defend = 'defend against'

[Jonathan Lighter]

As a special balonus, it's another reversal.

It may have something to do with people wanting to avoid prepositions
whenever they can. But why? To conserve planetary oxygen? Just a tentative
SWAG.

JL

On Thu, Dec 13, 2012 at 10:30 AM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: defend = 'defend against'
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On Dec 13, 2012, at 9:20 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>
> > CNN reports that FedEx is under investigation for systematically
> > overcharging customers.
> >
> > FedEx, however, will "defend the allegations."
> >
> > Slip or SOTA?
> >
> The latter, I suspect, given the plethora of hits for "defend(ed) the
> charges".
>
> LH
>
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