why buy the cow?

[Joanne M. Despres]

On 1 Aug 2002, at 21:19, James A. Landau wrote:


> It's not the heat, it's the humdiity.  That is, FINDING the antedatings is
> easy.  It's the interminable cross-checking that eats up the time.  If
> Merriam-Webster ever paid me for my etymologies, the first thing I would do
> with the money would be to hire a file clerk.

Yes, the drudge-work involved in documenting antedatings is
considerable, especially if you're working with paper sources and if
(as is certainly true in your case) you're a meticulous documenter.
I sympathize completely!

> Have you managed to suppress the memory of the time I sent you half a page of
> calculus to demonstrate that a particular term ("geometric progression")
> matched the M-W definition?

I'm ashamed to admit that math (as you might have gleaned) is an
indecipherable language to me.  For that reason, I almost certainly
forwarded your proof to our math specialist for vetting.  I'm sure she
enjoyed reading it, as she's very fond of writing proofs in support of
antedatings herself, and you doubtless saved her a great deal of
trouble!
>
>
> P.S.  When the mail room calls you tomorrow, hide under your desk.

Okay, I'll listen for the beeping of the forklift!  But, seriously, thanks
for your incredible contributions.  It's a bit like winning the lottery
over and over again.  Such an embarrassment of riches!

And those words go out to ALL the antedaters who generously
share their research.  The number of redatings of the vocabulary
that have resulted from their work is truly amazing, as I'm sure
Jesse can attest.

Joanne Despres