HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
Subject: Re: bicycle scenery adjective/cog. diss.
From: thayes@desire.wright.edu
Date: 13 Oct 92 16:30:10 EST
Organization: Wright State University 

TH> What's so deadly about the term cognitive dissonance? 

DC> I think it sounds wrong.

To each his/her/its own.

DC> Mr Hayes, psychology et, al did not evolve a language to describe the day 
> to day experience, Tamil, Welsh, Hindi, etc. did. 

I am hesitant to disagree strenuously with someone who breaks &/or sets
bones for a living! (Especially in Oklahoma.) And I wish to keep this in line
with a.u.ENGLISH.  So I will only remark that Hindi, Tamil, English, etc. 
evolved words and affective terms that had psychological utility
in describing quotidian reality.  You would have to agree that this is why we
still use these words -- they still have utility.  So no, psychologists did not
sit around (Thank God!) and dream up words.  Psychologists study phenomena and
word usage to develop exact terms for these experiences.  Thus cognitive
dissonance, which as I said means exactly what you would think it would mean.
  
For example, 
> THHHAAARRRPPSPLATTT!!!! ( That's like  BBBBBZZZTTT, but more juicy)

It sounds more juicy.  In osteopathic medicine it probably IS more juicy.  And
if I thought about why osteopaths use this term I would understand the
juicefullness (?) of it.  The same with cognitive dissonance!

-----ted hayes
From: thayes@desire.wright.edu
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
Subject: Re: a good dictionary
Date: 15 Oct 92 23:57:25 GMT
Organization: Wright State University

SJMcN> Random House is OK, but American Heritage SUCKS. Try a Webster's, 
>for Christ Sake!

Shouldn't that be "Christ's"? ;)

>     Webster's, The Superior American Dictionary

Now do you mean Merriam-Webster (as in 2nd, 3rd, New Collegiate, etc.)
or the Webster that goes for $19 at Barnes & Noble?  I think you mean
the former, but just checking.

-----ted hayes
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
From: mycroft@dorsai.com (Keith Kushner)
Subject: Re: Possessives, Contractions, & Apostrophes
Organization: The Dorsai Embassy +1.718.729.5018
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 06:14:10 GMT

roger@uvmark.uucp (Roger MacNicol) writes:
: In article <92048@netnews.upenn.edu> crawford@ben.dev.upenn.edu (Lauren L. Crawford) writes:
: >
: >1.  Use an apostrophe to indicate that a noun is possessive.
: >	--If the noun does not end in -s, add -'s.
: >	--If the noun is singular and ends in -s, add -'s.
: >	  (exception:  if pronounciation becomes awkward.  Example:
: >	   "Lois's" is OK; "Euripides's" is awkward)
: >  	--If the noun is plural and ends in -s, add only an apostrophe.
: >	--To show joint possession, use an apostrophe with the last noun 
: >	  only; to show individual possession, make all nouns possessive
: >	  ("John's and Marie's expectations of marriage couldn't be more 
: >           different."  "John and Marie's car is on the fritz.")
: >	--If a noun is hyphenated or compound, use an apostrophe with
: > 	  the last element.  ("Her father-in-law's sculpture won a prize.")
: >
: >2.  Use an apostrophe to indicate that an indefinite pronoun is possessive.
: >    (Example:  "Everyone's vote counts in a tight election.")
: >
: >3.  Use an apostrophe to mark contractions.  The apostrophe takes the place
: >    of a missing letter.
: >    (Example:  "Don't you know any better?"  The apostrophe replaces the 
: >     "o" in "not".)
: >
: >4.  Use an apostrophe to pluralize numbers mentioned as numbers, letters

: >    mentioned as letters, words mentioned as words, and abbreviations.
: >    (Examples:  "Peggy skated nearly perfect figure 8's."  "We've heard
: >     enough maybe's."  "You must ask to see their I.D.'s."  "Mind your
: >     P's and Q's.")
: >
: 
: OK, but on an invoice is it:
: 
: 	Two day's consultancy @ $...
: or
: 	Two days consultancy @ $...
: 
: In other words does one say x day's worth of consultancy or has days become 
: part of the number?
: 
How about "Two days' consultancy @ $..."?

And is "consultancy" really a word?


: 





Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
From: chorley@vms.ocom.okstate.edu
Subject: Re: bicycle scenery adjective/cog. diss.
Organization: OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 16:56:36 GMT

In article <1992Oct10.130205.4674@desire.wright.edu>, thayes@desire.wright.edu writ
> What's so deadly about the term cognitive dissonance?  .


I think it sounds wrong.
 
> BBBBZZZZZZZZZZTTTTT!!!!   (That was spelled wrongly too.)

Mr Hayes, psychology et, al did not evolve a language to describe the day 
to day experience, Tamil, Welsh, Hindi, etc. did. 

THHHAAARRRPPSPLATTT!!!! ( That's like  BBBBBZZZTTT, but more juicy)
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english

              Please answer these 9 questions and return.

1.) Do you think equal rights for men and women is generally a good idea?
Yes                  [ ]
Sometimes            [ ]
No                   [ ]
Haven't heard enough [ ]
Other                [ ]

2.) Are you pro choice?
Yes                  [ ]
Sometimes            [ ]
No                   [ ]
Haven't heard enough [ ]
Other                [ ]

3.) Are you in favor of adoption?
Yes                  [ ]
Sometimes            [ ]
No                   [ ]
Haven't heard enough [ ]
Other                [ ]

4.) Do you think men should be allowed to legally terminate their parental
rights and responsibilities before fetal viability?
Yes                  [ ]
Sometimes            [ ]
No                   [ ]
Haven't heard enough [ ]
Other                [ ]

5.) What sex are you?
Male               [ ]
Female             [ ]

6.) How old are you?
Under 18           [ ]
19 to 65           [ ]
Over 65            [ ]

7.) What religion are you?
Protestant         [ ]
Catholic           [ ]
Jewish             [ ]
Other              [ ]

8.) What political party are you affiliated with?
Democratic         [ ]
Republican         [ ]
Other              [ ]

9.) How many years of education have you completed?
Grade School       [ ]
High School        [ ]
College            [ ]
More               [ ]
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
From: wald@theory.lcs.mit.edu (David Wald)
Subject: Re: Cats'n'Dogs
Organization: Laboratory for Computer Science, MIT
            <ldme0aINNlhn@jethro.Corp.Sun.COM>
            <Bw4nL8.6rG@cck.coventry.ac.uk>
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 15:54:45 GMT

In article <Bw4nL8.6rG@cck.coventry.ac.uk> idx009@cck.coventry.ac.uk
(the Crisco Kid) writes:
>In article <ldme0aINNlhn@jethro.Corp.Sun.COM>
>geoffm@purplehaze.Corp.Sun.COM (Geoff Miller) writes:
>>                "special"
>
>Meaningless (semantically challenged?)

"Semantically crippled", I'd say, except in a few circumstances.

>>                chemical dependency             drug addiction
>>                substance abuse                 drug abuse
>
>These merely avoid the loaded term "drug"; certainly where I come
>from, tranquilisers (for instance) are regarded as "medicine", 
>whereas crack is a "drug".

On the other hand, either one replaces a loaded term with an
overloaded term.  I depend on a lot more chemicals than drugs, and I
use even more substances than that.  "Substance abuse" always struck
me as including the abuse of, say, aluminum foil.

>>                food server or waitperson       waitress (otherwise simply
>>                                                "waiter")
>
>"Waiter" does fine for me.

I've fallen back on "server" these days.  It seems to do the job
without pushing anyone's buttons (unlike, say, "waitron").

-David
--
============================================================================
David Wald                                           wald@theory.lcs.mit.edu
   "Blessed are the peacocks, for they shall be called sonship of God"
             -- Matt 5:9, from a faulty QuickVerse 2.0
============================================================================
From: idx009@cck.coventry.ac.uk (the Crisco Kid)
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
Subject: Re: a good dictionary
Date: 9 Oct 92 16:08:39 GMT
Organization: Eris's Restaurant

In article <Bvo0Bv.5Ho@knot.ccs.queensu.ca> yeh@qucis.queensu.ca (Delbert Yeh) writes:
>Can anyone recommend a good english dictionary to buy? Thanks,
>Delbert

For an English dictionary: yes.  The Oxford English Dictionary is the
paramount reference, but is unwieldy and somewhat expensive.  A good
option is the Shorted Oxford Dictionary, an abridgement of the former,
in two volumes.  Failing *that*, Chambers' 20th Century Dictionary is
about as low quality as I wouild care to go: though I'm notoriously
picky in the matter of dictionaries.  Eschew anything else.  Mind you,
that's only "ordinary" English dictionaries: if you're interested in
etymology, the Oxford Etymological Dictionary is excellent.  There are
other good dictionaries of specialised terms; ask me if you have any
particular needs.

American dictionaries?  <sigh> I guess there's always Webster's.  Ugh.

				Kay
-- 
6'2", dark short hair, blue eyes, bisexual and horny as ....
Kay Dekker, Dept of Industrial Design, Coventry University, Coventry UK
37 Old Winnings Road, Keresley Village, Coventry   |B0 f t+ g++ k++! s+ e r p!
Phone: +44 203 838668 (work) +44 203 337865 (home) |Deflowerer-of-innocents
From: bsinger@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Bayla Singer)
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
Subject: Re: bicycle scenery adjective
Date: 9 Oct 92 00:11:58 GMT
Organization: University of Pennsylvania

Dissonant seems right: there is a phrase, 'cognitive diissonance, which
describes the conttrast betweenwhat a person has been led to expect as
his/her social status, and the actual status.  (E.g., a woman PhD who
earns only a small fraction of the salary her male counterpart does,
and who moreover is not given the respect she feels  sheis due her.)

--bayla singer
From: kgs@panix.com (Karen Schneider)
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
Subject: Re: Possessives, Contractions, & Apostrophes
Date: 11 Oct 92 02:40:56 GMT
Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix, NYC

In <1992Oct7.155820.29454@advtech.uswest.com> eade@advtech.uswest.com (Elizabeth Erickson) writes:


>Can anyone supply a simply formulated set of rules for the use of
>apostrophes?  My husband is woefully ignorant on the subject, and believes
>that "it doesn't matter anyway, no one else knows how to use them, either".
>This drives me nuts.

>I've noticed in grading my students' papers (these are undergrads in info
>systems management) that they, too, have difficulty deciding how to use
>apostrophes.  It drives me crazy, but I can't think of all the proper
>examples to use.  "It's" and "its" as well as using apostrophes for plurals
>(how is it possible to make a mistake like "all of the red one's"?) --
>does anyone have a BRIEF set of rules?

>Thanks,

>Elizabeth Erickson
>eade@advtech.uswest.com

For "it's" versus "its" I prefer to remember

hiS herS theirS  ... ergo, itS 

in other words, the "S" indicates the possessive pronoun.  None of
these requires an apostrophe.

The apostrophe is a pesky little devil, no?    


-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
K.G.Schneider  kgs@panix.com

"Prudence keeps life safe, but does not often make it happy"
From: key@mcnc.org (Kathy E. Yount)
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
Subject: bicycle scenery adjective
Date: 7 Oct 92 18:30:34 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: MCNC Center for Microelectronics, RTP, NC

In article 12417 Ralph Yozzo writes:

>Describe the following scene with a one word adjective:
>==========
>You are riding your bicycle along a country dirt road and up ahead you
>see the massive concrete pillars  and steel girders of a interstate highway
>bridge. At that moment, enormous tractor-trailers are passing overhead.
>The stench and the roar of the highway is overwhelming.

>Then, suddenly, out of the corner of your eye, you notice cattle peacefully
>grazing in a meadow not too far from the road.
>===========
>
>You want a word that describes the rider's bewilderment at the striking
>contrast of the peaceful nature scene juxtaposed with the tumult of the
>industrial age.
>
>Some of the words that I am considering are: anachronous, paradoxical,
>contradictory.
>
>Can someone come up with a better word to describe the situation?


How about incongruous or discord.  Dissonance could be used but it's
mainly reserved for sounds rather than images.
From: chorley@vms.ocom.okstate.edu
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
Subject: Re: bicycle scenery adjective
Date: 9 Oct 92 16:19:05 GMT
Organization: OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine

In article <92250@netnews.upenn.edu>, bsinger@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Bayla Singer) writes:
> Dissonant seems right: there is a phrase, 'cognitive diissonance, which
> describes the conttrast betweenwhat a person has been led to expect as
> his/her social status, and the actual status.  (E.g., a woman PhD who
> earns only a small fraction of the salary her male counterpart does,
> and who moreover is not given the respect she feels  sheis due her.)
> 
> --bayla singer

No disrespect intended to the person of bayla singer, but "cognitive
dissonance" may be a phrase (?) or term in the art of psychobabble, it is, 
however, death to decent prose. Returning to the original problem, I would 
encourage you look for a word which, in your own experience, reflects the 
gut-level feeling of the scene:if it is a little "off", or out of the norm, 
so be it. Do not be afraid to use a word which only has meaning for you, 
but don't (PLEASE DON'T) co-opt a word from psychology, sociology, or 
Marxism. If you are going to borrow a word, try Hindi, Tamil or Welsh.:)
Whatever word you choose, keep it short.

Regards, David Chorley.
From: mike@meiko.com (Mike Stok)
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
Subject: Re: Cats'n'Dogs
Date: 14 Oct 92 13:06:17 GMT
Organization: Meiko Scientific Corp.

In article <ldme0aINNlhn@jethro.Corp.Sun.COM> geoffm@purplehaze.Corp.Sun.COM (Geoff Miller) writes:
> 
>And of course the All-Time Hall of Famer:
> 
>                the "F-word"                    "fuck"

... or as we have grown alarmingly used to round here "the Fuck-w"

--
The "usual disclaimers" apply.    |
Mike Stok                         |
mike@meiko.com                    |
Meiko tel: (617) 890 7676         |
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
From: tdlg9831@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Tracey Dianne Layng)
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
Subject: Re: Final comma in lists
Date: 16 Oct 92 01:33:05 GMT
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana

LMEBGO@kiera.ericsson.se ("Bengt G{llmo, L M Ericsson, Stockholm, Sweden") writes:

>Tracey Dianne Layng writes:

>>In terms of fashion in English and how grammar changes over time, I would
>>like to note the use of "But commas are as much matter of tast and fashion as
>>shoes are."  It is interesting that the prescriptive rule governing the use of
>>coordinating conjunctions is that one can never start a sentence with a
>>coordinating conjunction; however, "but" has come to be an exception. Many
>>people, even in scholarly journals, start sentences with "but." I personally
>>think that it is not quite right, but since it has become totally accepted I
>>tell my students that they can do it. 

>Speaking of but's and commas, how about "But, commas are ..."?  You could use
>"however" instead, but "but" is shorter.  Is this "but" really a coordinating
>conjunction?

>Bengt

In response to the above, I would say that the "but" still functions as a
coordinating conjuction, but due to the comma it looks like an introductory
word. 

Tracey
UIUC
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
Subject: Re: In half an hour from now
From: srgcraf@grace.cri.nz (Ross A Fletcher)
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 92 03:22:25 GMT
Organization: Industrial Research Ltd

In article <01GPR2LNGHIS8WZ6RR@kiera.ericsson.se> LMEBGO@kiera.ericsson.se ("Bengt G{llmo, L M Ericsson, Stockholm, Sweden") writes:
>Subject: In half an hour from now
>From: LMEBGO@kiera.ericsson.se ("Bengt G{llmo, L M Ericsson, Stockholm, Sweden")
>Date: 9 Oct 92 14:43:00 GMT
>Airline pilots keep saying things like "We will be landing in
>30 minutes from now".  Is this correct?  To me, it is an 
>incorrect combination of two correct expressions, namely 
>"... landing in 30 minutes." and "... landing 30 minutes 
>from now".  Opinions?
>
>Bengt
Hearing the announcement I would assume that the words "from now" are 
unnecessary unless there is a qualification  i.e. "landing 30 minutes 
from the time we begin our descent".  While neither of the expressions 
offered by Bengt are wrong, the first would seem to be the most elegant.

Ross>-- >
Rules are made for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools.
From: agodwin@acorn.co.uk (Adrian Godwin)
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
Subject: Re: Multimeter / Multi-meter
Date: 9 Oct 92 11:23:10 GMT
Organization: Acorn Computers Ltd, Cambridge, UK

In article <casseres-071092100740@kip2-29.apple.com;  casseres@apple.com (David Csseres) writes:
; Well, just to piss you off I will say that the above argument is utterly
; bogus, the pronunciation of words in both -meter and -metre is determined
; by usage, not by spelling, and the accepted pronunciation of multimeter is
; multiMEter.
; 

I'd say it was MULtimeter around here. Or, more usually, dee-vee-emm :-)

-adrian



-- 
Adrian Godwin : agodwin@acorn.co.uk : adrian@fangorn.demon.co.uk : g7hwn@gb7khw
ObDisclaimer  : I believe this rubbish .. don't imagine that anyone else does.
From: crawford@ben.dev.upenn.edu (Lauren L. Crawford)
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
Subject: Re: what's the word for...?
Date: 13 Oct 92 16:01:17 GMT
Organization: University of Pennsylvania

In article <BvxE1q.HqG@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu> jhhardy@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (J. Hardy) writes:
>Is there an english word that refer to the part of a loaf of bread that
>isn't crust?
>
>What is it?

The good part.



-- 
The trick of reason is to get the imagination to seize the actual world --
if only from time to time.     -- Annie Dillard, "An American Childhood"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lauren Crawford  //  crawford@ben.dev.upenn.edu
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
From: lai@ccms (Ssu-Cheng Lai)
Subject: Ets
Organization: National Taiwan University Computer Center
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL3
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 01:11:06 GMT

  Does anybody know the e-mail address of ETS?
  I need to contact with ETC for its not sending my GRE score copy yet
  since I lost my original score report.
  It is emergent for I have toapply for graduate school now.
  Thank you!
				       Lai

Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
From: idx009@cck.coventry.ac.uk (the Crisco Kid)
Subject: Re: Cats'n'Dogs
Organization: Eris's Restaurant
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 18:57:55 GMT

In article <1992Oct15.050230.24375@bcrka451.bnr.ca> nadeau@bnr.ca (Rheal Nadeau) writes:
>In article <Bw4nL8.6rG@cck.coventry.ac.uk> idx009@cck.coventry.ac.uk (the Crisco Kid) writes:
>>In article <ldme0aINNlhn@jethro.Corp.Sun.COM> geoffm@purplehaze.Corp.Sun.COM (Geoff Miller) writes:
>>
>>>                the elderly,                    old people
>>>                "seniors"
>>>                (formerly "senior citizens",
>>>                as opposed to 12th graders)
>>
>>You know, I'd rather be old.  Actually, I'd prefer to be "venerable".
>
>Actually, I have no intent of ever being "venerable", even though I
>plan to get quite old.  I want people to say of me:  "how the hell
>can he do *that* at *his* age?"

Me also: but isn't a comment like that a mark of veneration?  I'd think
so...

				Kay

-- 
6'2", dark short hair, blue eyes, bisexual and horny as ....
Kay Dekker, Dept of Industrial Design, Coventry University, Coventry UK
37 Old Winnings Road, Keresley Village, Coventry   |B0 f t+ g++ k++! s+ e r p!
Phone: +44 203 838668 (work) +44 203 337865 (home) |Deflowerer-of-innocents
From: wilcox@vax.oxford.ac.uk
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
Subject: Computer Translation: London meeting
Summary: Meeting notice
Date: 7 Oct 92 13:01:09 GMT
Reply-To: raph@kbss.bt.co.uk
Organization: Oxford University VAX 6620

The following is posted for Raphael Mankin (raph@kbss.bt.co.uk) to whom all
comments should be directed.

___________BEGIN______________

British Computer Society
Natural Language Translation Group

Richard Sharman of IBM will speak on 

"New directions in Machine Translation"

On Thursday 19 November 1992 6:30-8:30 pm

At Room 331
    Kings College London
    The Strand
    London WC2

Entrance free.

Followed by dinner at the nearby Italian restaurant.

Further details from
	Monique L'Huillier, 0784-443243

--

Raphael Mankin                                          Nil taurus excretum
raph@kbss.bt.co.uk
BT

_____________________END______________________


-- 

Stephen Wilcox             |   Remember what happened to the dinosaurs!
wilcox@maths.oxford.ac.uk  |    I did---and look what happened to me.
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
From: nadeau@bnr.ca (Rheal Nadeau)
Subject: Re: Cats'n'Dogs
Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd., Ottawa, Canada
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 05:02:30 GMT

In article <Bw4nL8.6rG@cck.coventry.ac.uk> idx009@cck.coventry.ac.uk (the Crisco Kid) writes:
>In article <ldme0aINNlhn@jethro.Corp.Sun.COM> geoffm@purplehaze.Corp.Sun.COM (Geoff Miller) writes:
>
>>                the elderly,                    old people
>>                "seniors"
>>                (formerly "senior citizens",
>>                as opposed to 12th graders)
>
>You know, I'd rather be old.  Actually, I'd prefer to be "venerable".

Actually, I have no intent of ever being "venerable", even though I
plan to get quite old.  I want people to say of me:  "how the hell
can he do *that* at *his* age?"

The Rhealist - Rheal Nadeau - nadeau@bnr.ca - Speaking only for myself
From: segr@nessie.mcc.ac.uk (Simon Read)
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
Subject: Re: Cats'n'Dogs
Date: 15 Oct 92 09:45:39 GMT
Organization: Manchester Computing Centre

In article  <92851@netnews.upenn.edu>, crawford@ben.dev.upenn.edu
(Lauren L. Crawford) writes:

> You're behind the times, Geoff -- people no longer use the term
> "handicapped."  They say "differently abled."  

Sorry, even that's not the latest. It's "challenged" now. "Physically
challenged", "Mentally challenged".


Presumably by virtue of my pale skin I am therefore "melanin challenged" :-).


Simon Read
----------
Simon.Read@umist.ac.uk
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
From: idx009@cck.coventry.ac.uk (the Crisco Kid)
Subject: Re: a good dictionary
Organization: Eris's Restaurant
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 19:39:27 GMT

In article <1992Oct13.143617.18201@microsoft.com> frankm@microsoft.com (Frank R.A.J. Maloney) writes:
>In article <Bvv3IH.43s@cck.coventry.ac.uk> idx009@cck.coventry.ac.uk (the Crisco Kid) writes:
>>For an English dictionary: yes.  The Oxford English Dictionary is the
>>paramount reference, but is unwieldy and somewhat expensive.  A good
>>option is the Shorted Oxford Dictionary, an abridgement of the former,
>
>The wiring *is* tricky. But if you ground the dictionary
>properly, it should be ok.

Hmmmm... just goes to show that even the spell-checker isn't enough to
field my fumble-fingers.  Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

>>American dictionaries?  <sigh> I guess there's always Webster's.  Ugh.

>Kay, there ain't no such a book. "Webster's" is a
>public-domain term that can be used by any dictionary
>publisher. You're going to have a lot more specific and a
>lot more knowledgeable about our American folkways if you
>insist on playing Dump The Yank with anything like
>effectiveness.

I wasn't playing Dump The Yank <sigh>, really.  But I'm astonished to
discover that "Webster's" is a public-domain term: poor old Noah must
be spinning in his grave.  I don't have the thing to hand, but I do
believe that I was referring to something labelled "Merriam-Webster",
3rd edition.  Is that sufficient?

Mais, revenons a nos moutons: *is* there an American dictionary of
equivalent quality to the OED, or even the SOD?  If so, I'll buy it
when I visit...


				Kay
-- 
6'2", dark short hair, blue eyes, bisexual and horny as ....
Kay Dekker, Dept of Industrial Design, Coventry University, Coventry UK
37 Old Winnings Road, Keresley Village, Coventry   |B0 f t+ g++ k++! s+ e r p!
Phone: +44 203 838668 (work) +44 203 337865 (home) |Deflowerer-of-innocents
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english