[Ads-l] How long has this been going on?

[Wilson Gray]

You both need to think different.

On Wed, Jul 15, 2015 at 12:04 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: How long has this been going on?
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> > On Jul 15, 2015, at 10:37 AM, George Thompson =
> <george.thompson at NYU.EDU> wrote:
> >=20
> > ...
> > I've been seeing the locution "think X" for some years now, but it =
> still
> > seems strange to me -- I expect "think of X".
> > Somehow, I'm not aware of *hearing* "think X".  But now that I am =
> thinking
> > of "think X", I think I don't often hear "think of X" either -- =
> perhaps I
> > should listen to other people more.
> >=20
> > GAT
> >=20
> > --=20
> > George A. Thompson
> > The Guy Who Still Looks Stuff Up in Books.
> > Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern
> > Univ. Pr., 1998..
> >=20
>
> I wonder whether "think X" is really equivalent to "think of X", though. =
>  If you say "think summer" or "think classy but affordable" you're not =
> really saying "think of ...", and in the case of adjectival complements =
> the paraphrase might not even work.   OED on transitive "think" 2c comes =
> pretty close to what I have in mind for these (and I was also vaguely =
> associating it with advertising slogans, as the entry suggests):
>
>  c. With adjective as complement or used adverbially: to have one's =
> mental processes full of, centred on, or influenced by, or to =
> concentrate on, things that are of the specified kind or quality (cf. =
> sense 2b). Freq. in slogans. Esp. and earliest in to think big (see also =
> big adv. 2c).
>
> 1903   P.E. Burrowes Revolutionary Ess. in Socialist Faith & Fancy v. 40 =
>   When they..find that in order to relieve one poor little fellow's =
> trouble they must relieve the president's, they begin to think big.
> 1954   N. V. Peale in Washington Post 5 June 18/7   Think big, believe =
> big, pray big.
> 1962   A. Lurie Love & Friendship xv. 300   Living in a small town had =
> subtly affected my mind, and I had begun to Think Small.
> 1970   in M. Pei Words in Sheep's Clothing ii. 14   For those who think =
> old!
> 1972   D. Haston In High Places xii. 139   With people pulling off =
> tricks like the West Ridge, Dhynenfurth was not day-dreaming in thinking =
> tall.
> 1979   Now! 21 Sept. 134/3   Simple, uncluttered and tubular they =
> illustrate fashion's new mood of =E2=80=98think thin=E2=80=99.
> 1981   Daily Tel. 21 Dec. 2/3 (heading)    =E2=80=98Think British=E2=80=99=
>  call to CBI firms.
> 2007   J. Craig One Team in Tallinn vii. 87   He was wearing a tartan =
> baseball cap which had a piece of plastic stuck on its front, the bit of =
> plastic having =E2=80=98Think Scottish=E2=80=99 printed on it.
>
>
> The related 2b has nominal complements functioning similarly:
>
> b. With simple object. Now only: to have one's mental processes full of, =
> centred on, or influenced by; to formulate or hold ideas in terms of =
> (cf. sense 2c).
>
> Some apposite "recent" cites:
>
> a1616   Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) ii. ii. 31   These deeds must not be =
> thought After these wayes.
> 1725=E2=80=936   W. Broome in Pope et al. tr. Homer Odyssey IV. 133   Is =
> it not a derogation to Ulysses, to think nothing but what the Goddess =
> dictates?
> 1821   Byron Diary 29 Jan.   They..think and dream Dante.
> 1859   Habits Good Society Pref.,   A horse-dealer..if he thinks nothing =
> but horses, he cannot be good society.
> 1866   C. Kingsley Hereward the Wake I. ii. 96   Unless thou hast been =
> drinking beer and thinking beer.
> 1889   Pall Mall Gaz. 24 Oct. 7/2   The present generation of Greeks =
> talks French but thinks German.
> 1913   Eng. Jrnl. 2 172   You see nothing but neckties and gloves, you =
> think nothing but receptions and teas.
> 1935   Music Educators Jrnl. 22 16/2   If we wish to do big things we =
> must think big things and never forget that there are no =
> impossibilities.
> 2007   Washington Post (Nexis) 19 Nov. a1   =E2=80=98A lot of people =
> think nothing but polygamy=E2=80=99 when they hear of the Mormons.
>
> Even as far back as Byron, to think and dream Dante is not simply to =
> think and dream of Dante.
>
> LH=
>
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>



-- 
-Wilson
-----
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.
-Mark Twain

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