"Difficult Languages"

[W Brewer]

LH:  <<I've heard it a bunch, but (almost?) always in the context of "____
down" and not in the sense of 'snuff out, extinguish' as here.>>
WB:  The transitive struck me as unfamiliar. I distinctly recall one
occasion years ago when I spontaneously uttered <quieten> as an
intransitive inchoative, and thought it was my innovation. Still sounds
awkward to me, but am glad to hear I was not alone. <Want you kids to
quieten down now.> Sort of hillbilly.

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