amazing etymologies

[Laurence Horn]

At 9:11 AM -0800 2/18/02, Peter A. McGraw wrote:
>Naah!  Remember how easy it was to do calculations using pi (or even to
>remember what, specifically, pi was) in grade school arithmetic?  Obviously
>the original expression was "easy as pi," reflecting this common experience.
>
>Now please forward this etymology to everyone you know, requiring them to
>forward it to at least five friends....
>
>Peter Mc.
>
Actually, that was ironic, like "I could care less", or maybe more
like "clear as mud", i.e. not particularly clear at all.  The value
of pi cannot be calculated, whence "easy as pi" = 'impossible', but
this became opaque and the expression was reaanalyzed as "easy as
pie".  I think we need to revive the original expression but in a
different form:  "The adminstration's policy on global warming is as
irrational as pi".

larry