Re: "Fair Use" Not in OED

[RonButters at AOL.COM]

In a message dated 2/15/06 4:17:31 AM, preston at MSU.EDU writes:


> David,
>
> No distinction of the sort you seek whatsoever; the distinction is
> between "ordinary collocation" and "legal term."
>
> dInIs
>

Well, yes, but David was right, I think. The "ordinary collocation" FAIR USE
is an "adjective + noun" construction (cf. THE WHITE HOUSE, NOT THE YELLOW
ONE), whereas the "legal term" FAIR USE is a compound noun (cf. THE WHITE HOUSE
IS WHERE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES DOES HIS EVIL WORK). It is
culturally significant that FAIR USE as a compound is used in legal discourse, but
grammatically FAIR USE is just like FAIR TRADE or FAIR BALL (or FOUL BALL). The
source and use of the (opaque) term is incidental to its grammatical status.

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