Re: Re: The sun's gonna blow up and we're all gonna die!

On Tue, 05 Jun 2007 17:25:48 -0000, UC
<uraniumcommitteechairman@xxxxxxxxx> enriched this group when s/he
wrote:

On Jun 5, 12:03 pm, SJAB1958 <balf...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On 5 Jun, 14:22, UC <uraniumcommit...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:



On Jun 4, 9:09 pm, r norman <r_s_norman@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Mon, 04 Jun 2007 17:43:44 -0700, UC <uraniumcommit...@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

On Jun 4, 8:35 pm, r norman <r_s_norman@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
(snippage)
By the way, have you ever head the phrase "naked ape"?

Yes, I have.

It has even
got an entry into the OED. And guess what species it refers to.

I know what the intention of the author is. That does not mean I agree
with it.

You acknowledge that it is sufficiently in usage to attract the
attention of lexicographers.

So, what does that prove? It merely records what people say. It does
not mean the OED agrees with it, either.

I can't keep straight whether usage is important to you or whether it
is irrelevant or whether it depends on what side of the argument that
usage may fall. Still OED does not mark that usage is irregular in
any way which does mean something.

The OED is silent on the matter, as it is silent on the novels of
Anthony Trollope.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

All that the OED requires for a word or phrase to earn an entry is
that it is in common usage, with a definite meaning associated to it.

Whether the compilers of the OED agree with such matters is
irrelevant, as the dictionary is a repository of all the words and
their meanings both general and specific.

And why pray tell should a dictionary bother to mention anything about
any novels, such information is usually found elsewhere and has no
relevance in a dictionary unless a phrase or word used in a particular
way in a given novel or similar work enters into common usage and may
warrant a mention.

I remember reading a passage in Dickens (Pickwick Papers, I think)
that employed the word 'somniferous' in describing the effect of wine.
I knew what the word meant, but I looked it up in the SOED just for
fun. The SOED quoted the passage I was reading!

So there you have a word that is a fairly recent invention - just like
archaeopteryx.

Words get invented, but I bet more people know what an archaeopteryx
is than knows the meaning of somniferous.

--
Bob.

.