Liquid Rain

Jonathan Lighter wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM
Mon Feb 26 17:30:12 UTC 2007


"Freezing rain" goes back to my childhood. I recall trying to figure out the difference between that and sleet.

  My early conclusion: "freezing rain"  freezes closer to the surface of the earth.

  In the tradition of "pail" vs. "bucket."

  JL

Matthew Gordon <gordonmj at MISSOURI.EDU> wrote:
  ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Matthew Gordon
Subject: Re: Liquid Rain
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I've never heard "frozen rain" though "freezing rain" has been all too
common in recent months.


On 2/26/07 7:47 AM, "Wilson Gray" wrote:

> Amen to that, Barbara. To me, even "frozen rain" is strange.
>
> -Wilson
>
> On 2/25/07, Barbara Need wrote:
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender: American Dialect Society
>> Poster: Barbara Need
>> Subject: Liquid Rain
>> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> --
>>
>> In the weather report last night for the Chicago Area, the weatherman
>> warned us to expect "snow, sleet [I think that was the middle one],
>> and liquid rain". Clearly this retronym is in contrast to "frozen
>> rain", but it sounded REALLY WEIRD!
>>
>> Barbara
>>
>> Barbara Need
>> UChicago
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>
>
> --
> All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
> come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
> -----
> -Sam'l Clemens
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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