Off and on

[Baker, John]

Actually, an oversight committee largely is a committee to rectify people's oversights.  Sometimes these divergent meanings sort of converge.


John Baker


-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Laurence Horn
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 11:25 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: Off and on

On Sep 21, 2011, at 10:11 AM, Ron Butters wrote:

> Apparently, you get off on worying about the putatively logical inconsistencies of language.
> How can anyone who sets off on a trip ever get there? How can anyone break wind or bad news? Why is an oversight committee not a committee to rectify peoples' oversights?

There's always the one about why we drive on parkways and park on driveways.

LH

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