mole; dressage

[Dan Goncharoff]

Where does your definition of "mole" come from. Most "moles" in literature
have been agents of one side turned by the other. Planting a "mole" takes
decades; turning an agent can just be a question of money.

DanG


On Sun, Apr 15, 2012 at 12:13 PM, Jonathan Lighter
<wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      mole; dressage
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> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> A disgruntled former Fox News employee has been revealing hideous network
> secrets on the Net. The media call him a "mole":
>
>  http://news.yahoo.com/fox-news-digs-mole-suspends-him-022042144.html
>
> A "mole," however, is a spy planted by the enemy.  In this case, there is
> no enemy. The word they want is "turncoat" or "rat" or, for those of a
> certain age, "fink."
>
> The same article tells how Gov. Romney inadvertently broke a verbal taboo
> opening him to further ridicule.  The "mole" exposed him.
>
> JL
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
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