# Five Down, Forty-Five To Go **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 6, 2009, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-down-forty-five-to-go/495563 "2009-05-06T17:53:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-down-forty-five-to-go/495563/121 "2009-05-10T19:17:41Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > Jefferson: …inalienable rights… > Adams: The word is ‘unalienable’, Mr. Jefferson. > Jefferson: ‘Inalienable’ is correct. > Adams: It just so happens that I am a Harvard graduate. > Jefferson: Well, I attended William and Mary. _laughter_ > Obscure musical reference FTW! **Sampiro** will be so proud! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-down-forty-five-to-go/495563/122 "2009-05-11T16:30:05Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Marriage = Pursuit of Happiness? Never been married, eh? > 😃 Pursuit. Not capture. (btw, it’s “purfuit of happineff”, continuing the theme) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-down-forty-five-to-go/495563/123 "2009-05-11T16:39:11Z")
You know, the long s doesn’t really look like an f. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-down-forty-five-to-go/495563/124 "2009-05-11T20:12:42Z")
That’s right - at most, it only has a nubbin on the left-hand side of the stroke, not a line that crosses the stroke. The Master speaks: [Why did 18th-century writers use F inftead of S?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/101/why-did-18th-century-writers-use-f-inftead-of-s): > [@](#): > > What you take to be an f is actually the so-called long s, also known as the medial s, to be differentiated from the terminal or short or round s, which we regard today as the conventional form. Throughout its history, the long s has always looked a lot like the lowercase f, to the extent of having a little nubbin vaguely reminiscent of a crossbar appended to its middle sometimes. But the two letters are not otherwise related. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-down-forty-five-to-go/495563/125 "2009-05-11T20:16:50Z")
Is Stan Freberg not only gone but forgotten now? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-down-forty-five-to-go/495563/126 "2009-05-11T20:20:10Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > That’s right - at most, it only has a nubbin on the left-hand side of the stroke, not a line that crosses the stroke. > > The Master speaks: [Why did 18th-century writers use F inftead of S?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/101/why-did-18th-century-writers-use-f-inftead-of-s): Ummmmm . . . “the long s doesn’t really look like an f”, supported by quoting an article that says they look a lot alike 😕. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-down-forty-five-to-go/495563/127 "2009-05-12T00:47:51Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Ummmmm . . . “the long s doesn’t really look like an f”, supported by quoting an article that says they look a lot alike 😕. I’ll leave that argument alone, but point out that the long s wasn’t used in the final position, rendering the phrase, if one wants to read it that way, “purfuit of happinefs”. Actually, looking at a [ridiculously large (and slow-loading) blow-up of the actual document](https://woodward8.wikispaces.com/file/view/Us_declaration_independence.jpg), it’s in a cursive script, and looks to read “pursuit of Happinefs”. The difference between long s and f seems to be that the downstroke of long s loops left and back up, while that of f loops right and back up. ETA: Oh, yeah, on topic, I meant to also ask what’s going on in New Hampshire. I seem to recall that the bill has been reconciled between both houses of the legislature, and is awaiting the governor’s action, but I could be mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![Meltdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-down-forty-five-to-go/495563/128 "2009-06-03T21:35:20Z")
[Six!](http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/06/nh_legislature.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-down-forty-five-to-go/495563.md?page=6)