"mores" with silent E

[Tom Zurinskas]

oh, tempura! Oh, morays!"

Simple to figure.  Tempura is a Japanese dish.  Morays are eels.  Reflecting on on a time in Japan that if your manners were bad, you got eels for dinner.  Similar to the greek/latin:  o tempora, o mores: Alas for the times and the manners.



Tom Zurinskas, USA - CT20, TN3, NJ33, FL7+
see truespel.com phonetic spelling




> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: "David A. Daniel"
> Subject: Re: "mores" with silent E
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> There was a Smothers Brothers routine whereby (I don't remember the exact
> logical sequence, if there was one) the people who governed the country wore
> more clothing than the people who were governed. Therefore, the people were
> the less-ons and the governors were the more-ons. So maybe NPR is now using
> mores as short for more-ons. ;) Waddaya think?
> DAD
>
>
> __________________________________________
> Save the Earth. It's the only known planet with beer.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
> Neal Whitman
> Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 12:12 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: "mores" with silent E
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ---
>
> Sorry, Jon!
>
> Anyway, no, they were definitely talking about customs, unwritten rules,
> etc.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joel S. Berson"
> To:
> Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 10:16 AM
> Subject: Re: "mores" with silent E
>
>
> >
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ---
> >
> > At 8/3/2010 08:19 AM, Neal Whitman wrote:
> >>Damien's closing "oh, tempura! Oh, morays!" reminded me that some
> >>time last week on NPR, I heard someone mention the mores of
> >>society, pronounced to rhyme with "pores".
> >
> > I think it was Jon Lighter who wrote that. It was clearly an
> > allusion to the Japanese gustatory delight with eel.
> >
> > Was the speaker on NPR alluding to the haves vs. the have-nots?
> >
> > Joel
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
> Version: 9.0.851 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3045 - Release Date: 08/02/10
> 03:35:00
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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