"On the ground" redux

[sagehen]

Peter A. McGraw   writes:
>Awhile ago there was a discussion of the figurative use of "on the ground."
>For any of you who missed it, there was a great example this morning on
>NPR.  In a report on a new agreement over the Darfur region of Sudan, the
>news reader (female, I forget who), said, "The no-fly zone will be a
>significant element on the ground."  This ALMOST works literally, but with
>the word "element," it seems to me, not quite.
~~~~~~~
Speaking of NPR,  Carl Castle this morning said "Yasir Arafat lays
(seriously ill, in a coma, or sthg sim)."  I do from time to time hear
oddities or (er, harrumph) non-standard usages from some of the other
newsreaders on NPR, I can't remember hearing such a one from Castle before.
A. Murie


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