Rummy and the Last Throe

[Laurence Horn]

Reminiscent of our earlier discussion of the singular-"kudo" eggcorn,
we now have Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld instructing us on
lexicography as follows:

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N26248382.htm

Rumsfeld, speaking on "Fox News Sunday," defended Vice President Dick
Cheney's widely criticized remarks that the insurgency was in its
"last throes," even as he predicted a possible near-term increase in
violence.

The number of attacks had remained "about level," but the insurgents
were becoming more deadly, Rumsfeld said. The U.S. death toll in Iraq
exceeds 1,700, and last week six Americans were killed in a bomb
attack in Falluja.

"The lethality is up," Rumsfeld said. "Last throes could be a violent
last throe, just as well as a placid or calm last throe. Look it up
in the dictionary."

As always, one cannot be sure which dictionary is "the dictionary",
but the one closest to hand, AHD4, doesn't help identify that placid
throe, or indeed even the violent one, when it's used as a singular:

NOUN:
1. A severe pang or spasm of pain, as in childbirth. See synonyms at pain.
2. throes A condition of agonizing struggle or trouble: a country in
the throes of economic collapse

Presumably, it's not the spasm of pain that's involved here, but the
condition of agonizing struggle.  Unlike "kudos", "throes" did
originate as a (Middle English) plural, but sing. "throe" (e.g. of
revolution) has long since gone the way of "kempt" or "couth" and
thus now represents a reanalysis-cum-back-formation from "throes".
I'm sure google would have provided the Secretary with many models
for his usage, but it hasn't made it into "the dictionary" yet.

Larry

(P.S.  If you're keeping score, Rummy also allowed that this
particular last throe may last up to 12 years.)