

Maybe so, but Amazon search doesn't show the word "Shirley" appearing in
that book.

Also, the book was published in 1985, 5 years after the movie
"Airplane!" came out, which included the famous lines:

Ted Striker: Surely you can't be serious.
Rumack: I am serious... and don't call me Shirley.

Rumack: Mr. Striker, the passengers are getting worse. You must land soon.
Ted Striker: Surely there must be something you can do.
Rumack: I'm doing everything I can... and stop calling me Shirley.

[p.k.]

Tension and Compression?

[Bill Sornson]

p.k. wrote:

> Tension and Compression?

Name two symptoms of holiday stress.

[Benjamin Lewis]

jobst brandt wrote:

> I think we should give credit to Richard Feynman who made this phrase
> famous in his book:
>
> "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!"
>
> ... and don't call me Shirley!"
>
> http://tinyurl.com/aalx4
>
> I can recommend it as a good book on things like those discussed on
> wreck.bike.tech.

Also don't miss "What Do You Care What Other People Think?", which has a
long section on his work in the space shuttle Challenger inquiry, and may
be of particular interest to many here.

Both books are likely to be entertaining reads for the non-technical crowd
as well.

--
Benjamin Lewis

Now is the time for all good men to come to.
-- Walt Kelly

[Colorado Bicycler]

p.k. wrote:
>> Tension and Compression?


>Name two symptoms of holiday stress.

You win the Double Jeopardy, but;

I always thought that "tension" was yelled when the troops were getting
ready to march.

[Alex Potter]

Roger Houston wrote on Tuesday 13 December 2005 13:01:

>
> "The Wogster" > wrote in message
> ...
>>>
>>
>> Except that English has adopted the accent free version of the word,
>> otherwise we would call it something else. It's why English is so
>> hard,
>
> In British, isn't it a "mech"?

When I first encountered them in the early 1950s they were called
derailleurs. AFAIK, they still are.
--
Regards
Alex (Birmingham, UK)
The From address above is a spam-trap.
The Reply-To address is valid

[[email protected]]

Patrick Lamb > wrote:

> e.g., the breaks on my bike aren't working.

So, at stop signs, you should always break your bike?

Call me a wild-eyed nonconformist, but I may opt out on that one. ;-)


Bill

--------------------------------------------
| As long as people believe in absurdities |
| they will continue to commit atrocities. |
| --Voltaire |
--------------------------------------------

[[email protected]]

Mike Kruger > wrote:

> 1. Consultant-ese. A consultant can't improve your accounting. They have to
> improve your "accounting process". We don't have files anymore, we have
> "database structures". Businesses will pay more for jargon. I used to write
> specs. Now I write "technical requirements". I don't talk to programmers
> anymore; I go to "Joint Application Design" meetings or "Tollgate Review
> Processes". These meetings aren't moderated (or refereed!). They are
> "facilitated".

Near here there is a new church ^H^H^H^H^H^H excuse me, "family worship
center."


Bill

----------------------------------------
| I am a nobody, and nobody is perfect. |
| Therefore I am perfect. |
-----------------------------------------

[[email protected]]

Colorado Bicycler wrote:
> Just for fun.
>
> The most frequently confused words I see in bicycling forums:
<snip>
>
> Anyone else with some favorites?

less/fewer

[Peter Cole]

wrote:
> I think we should give credit to Richard Feynman who made this phrase
> famous in his book:
>
> "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!"
>
> ... and don't call me Shirley!"
>
> http://tinyurl.com/aalx4
>
> I can recommend it as a good book on things like those discussed on
> wreck.bike.tech.

A very interesting site I happened to stumble upon has a series of 4
lectures by Feynman delivered in 1979 (8 years before his death) on his
specialty (Noble prize) of Quantum Electrodynamics (QED). Although the
material is pretty esoteric, Feynman's unique style very much comes
through, his reputation for being one of the most entertaining lecturers
and making pretty arcane subjects approachable comes through very
clearly, even after all these years.

<http://www.vega.org.uk/video/subseries/8>

[Claire]

> there - their - they're
>
> "There bikes were their because there always sure to lock they're
> bikes."

God help us, we had a dip**** spammer put this one out:

"Help underprivileged children get there first bike" on every bike
newsgroup. Argh.

Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
No .sig today

[Larry Schuldt]

On 9 Dec 2005 18:53:18 -0800, "Colorado Bicycler" >
wrote:

>Just for fun.
>
>The most frequently confused words I see in bicycling forums:
>
>lose - loose - loss
>
>"I want to loose some weight."
>
>advice - advise
>
>"Please give me some advise on bicycling"
>
>a lot - alot
>
>"There were alot of bicyclers there."
>
>there - their - they're
>
>"There bikes were their because there always sure to lock they're
>bikes."
>
>You're - your
>
>"Your the best bicylist I now."
>
>Know - now (see above).
>
>Anyone else with some favorites?


My nomination (and I'm too lazy to go through 121 responses to see if
it's a duplicate) is peddling and pedaling. A bike shop owner moves
bikes by peddling them. The buyer of the bike moves it by pedaling it.

larry

[Colorado Bicycler]

>A bike shop owner moves
bikes by peddling them.

But when my LBS owner test out his bikes he is pedaling them before he
is peddling them. His dog (a poodle) sometimes does some puddling.
And if I pedal my bike to the lake so I can peddle it and buy a
paddling pontoon, then I will be paddling instead of peddling! And all
of this is sort of piddling, anyway. :o)

[Alex Colvin]

>"Help underprivileged children get there first bike" on every bike
>newsgroup. Argh.

That's not an error - the kids need a bike so they can get there (wherever
that is) before anyone else.
--
mac the naïf