Valjean and trouble

Joel S. Berson Berson at ATT.NET
Wed Jan 11 17:23:56 UTC 2006


Was I incorrect, or imprecise?  I meant the silver got Valjean into
trouble with Javert; at the time he stole the silver, he had been
released from prison.

Joel

At 1/11/2006 11:44 AM, you wrote:
>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Sally Donlon <sod at LOUISIANA.EDU>
>Subject:      Re: "Ghetto" now (also) means "jury-rigged"?
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Actually, stealing bread got Jean Valjean into trouble. Stealing
>silver led to his redemption.
>
>sally
>
>
>On Jan 9, 2006, at 5:38 PM, Joel S. Berson wrote:
>
> > That answers part of my question:  "jury-rigged" [etc.] are senses of
> > "ghetto".  But while there is 4. below, there is also 3:
> >
> > 3. Jane hid her head in embarrasment [sic] as her mom shamelessly
> > committed the ghetto act of stuffing the restaurant's bread rolls,
> > sugar packets, and silverware in her purse
> > 4. "A TV Guide duct-taped to a 4 foot stick?! That's one hella ghetto
> > 'mote control!"
> >
> > While 3. above may be "3. (adj.) poor; of or relating to the poor
> > life," it would correctly be viewed as stealing by the owner of the
> > items.  Bread and sugar Javert might have excused, but it was silver
> > that got Jean Valjean into trouble.  So perhaps acts "of or relating
> > to the poor life" may acquire the sense of acts of theft?
> >
> > I'm still not sure, reading the hand-scanner instance, whether the
> > writer meant "jury-rigged" or "bootleg".
> >
> > Joel
> >
> > At 1/9/2006 03:55 PM, you wrote:
> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >> -----------------------
> >> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> Poster:       Erik Hoover <grinchy at GRINCHY.COM>
> >> Subject:      Re: "Ghetto" now (also) means "jury-rigged"?
> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> >> ----------
> >>
> >> Wilson,
> >>
> >> That posting on /. gave me pause, too.  The usage has been around for
> >> awhile, perhaps:
> >>
> >> http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ghetto
> >>
> >> Erik
> >>
> >> On Jan 9, 2006, at 3:15 PM, 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:      "Ghetto" now (also) means "jury-rigged"?
> >> >
> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> >> --
> >> > --------
> >> >
> >> > From today's SlashDot:
> >> >
> >> > "[The computer-science student thereby] made [his mouse] into a
> >> > _ghetto_ B&W handscanner."
> >> >
> >> > -Wilson Gray
> >> >
> >> >
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