Ideal event

Timothy A. McDaniel tmcd at crl.com
Tue Jul 11 00:56:21 PDT 1995


Catherine, n.b-reid at mail.utexas.edu (Nancy Bradford-Reid), wrote:
> Yes, let's remember that in other time periods, "smalls" referred to
> your underwear!

A wise woman.  I had been under the misconception that "smalls"
meaning "unwhisperables" was medieval.  The OED just says "small
clothes, breeches" dates to 1837, and "Persons or animals of small
size or stature; little ones, children.  (Now only with *the*.)" from
c1220-c1430.  Other meanins, though, include
- 13..-1781: "persons ... of little ability or attainment"
- 1390-1640: "Little, not much"
- "The small": 1225-1836: "That which is trifling, petty, or
unimportant"

As an adjective:
- from c1440: "Of low alcoholic strength"
- from c1205: "Of persons: ... of little importance, authority, or
  influence; common, ordinary"
- from c1340: "Of things, etc.: Of little or minor consequence,
  interest, or importance; trifling, trivial, unimportant"

There's worse, post-period.  These connotations are rather insulting.

>>Farspeaker

As if translation of "telephone" from Greek into English made it more
period.

> Even "toll booth"  is better than "troll booth."

A little, but it invites the silly pun so easily.  ("Troll" is way
post-period in English.)  Also, when I take a toll road, I pay the
toll every time.  I don't pay to re-enter a site.  I like "gate".

-- 
Daniel de Lincoln
			     Tim McDaniel
			     tmcd at crl.com
Sometimes mcdaniel at dfw.net, sometimes tmcdanie at unicomp.net
Was tccg at netcom.com, was mcdaniel at convex.com, was mcdaniel at adi.com, ...




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