"Have you cake and eat it"
Surely they mean "Eat your cake and have it"?
Also
PULLED PORK
why!?!?
English Language - what "Does your head in" ??
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AlaninWales
- Posts: 1626
- Joined: 26 Oct 2012, 1:47pm
Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??
AJ101 wrote:"Have you cake and eat it"
Surely they mean "Eat your cake and have it"?
Also
PULLED PORK
why!?!?
Pulled to make it long pork?
Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??
Now now! This is not the Bullingdon club...AJ101 wrote:Also
PULLED PORK
why!?!?
Suppose that this room is a lift. The support breaks and down we go with ever-increasing velocity.
Let us pass the time by performing physical experiments...
--- Arthur Eddington (creator of the Eddington Number).
Let us pass the time by performing physical experiments...
--- Arthur Eddington (creator of the Eddington Number).
Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??
Mick F wrote:Two times, instead of twice.
Three times, instead of thrice?
Four times, instead of... ?
Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??
Bmblbzzz wrote:Mick F wrote:Two times, instead of twice.
Three times, instead of thrice?
Four times, instead of... ?
No, it's not logic, it's just style. American adults say two times. UK children say two times. UK adults say twice - it's just convention (and sometimes thrice). If you're an English adult and don't mind sounding like a four year old then use "two times". Simple really. What grates isn't the logic but the feeling that our culture is being overrun by fairly shallow commercial American culture - that's why it's significant - straws in the wind and all that. Whether that really matters (or should bother anyone) is a different discussion.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??
And while I'm on this thread (love it really . . . 
)
Dogs' names!
Why does the Guardian or Radio 4 need to tell us the name of someone's dog or even if they have one. But the name ...?
But then they've told us the names of their children (and the significance of their names is...?).
My goodness, it can't get much worse.
)Dogs' names!
Why does the Guardian or Radio 4 need to tell us the name of someone's dog or even if they have one. But the name ...?
But then they've told us the names of their children (and the significance of their names is...?).
My goodness, it can't get much worse.
Last edited by horizon on 30 Nov 2015, 10:36am, edited 1 time in total.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??
'Simples'. I hate that 
Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??
"Thrice" is an extremely common word in Indian English, used when something happens three times, in arithmetic and in situations where English English would more likely use "triple", eg "Thrice Tour de France winner Greg Lemond".
Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??
Bmblbzzz wrote:"Thrice" is an extremely common word in Indian English, used when something happens three times, in arithmetic and in situations where English English would more likely use "triple", eg "Thrice Tour de France winner Greg Lemond".
Thrice is great but it's not often used - it's an interesting quirk of the language. But if the TV viewing public cannot cope with twice, that's going to disappear as well (there's at least one advert that uses two times but I can't remember which it is). Language needs to change but this loss of twice is simply ignorant wipe-out.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??
I don't know the ad you're referring to, but adverts in general use language for effect. I don't think it can be taken as a sign that people can no longer understand a particular word.
Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??
Excellently put!horizon wrote: .......... If you're an English adult and don't mind sounding like a four year old then use "two times" ..........
Mick F. Cornwall
Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??
AJ101 wrote:PULLED PORK
why!?!?
Am I missing something? In order to make pulled pork you have to slow cook it and then pull it apart with forks.
Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??
horizon wrote:Thrice is great but it's not often used - it's an interesting quirk of the language.
Lewis Carroll wrote:"Just the place for a Snark! I have said it twice:
That alone should encourage the crew.
Just the place for a Snark! I have said it thrice:
What I tell you three times is true."
Suppose that this room is a lift. The support breaks and down we go with ever-increasing velocity.
Let us pass the time by performing physical experiments...
--- Arthur Eddington (creator of the Eddington Number).
Let us pass the time by performing physical experiments...
--- Arthur Eddington (creator of the Eddington Number).
Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??
Wonderful example!