Re: in or on the lists

Peter Duncanson wrote:
On Sun, 10 Dec 2006 13:11:59 +0000, Blue Sow <blue@xxxxxxx> wrote:

MDM wrote:
'It was number one in the bestseller lists.'
In the UK, would you say in or on with lists?

My preference would be 'in'.

I would agree that "in" is appropriate for that particular example.

[...]

I'd say that, very approximately, if the list is one that ranks
items in order, such as a bestseller list, a pop music chart, etc.
then "in the list" would be suitable. An item has a position "in"
the list.

If the list is one does not involve a ranking, such as a menu, a
list of people invited to a party, a list of people who are banned
from entering the country, etc. then "on the list" is suitable.

One tends to be 'on' a 'waiting list' also, which places one 'in' a queue.


Doing Google searches using <"on the list" site:.uk> and <"in the
list" site:.uk> [1] will give some idea of how these phrases are
used.

Any idea how to set up such a search so that it searches current usage while ignoring current abusage?

--
Blue Sow
.