for(e)go

[Arnold Zwicky]

On Jun 26, 2009, at 11:28 PM, Victor wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Victor <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      for(e)go
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>
> Eugene Volokh noted on his blog this evening:
>
>>> How Appealing noted an opinion by Judge Frank Easterbrook last week,
> to point out (among other things) that "Judge Easterbrook does not
> forgo
> using 'forego' to mean 'to do without.'" (The full phrase in the
> opinion
> was "the insurers contend that Freedom’s willingness to forego the
> collection of any deficiency ....")
> http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2009_06_21-2009_06_27.shtml#1245809432
>
> He then went on to present an extensive discussion of the use of
> "forgo/forego" in judicial opinions.
>
> I just thought I'd flag the post. For direct URL references to the
> Easterbrook opinion and How Appealing coverage, follow the link above.

Brians (cited by Volokh):

   The E in “forego” tells you it has to do with going before. It
occurs mainly in the expression “foregone conclusion,” a conclusion
arrived at in advance. “Forgo” means to abstain from or do without.
“After finishing his steak, he decided toforgo the blueberry
cheesecake.”
   http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/forego.html

but in MWDEU (echoed by Volokh):

   If you look in your Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary (or
other good contemporary dictionary), you will find a verb _forego_
that means "to go before" and a verb _forgo_ that means "to abstain
from, do without."  You will also find that the verb _forgo_ is
sometimes spelled _forego_, but the verb _forego_ is spelled only
_forego_.
   Some commentators (for example, Evans 1957, Shaw 1962, 1975, 1987,
and Bremner 1980) record this variation accurately, but several (for
example, Simon 1980 and Bryson 1984) try to deny it.


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