fodder

[Jonathan Lighter]

"Met with worldwide [X] fodder" doesn't make sense either.

The prophecy itself was the "[X] fodder."


JL

On Sun, May 22, 2011 at 9:19 PM, Ben Zimmer
<bgzimmer at babel.ling.upenn.edu>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at BABEL.LING.UPENN.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: fodder
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On Sun, May 22, 2011 at 5:56 PM, <ronbutters at aol.com> wrote:
> >
> > On May 22, 2011, at 5:25 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> >
> > > Commentary? Wisecracks? Other?
> > > Today at
> > >
> http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/149845/20110522/camping-doomsday-rapture.htm
> > > :
> > > Indeed, discussions about May 21, 2011 being the "end of the world"
> were
> > > met with worldwide fodder -- a bonanza for American late-night
> television
> > > comedians.
> >
> > Maybe somebody has something to say about LANGUAGE? American English?
> > Dialects? Or is this just a list-serv for wisecracks and arch comments
> about other
> > folks' putative stupidity?
>
> I presume the (linguistic) point here is the rather bizarre use of
> "fodder" to mean... I'm not sure, exactly. My best guess is that this
> is the result of poor editing -- the "end of the world" discussions
> could be fodder for the comedians (as well as a bonanza), but another
> word is needed after "worldwide" -- "derision" or "mirth" or some
> such.
>
> --bgz
>
> --
> Ben Zimmer
> http://benzimmer.com/
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



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