eggcorns and other wild beasts--the Bernei Madoff edition

[Alison Murie]

On Mar 23, 2009, at 5:50 PM, Baker, John wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Baker, John" <JMB at STRADLEY.COM>
> Subject:      Re: eggcorns and other wild beasts--the Bernei Madoff
> edition
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>    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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, so nameless writer in para 1 is a coxcomb. The language of para
2 prompts me to recall that "the law is an ass."
AM
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> 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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