Wordwizard

Hello after a long gap in time from my last appearance on the old site Wiz. They've got this one nailed, the slip has been rectified I just heard. An impromptu reswearing in camera I believe, no loose chad left unturned this time. Frank

John Prescott is the British Deputy Prime Minister; he has just been reported in the "popular press" as one who had difficulty keeping his trousers zipped. He owns two Jaguar cars, and is known by the nickname, "Two Jags". He has already been renamed in a pre-emptive strike in a tabloid headline I ...

Not read this yet but would have been disposed to do so as an OLD fan of Mr Ravenscroft. We had a boy at my school of this surname and I wondered. Loving biography this will be a must for me if I needed further encouragement, which I don't, so enjoyed reading your review Phil, I liked the aforementi...

Seeing WOZ's post prompts memory of one of the best Devon teas I ever had of way too many, in Australia on the heights of Paluma Range, Queensland in a touristy cafe. Maybe it was the elevation or elation of the exotic location and being with a transplanted English rose, my sister. Good day Wozzer. ...

Did you hear a shopping mall banned the store Santa 'cos they don't allow hoodies?

Sort of related to the previous discourse and a very uninformed question as it dovetails with what I heard or probably misheard. The wrong pluralising aspect alluded to reminded me as a non-philological chap of the coined modern construct term workaholic - I searched here for alcoholic (no definitio...

haro wrote: Languages hardly ever are logical. Why do we say 'two-timing' instead of 'twicing'? A bit off topic, I know, but interesting

Nice one Haro, I for one certainly could not think why exactly but twicing would be uneuphonious if that's a word. Cheers - FRANK

this may seem awkward for 2, does it seem less awkward when you get to "Lance Armstrong, seven-time winner of the Tour de France, ..." The pattern holds even when you get to numbers that have no corresponding term... 72, 1433, etc. Well this was hardly my point or query, I was saying the phrases "o...

I was wondering about this query for some time, I don't know if it's worth discussing. I saw use of the phrase "two times" in Time Mag. maybe, or think I heard an American commentator say: "Tiger Woods two times winner of the British Open at The Old Course". It's a USA thing definitely, I have notic...

[quote] Originally posted by pingpong fan [quote] Originally posted by Ken Greenwald Is that the NAAFI you refer to and could you expand a little on the meaning of ‘NAAFI breaks’ and perhaps the origin of your above statement? My brother tells me, in National Service the men said "chuffed to NAAFI b...

[quote] Originally posted by Ken Greenwald Is that the NAAFI you refer to and could you expand a little on the meaning of ‘NAAFI breaks’ and perhaps the origin of your above statement? _______________________ Ken - I have been off line for a while, or would have got back to you sooner. It was a bit ...

You are teases gents. If the WoZ does not respond to the boomerangman signal I flashed, because he's at a barbie or, some other cultural festival all those miles away I'd be chufffed to old NAAFI breaks for any input. Erik, how droll, even with your own stand-up stage now for jokes you go the extra ...

Heard on a TV quiz (yes I do watch more than is good) but it did at least provide fodder for thought in this case. No derivation was cited but it was defined as an antipodean term for the "old country". From a little research one source suggested it was a corruption of the old dirt of the mother cou...

I cannot add to the brilliant etymology on this thread which is fascinating. Someone mentioned the pub in Whitehall, ah I remember it well from when I worked at County Hall for the GLC. I trust and hope it is still there, but as the mud of memory has been stirred I recall regularly seeing Buster Edw...

Anyone...at all?! Such a plaintive plea I felt even I might respond. You will be lucky to get a definitive answer to this one. Unless the great man explained his authorial motivations somewhere any theories expressed about the issue would be speculative surmise. I liked a young reviewer's opinion t...