documentate!!

Wilson Gray wilson.gray at RCN.COM
Tue Mar 29 02:18:19 UTC 2005


On Mar 28, 2005, at 5:10 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
> Subject:      Re: documentate!!
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> --------
>
> Me too. Or "me three" as the case may be.  (Not in OED but undoubtedly
> ancient.)
>
> Especially pernicious are hyphens within multipart verbs, e.g. "I
> thought I'd freak-out" or "Time to hit-the-sack."
>
> JL
>

Speaking of hitting the fart sack, don't forget to log-off before you
do, Jon.

-Wilson

> Wilson Gray <wilson.gray at RCN.COM> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Wilson Gray
> Subject: Re: documentate!!
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> --------
>
> On Mar 28, 2005, at 2:03 PM, Barbara Need wrote:
>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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>> Sender: American Dialect Society
>> Poster: Barbara Need
>> Subject: Re: documentate!!
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>> -
>> --------
>>
>>> I just got back the copy edited version of a book I'm writing in
>>> which the
>>> copyeditor decided that my use of "in a solicitation to murder case"
>>> should
>>> be changed into a verbal expression, "to solicitate a murder."
>>> Obviously I'm
>>> objecitating to this monstrous change. But maybe that's they way the
>>> -ate
>>> movement is going these days.
>>>
>>> Roger Shuy
>>
>> Would like it better with hyphens: "in a solicitation-to-murder case"?
>>
>> Barbara
>>
>
> I agree with you, Barb. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that the hyphen is
> going the way of the dinosaur. Except, of-course, in those environments
> in which we would-never-use one.
>
> -Wilson
>
>
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