# is George Dubya Bush an imbecile **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 23, 2004, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-dubya-bush-an-imbecile/230678 "2004-02-23T15:13:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-dubya-bush-an-imbecile/230678/61 "2004-02-24T17:58:12Z")
> [@schplebordnik](#): > > \*comﾷprise v. –tr. comﾷprised, comﾷprisﾷing, comﾷprisﾷes. 1. To consist of; be composed of: “The French got… French Equatorial Africa, comprising several territories” (Alex Shoumatoff). \* > –American Heritage Dictionary > > Somebody tell those asshats at the American Heritage Dictionary they don’t understand the English language! Ahem: The whole comprises the parts. The parts compose the whole. The whole is composed of the parts. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-dubya-bush-an-imbecile/230678/62 "2004-02-24T20:06:12Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > [quote=schplebordnik > comﾷprise v. –tr. comﾷprised, comﾷprisﾷing, comﾷprisﾷes. 1. To consist of; be composed of: “The French got… French Equatorial Africa, comprising several territories” (Alex Shoumatoff). > –American Heritage Dictionary > > Somebody tell those asshats at the American Heritage Dictionary they don’t understand the English language![/quote] > Huh? AHED got it right here: “The United Kingdom is composed of” and “the United Kingdom comprises” are equally correct, and have the same meaning, at least where I’m from. I’m with the dictionary on this one. (“The United Kingdom is comprised of” seems to be a common error, but it’s at best non-standard, and if you use it in formal writing you’re gonna look like a durn fool.) It’s also redundant. “Composed of of”? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-dubya-bush-an-imbecile/230678/63 "2004-02-24T20:08:09Z")
Crap. Could a passing Mod please fix my coding up there? ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-dubya-bush-an-imbecile/230678/64 "2004-02-24T20:26:28Z")
> [@Ukulele Ike](#): > > I believe the Scots have a _burr_. > > It’s the Irish who have a _brogue_. Perhaps, but if we go by [The Scotsman](http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=5432003), brogue is acceptable. > [@](#): > > Connery’s Scots brogue takes the title as world’s sexiest male voice I think burr gets tagged to a Highland accent, so we both win. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-dubya-bush-an-imbecile/230678/65 "2004-02-24T20:32:42Z")
Golly, **Jeff** – I didn’t even _read_ the AHD definition, I just assumed that since someone was citing AHD for the correctitude of “comprised of,” that it _was_ actually set down that way – largely because AHD is notorious for including outrageously incorrect definitions of words, without usage notes, on the basis of the error being common amongst gasoline-huffing grade-school dropouts. God, I hate that dictionary. It’s like the Anti-OED. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-dubya-bush-an-imbecile/230678.md?page=3)