In a recent GQ thread, clairobscur found himself getting a barrage of questions about French grammar and idiom. I thought I would open a thread to return the favor, not just to him, but to all Dopers for whom English is not a first language. I have to say, I’m amazed by the degree of fluency in English you guys all have. Even so, there must be words, phrases, or idioms that are a mystery to you. Post your questions here, and we’ll let the collective wisdom of the native-English Dope shine forth.
Why did the chicken cross the road?
Herself, methinks.
Carry on.
Because the 'possum told him it was safe.
Clairobscur is a man, baby!
No seriously, he’s a guy.
Huh. Who knew?
Everyone except me, as it turns out.
His name is a play on words: “clair” = clear, “obscur” = unclear. See?
Right, if he were a chick, his name would be, like, Claire Obscure.
Back to the OP, if I may: two actual English-language questions:
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Past form of to shine: I learned at school that it was shined when the meaning was to polish but shone when a light was directed at something. Sometimes I read shined in the latter meaning. Legitimate variant or mistake?
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Anti-Semetism: Legitimate variant spelling of Anti-Semitism or a remarkably frequent misspelling?
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Either way. We’re flexible like that when it comes to language. Bunches of ways to say the same things. Too bad we’re not like that when it comes to international diplomacy.
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As far as I know, and someone who is Jewish might field it better, but it’s anti-Semitism
Legitimate variant. No doubt it’s possible to explain the passive role or summat-or-other, but my guiding principal is that grammar is about making language understandable.
“Shined my shoes” will beat “shone my shoes” by about a thousand to one. “Shined a light” and “shone a light” are probably about 50-50, though I get the feeling that “shone” is slowly falling off the map.
“Anti-semetism” is just a misspelling. Some authorities say “antisemitism,” without the hyphen.
I wouldn’t make a big deal in any other thread, but a principal is the person who runs a school. A principle is an idea or belief, and what you meant to say.
Sal Ammoniac, I agree, but I think “the sun shined brightly” is probably considered wrong, and “the sun shone brightly” is right.
Great thread.
How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?
The GPO Style Manual – the best source for this sort of question – uses says it’s one word with no hyphen (antisemitism). The general style is to write words solid – no hyphen – except in cases where there might be confusion (e.g., un-ionized). GPO only uses the hypen for Anti-American, anti-hog-cholera, anti-missile-missile, and anti-New Deal, plus any words where the second element begins with “i” (e.g., anti-inflation).
Ok, I have got one: why do you say “piece of cake” to something that is easy? I mean, obviously it’s easy to gobble down a piece of cake, but I have not heard that as a saying in Scandinavia.
And another one: why do the aussies refer to the british as pommies?
I don’t really have a definitive answer to the “piece of cake” question. I will say that the expression has been around for a long time, and the metaphor “confectionery”=“something easy” is pretty well established. For instance, if you call someone a creampuff, it means they’re basically a lightweight, a pushover. You also hear “easy as pie.”
“Pommies” apparently, by what I’ve read on this board, derives – implausibly as it may seem – from “pomegranite,” which is rhyming slang for “immigrant.” As you can imagine, there are dozens of other theories out there, but I think this one has some scholarship behind it.
Hmmm… I thought it came from “Whinging Pommes”. Which I personally don’t understand what that has to do with the English. But there is a long list of things I don’t understand… so, meh.
What’s the American fascination with British-isms? Seems every time an ordianary dumpy guy with an English accent walks into a room full of American women and you can almost here the slap of wet panties hitting the floor.
Not that I’ve not played up my accent for personal gain and profit.
:smack: “hear” the slap of wet panties…