Must needs

[Wilson Gray]

So, as Michael points out, "needs must" is merely another way of
saying, "necessity compels." I wonder why anyone would reverse the
word order when "must needs" is so clearly transparent? Or should that
be, "transparently clear"?

-Wilson

On Jan 17, 2008 11:08 AM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Must needs
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At 9:47 PM -0500 1/16/08, Wilson Gray wrote:
> >  Re:"Needs must when the devil drives."
> >
> >Who? Barbara? What? I don't get it.
> >
> >-Wilson
>
> By the way, there's a nice mini-entry by Michael Quinion on the above
> expression at http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-nee1.htm.   Seat
> belts are probably a good idea under the same circumstances, but no
> relevant proverb exists for that.
>
> LH
>
> >
> >On Jan 16, 2008 6:53 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu> wrote:
> >>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> >>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >>  Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> >>  Subject:      Re: Must needs
> >>
> >>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >>  At 3:36 PM -0800 1/16/08, Benjamin Barrett wrote:
> >>  >Must needs was used by Mahatma Gandhi.
> >>  >
> >>  >One must needs be as humble as the dust. (Citation from
> >>  >http://www.writespirit.net/sri_chinmoy/books-by-sri-chinmoy/mahatma-gandhi-the-heart-of-life/mahatma-gandhi-by-sri-chinmoy)
> >>  >
> >>  >I remember not being able to parse this in high school but finding that
> >>  >other people had not problem. BB
> >>  >
> >>  >------------------------------------------------------------
> >>  >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >>
> >>  and then there "needs must", as in "Needs must when the devil drives".
> >>
> >>  LH
> >>
> >>
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> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >--
> >All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
> >come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
> >-----
> >                                               -Sam'l Clemens
>
> >
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> >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
                                              -Sam'l Clemens

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org