English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

MetaEd

18:00

in flagrante delicto

Cerberus

Oftentimes, yes.

Flagro means "to blaze", by the way.

But the extended, modern meaning was already in use in the classical era.

Robusto

@Cerberus I can see the relationship between "flagrant" and "blazing" ...

Matt Эллен

and flamboyant

Cerberus

18:15

Good.

KitFox

4

Q: "On time" vs. "in time"

I don't know if there is any difference. Which of the following should I use? I'll be on time to catch the train. I'll be in time to catch the train.

Robusto

The "Famous Question" badge militates against quality.

KitFox

2

Q: "In time" or "On time"?

I am confused between usages of "On" and "In" in following sentence: Let the task be done _ time. Should I use "On" or "In" in this sentence?

prepositions

Are dupes of

7

Q: "In time " versus "on time"

Which one is correct: "Submit your work in time" or "Submit your work on time"?

prepositions

The topmost is older, but should still be closed.

Matt Эллен

yes ma'am!

KitFox

Oh, I like that.

Matt Эллен

18:18

:D

Cerberus

Well, well.

Matt Эллен

Thanks for the heads up on the rain. I guess it'll be here tomorrow. I'll take my raincoat to work

KitFox

Gah. Who wrote this stupid code?

Matt Эллен

one of satan's minions, probably

brb, reading new Steam Subscriber Agreement. AKA how to take the fun out of gaming

Cerberus

@MattЭллен It seemed to be headed towards the north-east.

@MattЭллен Careful with that.

Matt Эллен

18:33

then I might have another day's respite!

Cerberus

They are trying to prevent you from access to a court of law.

But I doubt whether such a clause would be valid here.

It may not be valid in English law either.

MetaEd

@MattЭллен "flamboyant" = "smoke on the water"

Matt Эллен

that's deep

skullpatrol

►

cornbread ninja

@skullpatrol YES \m/

oh, was hoping for Space Truckin'

skullpatrol

18:39

cornbread ninja

noyce

Robusto

@MattЭллен respite = spite, again!

RegDwight АΑA

Jul 16 at 20:42, by RegDwight ΒВB

Also, RIP Jon Lord.

Robusto

RIP Gore Vidal.

Matt Эллен

PIR sensor

RegDwight АΑA

18:43

Jul 28 '11 at 12:38, by Grace Note

@RegDwight There's always ripping off his arms. I still owe him that.

MetaEd

@MattЭллен football

Matt Эллен

@MetaEd Banana cream sundae

KitFox

Burma!

Robusto

Shave!

KitFox

Touché.

Matt Эллен

18:46

Turtle

Robusto

We always hear about eclairs. Were the aclairs, bclairs, cclairs and dclairs just prototypes? Will there be an fclair?

KitFox

Wax.

Tweened.

Matt Эллен

I dunno, ask clair.

Robusto

She slapped me when I asked.

KitFox

Intercourse the penguin.

Robusto

18:50

@KitFox Of course you would.

KitFox

Fewmets. You got me.

Matt Эллен

I can't believe there isn't any Touché Turtle Wax in the Google search results

It has to be a real thing

Robusto

@MattЭллен Did you look behind the refrigerator?

KitFox

You mean as opposed to Touchéless Turtle Wax?

Robusto

Also, maybe it's Touchy Turtle Wax. Except turtles aren't known for their thin skins. Hmm ...

Matt Эллен

18:53

if it's behind the fridge, It's never coming back.

KitFox

Étouffé Turtle Whacks, the new kind of piñata.

2

Robusto

@MattЭллен If it's behind the fridge and it does come back, it's the start of a horror flick.

Matt Эллен

the thought send shivers down my spine

Robusto

Could be a double-feature, too, depending on the size of your fridge.

KitFox

Yay! I got my thing to work.

Matt Эллен

18:55

Yay!

Robusto

@KitFox Great. Now work on mine.

KitFox

I'm not that kind of girl.

Robusto

Hey, I worked on your thing when you asked.

Double-standard.

KitFox

That's a fair cop. Well, maybe I could help if you gave me more information.

Haz u tried jQuery?

Robusto

Is that a brand of lube?

cornbread ninja

18:56

no children in the office! >_<

KitFox

Oh dear.

Such a reputation I must have.

Robusto

I know, right? And you're always so demure in chat.

KitFox

Fumble seems to think I regularly arrange orgies.

Do you have any idea what a logistical nightmare orgies are?

Haha. I was looking for the original conversation we had.

Aug 19 '11 at 17:11, by KitΘδς

Can't go wrong with pirates and Shakespeare. Pretty sure that was the theme of our first orgy.

This is what I found.

Robusto

I must have been at a different orgy that day.

Matt Эллен

> VALVE AND ITS AFFILIATES AND SERVICE PROVIDERS EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ... ANY COMMON LAW DUTIES WITH REGARD TO STEAM, THE SOFTWARE, AND THE SUBSCRIPTIONS, INCLUDING DUTIES OF LACK OF NEGLIGENCE

lack of negligence?

Robusto

19:01

@MattЭллен Well, when one expects negligence and doesn't get it, one is liable to sue.

Matt Эллен

indeed!

I shall have to take advantage of this

Robusto

The non-negligent bastards! Sue them right out of their socks!

Matt Эллен

you've provided 99% uptime for my games. This is preposterously lacking in negligence!

Robusto

yesterday, by Robusto

@tchrist I の, right?

KitFox

My username and password have not so much as been questioned!

MetaEd

19:11

@MattЭллен mah-na mah-na

@KitFox You've run rings around me logically.

@KitFox Do you have any idea what logistical nightmare orgies are? ftfy

There goes Kit, removing things again.

When do I earn my curmudgeon badge?

KitFox

What? Huh?

I think an indefinite article is fine there.

Matt Эллен

it is, but it's a different meaning without!

KitFox

And what am I removing now?

Oh, right. RenderOuterTable="false"

I just moved it actually.

MetaEd

0

A: Is it acceptable to start a sentence with 'However'?

It is acceptable to start a sentence with however. However, according to Strunk & White’s Elements of Style, it may only be used at the beginning of a sentence when it means “in whatever way” or “to whatever extent”. When the word is used to mean “nevertheless”, it may not come first in its ...

Yes, really.

@KitFox Matt got it.

@KitFox Messages.

KitFox

pfft Matt always gets it.

Matt Эллен

19:25

in the neck

Mitch

@Meysam I want to see if he can get it larger. That'll be the test for my vote.

Matt Эллен

0

Q: How can I say 4 different colors for 5 different items using one, another, the other?

Am I saying this correctly? There are five items in 4 different colors. One is in red, another is in yellow, another is in green, and the others are in black. Also, can I say "Two items are in black, and each of the rest is in red, yellow, and green."? And, can "the" be omitted before "two item...

grammaticality expressions articles

I think I don't understand English anymore

Mitch

What I want from the voting on the nominees? actual score for negative scores instead of capping at -1. I want to see who the expected -non-electable person is easily.

@MattЭллен it's just words. you know. and colors.

MetaEd

@Mitch Click on the vote number.

Matt Эллен

I that question a proofreading question?

Is it saying "Are there any mistakes in this?" but in a convoluted way?

Mitch

19:33

@MetaEd Yes, I can click on the number but that involves...well...clicking. Why didn't they just do the default and just display difference of up and down votes instead of using the max function.

@MattЭллен Maybe. could be a 'what's the best style?'

MetaEd

@Mitch We were speculating that the reason is that large negatives invite pile-on.

But so do large positives. So I don't really get it.

Mitch

@MetaEd oh... well... yes, piling on can be fun I suppose.

you know...

KitFox

Logistics.

Mitch

all sorts of interesting NC questions...

KitFox

Everybody thinks an orgy is going to be fun. Nobody ever considers the logistics.

2

Mitch

19:35

get asked...

and then in a comment...

tweened of course...

MetaEd

Can we create a moderator blacklist and put on it everyone who voted for EC? Ha, ha, only serious.

Mitch

someone says...this isan NC question, but...

but you should come ask it in chat...

but then no one ever does.

KitFox

You are so elliptical.

Mitch

I'm not saying I would spend time chatting about it...

but..

Matt Эллен

@Mitch well, some of the people can't ask in chat (20 reps entry fee)

Mitch

19:37

but...

do we scare them away?

@MattЭллен oh.

Matt Эллен

<- terrifying orc head

Mitch

@KitFox exactly. nobody ever has enough parking. and you always forget the ice.

KitFox

I know, right?

Mitch

@MetaEd ther's the...what do they call it...the protest vote? no..the goofy vote? no..

Matt Эллен

spoilt ballot?

Mitch

19:39

the ironic vote?

Matt Эллен

the hipster vote?

Mitch

crazy vote///gah...I should ask on some website.

like voting for ... mickey mouse for president...

Matt Эллен

if only there were a site you could ask for a single-word-requests

KitFox

@Mitch Yeah, but which one?

Cerberus

How about SWR&U?

Matt Эллен

19:41

if I could request one word in the world, what would it be?

@Cerberus perfect! propose it on area 51

Mitch

I would be happy with more than one word, but a site like that...they'd probably only take single word requests.

Cerberus

@MattЭллен I'll leave that to you.

RegDwight АΑA

@KitFox make the logistics part of the fun, duh. This is like saying, ice cream is no fun, the cone isn't even made of ice cream!

Cerberus

@Mitch A question would be like "Buzzard?".

Mitch

@Cerberus OK I"ll bite...what is '...U'?

MetaEd

19:42

bit.ly/PmzSGx

Cerberus

Usage?

KitFox

@RegDwightАΑA hahahaha

Matt Эллен

U is for Unicorns!

Cerberus

Oh, yes!

How stupid of me.

MetaEd

@MattЭллен U are for Unicorns. ftfy

RegDwight АΑA

19:43

@Cerberus do you plan on participating in the Town Hall Chat?

Matt Эллен

Sadly our two unicorns haven't been present recently

Cerberus

@RegDwightАΑA I probably will if I am at home.

But I may be out.

Matt Эллен

@MetaEd Unicorns am for rainbows

RegDwight АΑA

@Cerberus I'm just saying, you could ask about SWRs.

KitFox

Oh no. Please don't.

RegDwight АΑA

19:44

I can write up a question, too. Just in case.

MetaEd

Skittles. Taste the unicorn.

Cerberus

Actually, I don't know when it is any more, because my time was removed.

KitFox

Check the board puppy.

Matt Эллен

3am Cerberus time

Cerberus

@KitFox No fun!

RegDwight АΑA

19:44

@Cerberus in 5 hours 16 minutes.

Matt Эллен

I think, unless you don't do DLS

KitFox

breathes into paperbag

Cerberus

Oh, today!

RegDwight АΑA

@MattЭллен yeah his time was actually wrong. And he didn't even notice.

Good thing I clicked on the "view in other timezones" myself.

Matt Эллен

@Cerberus today? no, 3am tomorrow! it's already been 3am today!

Cerberus

19:46

So 3 am, yes. We will be in a palaeography session for a couple of hours, but they will have left by then.

RegDwight АΑA

Of course they will have left. It's palaeography.

Cerberus

@RegDwightАΑA How would I notice? It's 8 January here.

@MattЭллен Arg.

I count in days from sleepy time to sleepy time.

Matt Эллен

is that why it's only Jan 8?

Cerberus

Ah, doorbell!

Later.

Matt Эллен

CU

KitFox

19:47

Gah! Who wrote this crappy ass code!?

RegDwight АΑA

@Cerberus Makes sense. Life's longer that way. You only use up like 300 days a year.

KitFox

punches past self

MetaEd

@KitFox It's much more effective to feel guilty on behalf of past self. Guilt can last a lifetime if you do it right.

Mitch

lmgtfy.com/?q=single+word+request+and+unicorns#seen

MetaEd

Damn. Why can't we copy edit in chat.

Mitch

19:50

creationtoday.org/why-does-the-bible-mention-unicorns

MetaEd

tastes the unicorn

KitFox

mingle2.com/dating/unicorn

But this is what I was actually looking for:

OK, gotta go. Bye!

Matt Эллен

see you!

Matt Эллен

20:33

call it a draw

RegDwight АΑA

Wow, almost killed my Chrome. What do they load up, Emacs rewritten in jQuery?

Robusto

I'm out.

RegDwight АΑA

CU

MetaEd

21:02

@RegDwightАΑA No, silly. LISP rewritten in jQuery. Then Emacs runs natively.

RegDwight АΑA

BTW @Rob, will you be around for the Town Hall Grill tonight? You had some quality questions the last time around. I plan on reasking them all with zero attribution.

@MetaEd that's not even a proper rewrite. JavaScript is way closer to LISP than most people imagine.

MetaEd

@RegDwightАΑA Not nearly close enough for comfort.

Hell: Perl is way closer to LISP than most people imagine.

RegDwight АΑA

That much is true. It's just that we're not talking Brainfuck or Piet.

MetaEd

Or INTERCAL.

RegDwight АΑA

Apr 18 at 12:48, by RegDwight Ѭſ道

Turbo Pascal 5.5 is the best.

MetaEd

21:06

OMSI Pascal is the best. ftfy

RegDwight АΑA

Blaise Pascal is way better than OMSI Pascal.

MetaEd

Blai ... ok, good. You're getting faster.

But I'm watching you.

RegDwight АΑA

I am not getting faster. I was always faster to begin with.

KitFox

fastly

Damn it, I left my notes for the Town Hall at work.

Matt Эллен

oh, I remember them

1. be awesome

2. see 1

RegDwight АΑA

21:12

You remember Kit's notes?

Matt Эллен

you're welcome

RegDwight АΑA

Peculiarer and peculiarer!

MetaEd

Hey … what's happened to our favorite troll?

Matt Эллен

Evan Caroll or Nortonn S?

MetaEd

NS.

EC is not my favorite troll.

Matt Эллен

21:13

lol

RegDwight АΑA

@KitFox don't worry, notes won't help you anyway. No admission for pianos.

MetaEd

His porn isn't as good, for one thing.

KitFox

@RegDwightАΑA How do ducks learn how to fly?

RegDwight АΑA

No fair, that is one of my questions for the Town Hall Chat.

@MetaEd now that would be a great question. "Is your porn any good? Why or why not?"

Mitch

one more close vote needed...

2

Q: How can I say four different colors for five different items using “one”, “another”, “the other”?

Am I saying this correctly? There are five items in four different colors. One is in red, another is in yellow, another is in green, and the others are in black. Also, can I say: Two items are in black, and each of the rest is in red, yellow, and green. And, can “the” be omitted befor...

grammaticality expressions articles

MetaEd

21:18

@Mitch No help here.

Matt Эллен

as you wish

RegDwight АΑA

Gee, can't you guys pick one close reason? Hrmpfgrml.

Mitch

How can I say "This question needs to be closed, and this one, but not this one Reg, really it's interesting, but this one could be closed instead"?

MetaEd

s/neds/needs/ftfyftw

RegDwight АΑA

@Mitch for starters, you have to say that in Afrikaans.

English no have word's for that.

Mitch

21:19

Your Afrikaans sounds so much like English, but with sort of a sore throat.

MetaEd

Don't leave it that way.

RegDwight АΑA

My Afrikaans doesn't sound. It's dead.

Mitch

better?

MetaEd

Not you. Reg.

Sadist.

RegDwight АΑA

I am here to sadist.

Mitch

21:21

@RegDwightАΑA You don't need to water them that often.

Matt Эллен

I am here to sleep.

Mitch

mmmm...sleep

RegDwight АΑA

Stop it.

I have to stay awake, too.

And I'm two hours ahead of you.

And fresh out of Dexter.

MetaEd

No sleeping in chat.

Mitch

4 more hours? what a bout a nap?

RegDwight АΑA

21:23

At least not till Brooklyn.

Mitch

there's no sleeping in Brooklyn.

kinda like chat

RegDwight АΑA

kinda hate chat

Mitch

Oh.

RegDwight АΑA

So I thought I'd be lurking during the Grill, then a couple hours ago two questions did cross my mind, then I started writing them down, and now I'm at five and notes for a dozen more.

Must. Stop.

This all comes from not killing time with Dexter.

Robusto

@RegDwightАΑA Eh, probably. If I'm not, feel free to ask away. Everyone knows you steal my stuff anyway, so no harm done.

RegDwight АΑA

21:31

I promise to pay you royal teas one day. Like, honestly or something.

Robusto

Uh-huh.

RegDwight АΑA

So okay. With Kit's duck question, and Ed's porn question, that makes like OVER 9000 questions in total. I think I'll go rent a room and just talk to myself.

Robusto

@RegDwightАΑA Spoiler alert: Dexter kills a lot more than time.

RegDwight АΑA

Tintenkiller

Ein Tintenkiller, kurz Killer, auch Tintentod, Tintenlöscher oder Tintenlöschstift, ist ein Stift, mit dem man Korrekturen an mit (meist nur blauer) Tinte geschriebenen Texten vornehmen kann. Meist besteht ein Tintenlöschstift aus zwei Teilen. Mit dem einen Ende kann man die Tinte „unsichtbar“ machen, mit dem Filzstift am anderen Ende dann die Korrektur vornehmen. Geschichte des Tintenkillers Erste Mittel zum Entfernen von Tinte entwickelte die Pelikan AG um 1930 unter den Namen Radierwasser und Tintentod. Die ersten Exemplare im Handel enthielten die wirksame Substanz als gepressten S...

Robusto

Wirklich?

RegDwight АΑA

21:36

Aber sowas von!

Zem Schömans are violent people.

Robusto

Wieso nur blau?

RegDwight АΑA

Some chemistry shit going on I guess.

Robusto

In Amerika können wir mit allen Farben des Regenbogens killen.

RegDwight АΑA

Actually when I was in school most ink erasers had a pen on the other end, which could write over the erased region, and be erased again. Magic.

I never owned one.

@Robusto yes, I know how gay you are about killing.

Robusto

That's the thing about guns. They don't have an eraser on the other end that lets you correct your mistakes.

RegDwight АΑA

21:40

Wow. What will they invent next?

Robusto

i no rite

@simchona: Seriously, you need to be more TOLLERANT.

RegDwight АΑA

Weren't bayonets meant for correcting mistakes? Like, fiddling out the bullets?

Robusto

@RegDwightАΑA Well, in the sense that enemy soldiers were "mistakes" they were.

But no, way back when the ramrod would have a corkscrew thingy attached that could fish out misfires.

RegDwight АΑA

Better than Miss Doubtfires.

The doubt is in there for a reason, after all.

Robusto

I would gladly use a bayonet on Mrs. Doubtfire. The film, that is, not the person.

RegDwight АΑA

21:45

No doubt.

Tragic kingdom.

Robusto

In fact, any film that has male comedians in fat-lady drag ought to be sent sofort to the wood chipper. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.

RegDwight АΑA

Tootsie or not to see? That is the question.

Robusto

Well, Dustin Hoffman didn't play a fat lady. And the film did have Bill Murray. But on the whole, I wouldn't cry if it got shredded.

Also, films that have women playing men. Like Albert Nobbs. And practically any other Glenn Close movie. And it's a good thing someone finally managed to end Tracy Ullman's career, come to think of it.

RegDwight АΑA

The longer I live, the more I suspect that Bill Murray must have a secret plan to surpass Christopher Lee, or at least not let him get too far ahead.

Oh my, not Glenn Close. A dangerous liaison.

Robusto

Bill Murray keeps reinventing himself with the same old character. Somehow it works.

I did tell you that I met Bill Murray once, didn't I?

RegDwight АΑA

21:51

I am not sure. There, I said it!

Roger Ebert I remember.

No signs in the transcript.

Robusto

Bill Murray too. Back when I was in advertising. We were filming a commercial on one set, he was in the next one doing a movie. He walked into our set with an entourage looking for the "hot babes" he was sure we had a big supply of.

RegDwight АΑA

@Robusto well it works for many people, like I dunno, Tom Cruise. And he even skips the "reinventing" part.

@Robusto so you offered your duties?

Robusto

He was a good guy. He had those makeup tissues on his costume because he had come right from makeup and he joked with us for a few minutes, long enough to ascertain that we didn't have any babes.

KronoS

hey guys... quick question for ya:

which is correct:

> This store has a wide range of fruits that have their own price tag
> This store has a wide range of fruits that has its own price tag

Robusto

@RegDwightАΑA You misspelled services. And, no. But I did get his autograph.

RegDwight АΑA

21:54

Damnit, I knew duties was wrong. Frigg.

@KronoS have, their, if you ask me.

But I just misspole services as duties, so what do I know.

Robusto

I had a pen and some paper, but he looked at the pen and said, "You don't want me to sign with that, do you?" And he turned around and yelled, "Someone get me a Sharpie!" And someone in his entourage bestirred himself and got him a Sharpie, and so I got his autograph in bold.

KronoS

@RegDwightАΑA lol. We were having a discussion regarding this over at chat.SU and needed it cleared.

Thanks

Robusto

@KronoS I wouldn't use either one, personally.

KronoS

@Robusto what would you use?

Robusto

You could patch the first one by pluralizing tag: This store has a wide range of fruits that have their own price tags.

RegDwight АΑA

22:00

@KronoS basically "a wide range" works like many there. Ignore that it looks like a noun with an article. You have the same with "a lot", "a few" etc. You wouldn't say, "a few people is", or "a lot of people thinks".

KronoS

so the plural of the fruits is incorrect?

Robusto

The plural of fruit is fruit or fruits.

It's like fish. You can say fish or fishes.

RegDwight АΑA

@KronoS quite the opposite. People is plural, too.

Robusto

But you can say "peoples" as well. :)

> This message goes out to all the peoples of the Earth.

KronoS

@Robusto that sounds weird though.

RegDwight АΑA

22:03

I keep looking for that answer of Barrie's, can't find it. It was about a different phrase, but the idea was the same.

Robusto

@KronoS I'll be the judge of what sounds weird.

2

RegDwight АΑA

@KronoS "all the people" = "all the humans"; "all the peoples" = "all the nationalities".

Or nations. Verdammt, mein Englisch ist miserabel heute.

I'll have a short walk in the garden, see if it helps.

MetaEd

@RegDwightАΑA Just ask candidates what questions you thought of. That's the only question you need.

RegDwight АΑA

We'll see.

Last time around barely anyone was asking, with the notable exception of Rob, so they just supplied some standard questions.

MetaEd

@RegDwightАΑA Wie geht's are fine.

RegDwight АΑA

22:07

@MetaEd okay now I don't understand any language it seems. BRB

KronoS

@MetaEd are you guys having elections right now?

RegDwight АΑA

Look this way →

Elections, Town Hall Chats, everything. @Robusto even promised girls!

MetaEd

@KronoS Ayup.

(Modulo who "you guys" are.)

KronoS

@MetaEd dang 2 point shy of being able to vote.

RegDwight АΑA

You still have six days.

Still primaries right now.

KronoS

22:16

wow looking for an edit on an eglish and language site is fairly difficult

RegDwight АΑA

Think big. Post an answer.

MetaEd

Post a question.

Or what Reg said.

KronoS

@MetaEd that will probably be what I end up doing.

MetaEd

"How can I gain enough points to vote in the 2012 EL&U Moderator Election?"

tchrist

23:18

Marry is a minced oath? Hostia, what’ll they think of next?

RegDwight АΑA

They'll merge it with merry, that's what.

tchrist

Don’t talk to me about mergers. I just today finally figured out that I have neither the RP nor the GA vowel in the PALM lexical set. No wonder everybody sounds so weird to me.

RegDwight АΑA

Pfft. Who needs palms anyway. Use hooks.

tchrist

I say [pɒɫm]. I knew I wasn’t fully cot–caught merged, but now I find I’m an undocumented splitter. Now I know why nobody understands me.

MetaEd

23:33

@tchrist Judean People’s Front!

tchrist

I have to find more people like me, so that we can be united against the LoCal oppressors.

RegDwight АΑA

WTF don't you ever dare unite against LolCats.

MetaEd

@fumblefingers Okay, that was a hilarious edit.

@simchona.

simchona

23:57

@meta

RegDwight АΑA

Damnit, what's the word for closing a question all by myself with no community involvement?

I'm stuck with unilaterally, but that's not the word I want.

Transcript for

English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…