[Ads-l] "casualty"

Wed Jan 28 23:44:00 UTC 2026

And Wikipedia endorses the usage:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War_casualties

JL

On Sat, Mar 19, 2022 at 10:04 AM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Talk about a lost cause:.
>
> According to Encyclopedia Britannica, "The U.S. military reported 58,220
> American casualties" in the Vietnam War.
>
> https://www.britannica.com/list/9-questions-about-the-vietnam-war-answered
>
> They mean "fatal casualties" only.
>
> JL
>
> On Sun, Mar 6, 2022 at 6:42 PM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> When missiles hit things, their warheads explode. That means a great many
>> deaths/ injuries/ wounds/ casualties result from the customary hot steel
>> fragments.
>>
>> But it may be that some journalists feel that "wounded" implies bullets
>> only (which it doesn't).
>>
>> On Sun, Mar 6, 2022 at 4:57 PM Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Is part of the semantic change due to this being a war where few people
>>> are
>>> shooting at other people, but the injuries are mainly due to missiles
>>> hitting things, so the injuries are indirect?
>>>
>>> On Sun, Mar 6, 2022, 2:15 PM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> > All I've been hearing on CNN and MSNBC has been "injured," not
>>> "wounded."
>>> >
>>> > NPR, March 2
>>> > https://www.npr.org/2022/03/02/1083968591/russia-ukraine-deaths-war  :
>>> >
>>> > "[T]he Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed a substantial number of
>>> > casualties in Ukraine, announcing that 498 Russian troops have died and
>>> > 1,597 more have been injured."...
>>> >
>>> > "Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that among
>>> > Ukrainian troops, 2,870 have been killed, around 3,700 injured and 572
>>> > captured."
>>> >
>>> > On Sun, Mar 6, 2022 at 12:32 PM dave at wilton.net <dave at wilton.net>
>>> wrote:
>>> >
>>> > >
>>> > > I wonder if it correlates with "injured" being more likely to be used
>>> > when
>>> > > it's a shooting by police and "wounded" in shootings by others.
>>> > >
>>> > > Or perhaps "wounded" is carrying the connotation of military action.
>>> > >
>>> > >
>>> > > -----Original Message-----
>>> > > From: "Jonathan Lighter" <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>>> > > Sent: Saturday, March 5, 2022 10:48am
>>> > > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>> > > Subject: Re: [ADS-L] "casualty"
>>> > >
>>> > >
>>> > >
>>> > > Quora.com:
>>> > >
>>> > > "In 6 weeks [in Iraq] the US accomplished its goal. In total, the US
>>> > > coalition suffered 196 casualties and 551 injuries."
>>> > >
>>> > > I've also noticed for several years that cable news types usually say
>>> > > people were "injured" in shootings or firefights, not "wounded."
>>> Minor,
>>> > > but curious.
>>> > >
>>> > > JL
>>> > >
>>> > > JL
>>> > >
>>> > > On Sun, Dec 27, 2020 at 6:31 AM Jonathan Lighter <
>>> wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com
>>> > >
>>> > > wrote:
>>> > >
>>> > > > James Gagliano, former FBI Special Agent, on CNN a moment ago:
>>> > > >
>>> > > > "Thankfully there were [only] three injuries in this, but no
>>> > casualties.
>>> > > > Nobody was killed during this blast."
>>> > > >
>>> > > > JL
>>> > > >
>>> > > > On Sun, Jun 12, 2016 at 12:08 PM Jonathan Lighter <
>>> > > wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
>>> > > > wrote:
>>> > > >
>>> > > >> Of course he said "fifty-three" hospitalized.
>>> > > >>
>>> > > >> JL
>>> > > >>
>>> > > >> On Sun, Jun 12, 2016 at 11:56 AM, Jonathan Lighter
>>> > > >> <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> > > >> > The mayor of Orlando officially announces "fifty casualties and
>>> > > >> > forty-three hospitalized."
>>> > > >> >
>>> > > >> > A few minutes later a CNN anchor describes the crime as
>>> "grievious."
>>> > > >> >
>>> > > >> > And just after that, a former CIA officer analyzes the situation
>>> > > >> > "from an intelligence optic."
>>> > > >> >
>>> > > >> > JL
>>> > > >> >
>>> > > >> > On Mon, Oct 13, 2014 at 10:06 PM, Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com
>>> >
>>> > > wrote:
>>> > > >> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>> > > >> -----------------------
>>> > > >> >> Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>> > > >> >> Poster: Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
>>> > > >> >> Subject: Re: "casualty"
>>> > > >> >>
>>> > > >>
>>> > >
>>> >
>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> > > >> >>
>>> > > >> >> On Mon, Oct 13, 2014 at 12:56 PM, Jonathan Lighter <
>>> > > >> wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
>>> > > >> >> wrote:
>>> > > >> >>
>>> > > >> >>> wounded in action
>>> > > >> >>
>>> > > >> >>
>>> > > >> >> A.K.A. "WIA." I wonder WTF happened to "KIA" - "killed in
>>> action" -
>>> > > >> such
>>> > > >> >> that a foreign company can sell tens of thousands of cars
>>> bearing
>>> > the
>>> > > >> >> marque, "KIA," with no problem?
>>> > > >> >>
>>> > > >> >>
>>> > > >> >> --
>>> > > >> >> -Wilson
>>> > > >> >> -----
>>> > > >> >> All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange
>>> > complaint
>>> > > to
>>> > > >> >> come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
>>> > > >> >> -Mark Twain
>>> > > >> >>
>>> > > >> >> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> > > >> >> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>> > > >> >
>>> > > >> >
>>> > > >> >
>>> > > >> > --
>>> > > >> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle
>>> the
>>> > > >> truth."
>>> > > >>
>>> > > >>
>>> > > >>
>>> > > >> --
>>> > > >> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle
>>> the
>>> > > >> truth."
>>> > > >>
>>> > > >
>>> > > >
>>> > > > --
>>> > > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
>>> > > truth."
>>> > > >
>>> > >
>>> > >
>>> > > --
>>> > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
>>> > truth."
>>> > >
>>> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>> > >
>>> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>> > >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > --
>>> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
>>> truth."
>>> >
>>> > ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>> >
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
>> truth."
>>
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>

-- 
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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