eggcorns and other wild beasts--the Bernei Madoff edition

[Baker, John]

    There probably are situations where "meet and proper" sounds just
fine, but this is not one of them.  The email, on page 79 of the PDF at
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/CNBC/Sections/News_And_Analysis/_News/__EDIT
%20Englewood%20Cliffs/LetterOfMadoffVictims.pdf, is stilted in the
extreme.  The writer, whose identity has been redacted, apparently seeks
to present himself as highly educated, but he comes across instead as a
coxcomb.

    In contrast, I don't have any problems with examples such as this
sentence from the California Welfare and Institutions Code:  "Any order
made by the court in the case of any person subject to its jurisdiction
may at any time be changed, modified, or set aside, as the judge deems
meet and proper, subject to such procedural requirements as are imposed
by this article."


John Baker



________________________________

From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
Of Victor
Sent: Monday, March 23, 2009 5:09 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: eggcorns and other wild beasts--the Bernei Madoff edition


At best, it seems archaic and redundant. At worst, it's someone trying
to use legalese to make himself look educated.

I've heard "meet" before in this meaning, but not in this
combination--at least, not outside of wills or judicial opinions, and,
even there, the expression is not particularly current.

    VS-)

Alison Murie wrote:




                On p.79, "I am a historian of financial fraud and
financial
                bubbles ...
                and would suggest that it might be _meet and proper_ for
you to have
                one individual present who can put the entire Madoff
matter into
                historical perspective.


        ~~~~~~~~~~~~
        What's at issue here?  "Meet & proper" sounds okay to me:
redundant,
        of course, but a known expression.


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