Gremlins; WAC talk (1944); Lookit; Melanie's etymology page

[Bob Fitzke]

> Barry:

Appreciate your comments on a regular basis. This one strikes me as curious. You
seem to avoid any direct statement that the info is inaccurate. And you spend an
inordinate amount of language on dissing.

Incidentally the "someone" was me. My name is Bob Fitzke and I was identified. I
also am not a member of any of your professional organizations. That doesn't stop
me from enjoyong the postings or learning from them. I'm a lawyer who has an
interest in the language that probably rivals your own, albeit from a different
perspective.

Bob

> MELANIE'S "LOGICAL WORLD OF ETYMOLOGY" WEB SITE (REVISITED)
>
>     Someone gave the web address of a site that debunked that "1500s"
> etymologies posting.  It is Melanie's etymology page.
>     I reviewed 'The Logical World of Etymology" web site here about two years
> ago and said that it was being done by a complete twit.  I revisited it--the
> site's name has changed, but she's still a twit.
>     After all these years, she has yet to join either the American Dialect
> Society or the American Name Society (or both).  Neither Society's web page
> is linked to her pages.
>     She gives a bibliography, but essential books are not there.  The _Random
> House Historical Dictionary of American Slang_  is STILL not there!  Go to
> any bookstore, Melanie!  They're big, thick books!  Buy yourself a copy!
>     She's not too good with the web (Yahoo ain't that difficult!) and she
> doesn't consult electronic databases (JSTOR, et al.).
>     She doesn't know anyone in the field and will probably draw a blank if
> you mention Peter Tamony, David Shulman, Fred Shapiro, Gerald Cohen, or me.
>     She does no original etymological work herself.
>     However, she does photograph well.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ---------------------------------------------
> PERSONAL (GO GREYHOUND AND LEAVE THE ADDING TO US)
>
>     Go to www.greyhound.com and play this game.
>     I was told (at the Port Authority bus terminal) that Greyhound doesn't go
> to Carlisle, PA, so I originally bought a round trip to Harrisburg, PA for
> $58.  I asked at Harrisburg how to get to Carlisle, and the driver told me it
> was the next stop on the same bus!  (Round trips between Carlisle and
> Harrisburg go for $7.70 or $9.)
>     Today, I wanted a round trip to Carlisle and I was again told Greyhound
> doesn't go there!  When I said AU CONTRAIRE, I was told a round trip was $97!
>  That's at least $30 too much!
>     So I checked www.greyhound.com myself.  There's no NYC-Carlisle.
> NY-Harrisburg is $58, and Harrisburg-Carlisle is $9 (both round trip).
> That's $67.
>    There is, however, a Carlisle-NYC round trip, and that is indeed $97--for
> the exact same bus as the $9 and $58 trips!
>     It'll probably take three years and twenty letters to get a refund on my
> credit card.