Eggcorn: vagary = something vague

[Wilson Gray]

Oh. I didn't think about it from that POV. I agree that being ignored
isn't what would be expected, in this case. You ought to have gotten a
"We already have that" and the URL where you can find it, in case that
you want to "commentate," anyway, or a note WRT the date on which your
find was entered into the DB. At this point, I can only exit, more or
less gracefully. I'm sorry that I can't be of more help.

-Wilson

On 8/26/06, Karl Hagen <karl at polysyllabic.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Karl Hagen <karl at POLYSYLLABIC.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Eggcorn: vagary = something vague
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Fair enough, although by "no response," what I really meant was that no
> one bothered to put it in the database, and so I was worried that it had
> fallen through the cracks.
>
> Wilson Gray wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: Eggcorn: vagary = something vague
> > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Generally, postings don't get replied to, unless someone feels that
> > the content of the post, in his opinion, at least, is controversial in
> > some way. I agree with what you have to say and, apparently, so does -
> > or "so doesn't," as they say in Boston - everyone else. If you had
> > claimed, for instance that "vaguery" is beginning to be misspelled as
> > "vagary," several people would have found it necessary to reply to
> > your post.
> >
> > -Wilson Gray
> >
> >
> >
> > On 8/24/06, Karl Hagen <karl at polysyllabic.com> wrote:
> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> >> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> Poster:       Karl Hagen <karl at POLYSYLLABIC.COM>
> >> Subject:      Eggcorn: vagary = something vague
> >> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >> I posted about this some time ago in the eggcorn database forum, but got
> >> no response, so I thought I'd try here.
> >>
> >> In that earlier post
> >> (http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/forum/viewtopic.php?id=517) I dug up
> >> examples of this confusion accompanied by a spelling change (vagueries,
> >> etc.), which was how I originally encountered it. Recently, it occurred
> >> to me to check for instances that would not offend a spell-checker. They
> >> were easy to find. For example:
> >>
> >>  From http://www.retropoll.org/press_release_poll02.htm:
> >>
> >> "The question on war against various nations contains compound elements.
> >> By including other unnamed nations as well as Iraq, the poll
> >> intentionally incorporates the vagaries that are part of the double
> >> speak issued by Government officials and advisors about attacking other
> >> nations. However, these vagaries have unclear impacts upon peoples'
> >> understanding of the question, so that this element should be reworded
> >> for future polls."
> >>
> >>  From a National Association of Physician Recruiters newsletter
> >> (http://www.napr.org/newsletter/NAPR2004WINTERNEWS.pdf):
> >>
> >> "The Code of Ethics was amended this year. In reality, the Ethics
> >> Committee and the Board of Directors almost rewrote the Code in its
> >> entirety. The changes were made because our members overwhelmingly
> >> mandated them. The concepts did not change, rather, they were clarified
> >> and modernized for easier interpretation. The sections and subsections
> >> of the Code most frequently misinterpreted or abused were expanded to
> >> remove, as much as possible, the vagaries and unclear language."
> >>
> >>  From the Virginia Business Magazine
> >> (http://www.gatewayva.com/biz/virginiabusiness/magazine/yr2006/may06/region2.shtml)
> >>
> >> "The demands were strong, but the language vague, leaving a worried
> >> populace to wonder if rolling back development around the base meant
> >> condemning or purchasing the more than 3,000 homes and businesses that
> >> were already established when the Navy redrew the lines of its crash
> >> zones in 1998.... For nine months leading up to the deadline, city
> >> planners, financial officers and attorneys struggled to develop the
> >> plan. Befuddled by vagaries (such as 'reverse' in development, and
> >> 'incompatible' land use) laid out by the federal government, they
> >> weren't sure what would satisfy the demands."
> >>
> >>  From http://www.carter.democrats.org.au/html/print.php?sid=259:
> >>
> >> "Although the outcome of the bill is unclear because of its hazy
> >> vagaries, it may be the case that, if passed, this bill will restrict
> >> the activities of legitimate domestic voluntary euthanasia advocacy groups."
> >>
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> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> > There's only one thing that money can't buy and that's poverty.
> >
> > --Jack Benny
> >
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> >
> >
>
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--
There's only one thing that money can't buy and that's poverty.

--Jack Benny

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