Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: Non so che cosa scrivere nell'oggetto

I have two questions.
- If a person drops his back-country name, it seems clear to me that he
thinks his name is boorish. Am I correct? And what exactly does
"back-country" mean? As far as I know, "back country is the "entroterra"
or a "zona di frontiera". Why would a back-country name be boorish?
- If a person misspells something and adds "my typewriter slipped" as an
apology, what exactly does he mean? He made a mistake? The typewriter
jammed (or slipped in the "skid" sense)? Paradoxically, the typewriter
made the mistake? It sounds absurd, but I know that "to slip" means "to
make a mistake" or "to skid", so... 
Bye, FB
-- 
This hat was made as a special request for a client who's a financial
whizz by day and a blues player by night. He was so happy with his hat I
fear his blues may suffer.

 I have two questions.
Three. Is a digest magazine a magazine that practises syndicating
("practises syndicating"? How does it sound?), such as the
"Internazionale", as far as I know? What's the Italian for it?
Bye, FB
-- 
"It is not idiocy, father, I assure you." "What is it then, sir?" "Well,
it is what is called nowadays a high moral tone, father. That is all."
"Hate these new-fangled names. Same thing as we used to call idiocy fifty
years ago. Shan't stay in this house any longer."
("An Ideal Husband", Oscar Wilde)

 make a mistake" or "to skid", so...
It is like Ronald Reagan explaining away his errors by saying "mistakes were 
made". It's a way of not taking responsibility for your failings. In the 
case of the typewriter where the reality is clear to everyone, it is a 
tongue-in-cheek expression. 

 "Internazionale", as far as I know? What's the Italian for it?
In the context of a magazine, digest means 'summary'. I have no idea what 
'practices syndicating' might mean. So, for example, Reader's Digest is a 
collection of articles from other publications, and some original articles 
aimed specifically at their target audience. It implies the assemby of a 
range of information into a compact, more digestable form. 

 make a mistake" or "to skid", so... 
Anche alla seconda ti ha già risposto benissimo TtIM, aggiungo solo un
rinforzo: sì, credo sia giusto quello che ipotizzi: alla macchina per
scrivere è "scappato" un errore. Un po' come in quel pezzo di Tom Waits che
dice: "The piano has been drinking... not me!"
-- 
Ciao,
Anna



I understand that to syndicate means selling articles to more than one
magazine or newspaper. I would think that a digest magazine is a
periodical that is only made of syndicated articles.
Bye, FB
-- 
"Oh oh... Oh my God. My parents are having an affair."
(Gilmore Girls - 512)

 periodical that is only made of syndicated articles.
'Syndicate' is used for television programs which are produced by a national 
network and then syndicated to a large number of local TV stations around 
the country. A comic strip or editorial column can also be syndicated or 
sold to a large number of newspapers. This is an practice that is typically 
repeated each issue, and the reader becomes accustomed to finding the column 
or comic in the local newspaper. If a freelance writer creates an article 
and then sells it to a couple of magazines or newspapers that is not 
considered syndication. Typically, a publisher will place some limitations 
on the writer, either written or understood, regarding the selling of the 
same article to other publications. A digest, on the other hand, chooses 
articles within a particular subject area or targeted to a particular 
audience and licenses their reprinting.