tick-tock again

Wilson Gray hwgray at GMAIL.COM
Tue Dec 27 23:43:56 UTC 2011


On Tue, Dec 27, 2011 at 1:52 PM, Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at gmail.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender: Â  Â  Â  American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster: Â  Â  Â  Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject: Â  Â  Â Re: tick-tock again
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At least in the TPM version, when implying "timeline" hyphens are not
> used. I suspect the same is true of at least some other uses of the
> /noun/ tick tock.
>
> Â  Â  VS-)
>
> On 12/27/2011 1:19 PM, Brian Hitchcock wrote:
>>
>> Â  Â  http://goo.gl/zLm0j Dems Serve Up Ironic Tick Tock Of Events
>> Â  Â  Leading To Payroll Tax Victory A senior Democratic aide offers
>> Â  Â  this tongue in cheek tick tock on the House GOP's payroll tax cut
>> Â  Â  surrender.
>>
>>
>> ..... Â The above seems sorely bereft of hyphens. Â I could easily imagine
>> three in that sentence, assuming that  ~tick-tock~ needs one.
>>
>> Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  (tongue-in-cheek tick-tock)
>> BWH
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

I agree with Bryan. "Unnecessary" hyphens and commas make reading go
more smoothly.

BTW, what are these "when implying 'timeline' hyphens" that "are not
used"?

When-implying "timeline"-hyphens?

"Repent, Harlequin!" said the Tick-Tock Man.
-Harlan  Ellison

--
-Wilson
-----
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange complaint
to come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-Mark Twain

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



More information about the Ads-l mailing list