Censure or censor?

[Wilson Gray]

Larry, have you ever considered going into stand-up? I can't speak for
others, of course, but, man, you crack me *up*!

-Wilson

On Mon, Sep 1, 2008 at 9:01 PM, 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: Censure or censor?
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At 8:38 PM -0400 9/1/08, Joel S. Berson wrote:
>>In her (?) generally negative review
>
> in the Times, if anyone needs to know
>
>>of Steven Bochco's "new drama of
>>judicial tantrum throwing and tousled hair," Raising the Bar," Ginia
>>Bellafante writes "But some [beers] are consumed in the shower,
>>because this is the kind of show in which three words generally
>>relevant to any treatment of the legal profession---"conflict of
>>interest"---appear to have been censured."
>>
>>(In a family newspaper, Ms. Ballatante is not explicit, but I surmise
>>conflict of interest looms because the assistant district attorneys
>>and the public defenders are taking the showers together.)
>
> Darn.  Now I'll have to watch it.
>
>>
>>Did Ms. Ballafante misuse "censure" for "censor" here?
>
> I'm sure she did, if indeed she (or her editor) knows the difference.
> But given the kind of education and proofreading writers get these
> days, she's more to be pitied than censured.
>
> LH
>
>>In my
>>experience, actions may be censured, but words are censored.  But I
>>do note "censure, v.  {dag}6. trans. To exercise censorship over.
>>Obs. rare. (Cf. CENSURE n. 5.)", with a single citation from 1605;
>>and "censure, n. 5. [is] Censorship; the office or action of a
>>censor.    a. Of the ancient Roman censors (= L. censura)"
>>
>>An eggcorn?
>>
>>Joel
>>
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