English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

Færd

4:01 AM

So there's a card or some other game, and a person who feels somehow mistreated cries out: "I call injustice!".

Is that sports lingo? What is that call?

Cerberus

4:28 AM

There is call foul.

I'm not too familiar with game/sport lingo except for games I play myself.

Færd

4:46 AM

Thanks.

Curio

9:24 AM

Is there anyone?

Is it better to say "I everywhere have looked for my bag" or "I have looked everywhere for my bag"? (Consider only 2 these possibilities)

Xanne

@Curio The second is better, standard.

Feeds

11:03 AM

1

Q: Synoynms for 'minister' (in a political context) that do not imply leadership of a ministry or department?

I am leading an initiative in my micronation-state (for information on micronations in general, see Wikipedia), the Republic of Glastieve (see Micronations Wiki and again), which recently launched the Second Phase Initiative (see YouTube). Until now, the Cabinet has been composed of seven minis...

Feeds

11:39 AM

0

Q: word that goes beyond optimistic?

A few months ago my professor mentioned a word that essentially went beyond being optimistic... He said that optimistic people were simply hopeful, but this adjective that he mentioned meant someone who takes action to make the change that they envision. I wrote down the word down as meadialisti...

single-word-requests

Curio

1:32 PM

Thanks

tchrist

2:19 PM

In the Gospel of John Denver it is written:

> He was born in the summer of his 27th year, coming home to a place he'd never been before.
He left yesterday behind him, you might say he was born again,
you might say he found a key for every door.
When he first came to the mountains, his life was far away on the road and hanging by a song.
But the string's already broken and he doesn't really care,
it keeps changing fast, and it don't last for long.

John Denver - Rocky Mountain High (Audio)

►

My question for our Sunday School class is this: how old was he said to be in the song's first line?

1. 27
2. Twenty-seven
3. 26
4. First Century

Here's another:

> October. Here in this dank, unfamiliar kitchen
I study my father's embarrassed young man's face.
Sheepish grin, he holds in one hand a string
of spiny yellow perch, in the other
a bottle of Carlsbad Beer.

That’s the start of poet Raymond Carver’s "Photograph of My Father in His Twenty-Second Year".

How old was his father in the photograph?

1. Twenty-two
2. 21
3. 22
4. First Century

And how you know why the people can't handle AM/PM can't. :)

Off-by-one error

An off-by-one error (OBOE), also commonly known as an OBOB (off-by-one bug), or OB1 error is a logic error involving the discrete equivalent of a boundary condition. It often occurs in computer programming when an iterative loop iterates one time too many or too few. This problem could arise when a programmer makes mistakes such as using "is less than or equal to" where "is less than" should have been used in a comparison, or fails to take into account that a sequence starts at zero rather than one (as with array indices in many languages). This can also occur in a mathematical context. =...

> A fencepost error (occasionally called a telegraph pole, lamp-post, or picket fence error) is a specific type of off-by-one error. An early description of this error appears in the works of Vitruvius.[1] The following problem illustrates the error:

If you build a straight fence 30 meters long with posts spaced 3 meters apart, how many posts do you need?

The naive answer 10 is wrong. The fence has 10 sections, but 11 posts.

Now where is the Latin when we need it? :)

Odd, I thought the Romans used paces not meters.

> In araeostylis enim libertas est quantum cuique libet constituendi. Sed ita columnae in peripteris conlocentur uti quot intercolumnia sunt in fronte, totidem bis intercolumnia fiant in lateribus. Ita enim erit duplex longitudo operis ad latitudinem. Namque qui columnarum duplicationes fecerunt erravisse videntur, quod unum intercolumnium in longitudine plus quam oportet procurrere videtur.

@Cerberus ^^^^^ Happy Sunday!

Where would we be today had the Romans not seen fit to give us intercolumnia? :)

Vitruvius, De Architectura, Book 3, Chapter 4.

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio [90 BC – 20 BC]

By which we know he lived 70 BC. :)

Ten books to that work.

Well, "volumes".

In today's lingo.

One used to say "books".

Or Cantos. :)

Færd

4:26 PM

Hmm.

Maybe his twenty-seventh year is ambiguous?

You mark off the start of your first year when you're born.

tchrist

@Færd Bingo!

Færd

But when your born again it's your second year... so OK.

tchrist

Heh.

Perhaps a man in his 27th year just turned 21+26. :)

Færd

scratches head

headbleed

tchrist

When you turn N, you have just completed your Nᵗʰ year and just begun your (N+1)ᵗʰ year of life, which is therefore the one you’re "in".

When you turn 10, you've just finished your 10th year and begun your 11th.

Færd

4:33 PM

Right.

tchrist

Thing is, we never say that someone is 0 years old.

We subdivide into months or weeks.

Færd

But I can't do the math for the "fisrt century" choice.

@tchrist Naturally!

tchrist

First year, first decade, first century.

Those all involve zeroes. :)

Second year, second decade, second century: those all involve ones.

Language-Barbie says “Math is hard, which is why I'm an English major!”

Færd

Yeah. It's way harder when you make it into some sort of oracle!

@tchrist So 27th involves a twenty-six.

tchrist

@Færd Yes.

Færd

4:39 PM

By that logic, which is correct.

Where does the 21 come from?

tchrist

Who's on first.

@Færd The age of majority.

When a boy becomes a man.

Or is that the age of consent? I forget.

Færd

OK. I thought so.

But I thought that was 18.

And 21 the age when you can legally drink in the US.

tchrist

If the age of majority means the age of becoming a man, and that occurs when you turn 21, then if you’re in your 27th year as a human you’re in your 7th year as a man. :)

@Færd More true than false, yes.

A surpassingly silly number, but that's another matter.

Færd

21 is way too old to start owning your life.

tchrist

yes.

That's right.

I believe we should change the drinking age to 16 from 21, change the voting age from 18 to 16, and change the driving age to 21 from 16.

Mitch

4:43 PM

@tchrist thanks for the hailnames tagging

Sometimes it takes years to remember a word for a concept

tchrist

It is, however, undoubtedly true that many teen agers are killed because of drinking and driving.

So the current law does not work.

So swap the ages.

Færd

@tchrist It's more like that over here, except for the drinking age, which is if and when you transfer to heaven.

tchrist

You go to heaven when you drink?

Not for long, I aver.

> And malt does more than Milton can. To justify God's ways to man

Færd

Well, I mean the promise of Godly drinks in Paradise.

tchrist

> Say, for what were hop-yards meant,
Or why was Burton built on Trent?
Oh many a peer of England brews
Livelier liquor than the Muse,
And malt does more than Milton can
To justify God’s ways to man.
Ale, man, ale’s the stuff to drink
For fellows whom it hurts to think.

Mitch

4:47 PM

but I can't add (or vote for) adding a synonym like 'vocatives' or 'call-names' or

tchrist

@Mitch I've added most of them.

Vocative isn't right.

Mitch

..or other words I cant think of and the thesaurus is not forthcoming with

tchrist

chicken mcnuggets

Mitch

@tchrist it's not? it feels like it should be

tchrist

O Death where is thy sting?

Mitch

4:48 PM

colloquial-vocatives is a synonym in the system

tchrist

O Muse what is my destiny?

Færd

@tchrist Liquor praise abounds in every language's literature.

Mitch

@Færd alcohol is overrated

tchrist

O Mother dear have you no fear that Pop will chuck it in the bucket?

Færd

@Mitch Based on my experience, very much so.

Mitch

4:49 PM

and it's a conspiracy of the masses that they have a taste that is anything other than terrible

tchrist

Rather.

Mitch

@tchrist So those are not vocatives? or in a vocative function?

Bro, where art thou?

Færd

@Mitch But that's how you develop a taste. Taste is collective agreement on some level.

tchrist

@Mitch Those are indeed proper nouns of direct address, but they are not fake names.

Stupid auto-complete in my fingers.

Færd

Incidentally, the tenth episode of the second season of Community is aabout drinking age. Strongly suggested.

Mitch

4:51 PM

@Færd I disagree. Cake universally tastes good.

And if doesn't taste good to you, then you're a monster

Færd

Have your cake and eat it too, dear Mitch.

Mitch

@tchrist Fake names? but fakeness is not relevant to vocatives

@Færd exactly

tchrist

Exactly.

Mayor Wilcox, have you anything to add to this tale?

Mitch

eats some cake

shakes fist at heavens for not having any anymore

Færd

Hahaha. Now I'm hungry.

Mitch

4:53 PM

haha

tchrist

Tell me, anonymous kibbitzer, what you would have me do?

Mitch

moves on to eating cookies

cookies finished

tchrist

pancakes and waffles, and syrup on kittens

Mitch

sadness ensues

@tchrist I love kittens!

Færd

They don't go with syrup.

Mitch

4:56 PM

no comment

It's hell to clean that off though

tchrist

Closets and cupboards for hiding your chickens

Færd

Even for the poor kitten, to groom itself.

Mitch

@tchrist wait.. was he saying that people who drink beer are stupid?

tchrist

when the eggs crack, when the pan sings

a breakfast is one of my favorite things

@Mitch No, that thinking brings them pain.

Mitch

@Færd I bet it's a way to get cats to eat medicine, you grind it up put it in peanut butter then spread the peanut buter on their fur. then they have to lick it off.

Færd

4:59 PM

Can't they spit it out?

Mitch

I've never seen a cat spit

I'd suspect too low class for them

Færd

That's unfortunate to have to swallow everything you lick off your body.

tchrist

> Zerika nodded. "Except for yourself, Duke, there were few students of Discretion who survived the Disaster. And of graduated, certified Discreets, I know of none at all." "Nor do I, Your Majesty." Zerika looked at Pel as if considering his character, or summoning her courage, or perhaps both. At length, with a sigh, she said, "My conscience stabs me, Your Discretion."

Pel took a step backward, and, for one of the few times in his life, an appearance of astonishment settled over his countenance. For a long moment he could say nothing, and, indeed, his hands were actually trembling. Who ca…

Mitch

@Færd Trichobezoar

@tchrist How did you get your OED text (that you search through), and does it have etymology text in it?

tchrist

My conscience stabs me.

Mitch

5:07 PM

@Færd en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hairball

@tchrist Well, tell it to stop doing that

tchrist

For I cannot say.

And yes, it does.

@Mitch Tristangrascalaticrunagore

Mitch

1

Q: List of words with the dates they first appear in English?

I'm interested in finding a (quite comprehensive) list of words, from which I can extract the dates of first appearance in English. This is so that I can be a /little/ more historically accurate in producing dialogue for a period-piece bit of writing. For example, I can easily look up etymologie...

etymology list-request

@tchrist My question was relevant to that

You can easily look up one word at a time, but the guy seems to want to do things in bulk (a natural desire).

Færd

@Mitch Poor things.

Mitch

(sure, there are semantic difficulties with the task, but it at least will speed up the process)

@Færd It's really disturbing to see a cat do it, it's like they're going to die.

tchrist

It's not something I feel free to distribute.

Færd

5:12 PM

@tchrist I hope you successfully bind the wounds. I wish it stopped stabbing though.

tchrist

And it's only the V2+ OED, not the V3.

Mitch

@tchrist I kinda figured from you past comments about it, but I thought there was the possibliity of following a similar path to yours to get it.

Færd

@Mitch They do that when they want to cough up bones and other stuff too.

Mitch

not that I would publish it publically

tchrist

They say that if you try hard enough, you can kill your conscience before it kills you.

Mitch

5:13 PM

@Færd I've heard that's a good reason not to give chicken bones to cats because those kind of bones tend to splinter badly and be dangerous to cough up

Færd

Or you may come to terms with it.

@Mitch Ah I didn't know. I thought they knew what to eat and what not to eat.

At least that much.

Mitch

@tchrist OK, another tack... do you know of any source files online that does have etymology (with dates)? so that one can process it oneself?

tchrist

I do not.

Mitch

moby has all sorts of info (including pronunciation) but not 'date of first appearance'

@Færd cats are smart about what they eat, but they're not cross-species anatomical experts.

Unless maybe they are and they're just toying with me.

oh shit... they're just toying with me.

averts gaze of cat

parvin

5:45 PM

Hi

Would some one help me writing an email?

I want to refere to a professor as "master" or "leader" but I don't think it's an appropriate word

What can I use jnstead?

What can I use instead?

Feeds

6:52 PM

0

Q: Single word meaning 'funny if it weren't so sad'

'Funny if it weren't so sad' is used to describe situations which are very sad, for example because of utter incompetence in a serious situation, so sad in fact that one goes on to say it could be deemed funny. One word to describe this is pathetic, however I feel that word isn't quite strong en...

single-word-requests adjectives emotions

Educ

7:56 PM

Hi

How can I translate " set operation " in french here is the context ( Mathematics (set theory ) ) Unfortunately, Boole would sometimes take the analogy too far. For example, he tried to find a set operation analogous to division, even though no such
operation exists in logic.

@Mitch please your field is Logic , could you help me in this , is it correct to say : une operation des ensembles ou un operation de division pour les ensembles "

"boolean a essayé de trouver une operation ensembliste analogue à la division ?"

Mitch

@Educ La grammaire n'est pas la logique. Et alors, My French grammar est horrible.

'des ensembles', 'les ensembles', je n'ai aucune idee.

Neanmoins, "Boole a essaye..."

or...

Opération ensembliste

Les opérations ensemblistes sont les opérations mathématiques faites sur les ensembles, sans s'occuper de la nature des éléments qui composent ces ensembles. Les opérations booléennes (union, intersection, complémentaire, différence et différence symétrique) sont traitées dans l'article « Algèbre des parties d'un ensemble ». == Ensemble des parties == L'ensemble des parties d'un ensemble E, noté habituellement P {\displaystyle {\mathcal {P}}} (E) ou P ...

'une operation ensembliste'

'... qui est une analogue a la division'

Robusto

8:22 PM

+1 And congrats on 100k! — Robusto 3 mins ago

I got to push Sven Yargs into six figures. Zinnnng!

Educ

@Mitch Thank you I got it

@Mitch I see now the true meaning of " Everytime I think i'm out they pull me back in "

Feeds

9:30 PM

0

Q: Medieval word for "boss"?

I am searching for a fitting word for a story I am writing. The setting is fictional medieval (so not fully historical correct), and there is a group of bandits who have a leader. I am wondering, how the bandit members would call their leader. Sir? Boss? Or is there a better word? In my opinio...

single-word-requests

Feeds

11:29 PM

0

Q: One word for "lack of consensus"

Desperately trying to reduce word count in an abstract, I'm looking for a one-word alternative for lack of consensus as in: ... the lack of consensus [among researchers] on the definition of financial distress ...

single-word-requests

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English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…