more taboo avoidance

[Jonathan Lighter]

Well, get this. Ad for a local restaurant:

"Peerless.

"Big on Seafood.

"FAMOUS at Steak.

"Since 1938."

Rationalize away, it still says "at."

JL

On Sat, Aug 13, 2011 at 7:08 PM, victor steinbok <aardvark66 at gmail.com>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       victor steinbok <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: more taboo avoidance
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> It's not that I wanted Wilson to have conniptions on the subject, but I
> actually debated with myself as to which article to put in. In the end, I
> decided it made no difference. If you don't like it, teach me something
> new...
>
> VS-)
>
> On Sat, Aug 13, 2011 at 6:43 PM, Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at ix.netcom.com
> >wro=
> te:
>
> > On Aug 13, 2011, at 3:25 PM, Wilson Gray wrote:
> >
> > > On Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 12:20 PM, victor steinbok <
> aardvark66 at gmail.com=
> >
> > wrote:
> > >> the benefit of _a_ doubt
> > >
> > > Not
> > >
> > > _the benefit of _the_ doubt"
> > >
> > > ?
> > >
> > > Is
> > >
> > > _the benefit of the doubt
> > >
> > > going the way of
> > >
> > > _on the average_
> > >
> > > _hit the wall_
> > >
> > > _in the zone_
> > >
> > > _drive =85  up the wall_
> > >
> > > etc.?
> > > --
> >
> > IMHO there are quite a few of these.
> >
> > The articles "a" and "the" are frequently indistinguishable in speech,
> > meaning that people are necessarily going to reanalyze them.
> >
> > Another complicating factor is that in many cases, either article can be
> > used: (She got) a/the chance, (There is) a/the risk of...
> >
> > Benjamin Barrett
> > Seattle, WA
> >
>
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