Off and on

[ronbutters at AOL.COM]

I am not sure why you say "largely"--certainly oversight committees sometimes are formed to prevent oversights, and sometimes to correct oversights, and sometimes simply because overseeing has been overlooked and it is thought that an overview should not be put off. Too much overseeing can be considered overwatching. But not off-putting. But I have to knock off now. My alarm went off and my time is up and over and ran out.

Sent from my iPad

On Sep 21, 2011, at 11:59 AM, "Baker, John" <JBAKER at STRADLEY.COM> wrote:

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

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