Nonevent

[Jesse Sheidlower]

On Tue, Jul 16, 2002 at 11:50:03AM -0400, Laurence Horn wrote:
>
> >Is there a word for compounds that
> >break more than one way?
>
> Not that I know of, but my favorite has always been BERIBBONED:
> the intended parse (be-ribboned) vs. the un- (be-rib-boned).  I guess
> these are Janus words in a different sense from that of our old
> friends the enantionyms (cleave, sanction,...).

In discussions of the urban legend that the Chevy Nova was a
failure in Spanish-speaking countries because its name reads
as "no va" i.e. "no go", it is sometimes brought up that no
English speakers seem to mind going to their THE RAPIST.

Jesse Sheidlower