2. Used to indicate the thing that something is meant to be used with: The food here is for Mildred's birthday party.
3. In order to help or serve someone or something: Jim offered to carry the heavy box for Lily.
2. An indication of the time of day following three o'clock: Art comes back every afternoon from work at four from Monday to Friday.
When the two couples go out to eat, they often request a table for four in the fore part of the restaurant.
"The water from the faucet could contain molecules that dinosaurs drank."
The news on the water pollution front is hardly a shining gem. We drink the same water the dinosaurs drank, and look what happened to them!
John Robertson:
I received your book on 6/26/00. Congratulations on a great book. You no doubt spent a great amount of time in research. I find the book fascinating.
It’s been over 45 years since I studied Latin and Greek in college and unless one keeps it up, one tends to forget. You have rekindled my interest. Now that I’m retired, I’ll have more time. I have always been interested in the origin of words especially from Latin and Greek.
Because the schools do not teach Latin and Greek as they once did, your book would be invaluable in helping students with the English language; thereby enriching their thought process. I am so happy that we still have people in this world who regard knowledge of Latin and Greek essential to scholarly development.
To quote Seneca, Jr. from your book: “Non scholae, sed vitae discimus.” Thank you for your “illusions” and also many thanks to your wife.
Jeffrey
Note from your editor: The “illusions” referred to the dedication in Words for a Modern Age, A Cross Reference of Latin and Greek Combining Elements in which I wrote: “Dedicated to my wife, who has been my sine qua non. She has kept me in good health with her loving concern for my well being and has rarely interfered with my efforts to strive for my ‘illusions.’ ”
The Latin quotation by Seneca, Jr. means: “We don’t learn just for school, but we learn for life.”.
Speaking of books. The following came from "The Spelling Newsletter" published by Ray Laurita, Leonardo Press, PO Box 1326, Camden, ME 04843.
After reading the following exchange which appeared in the Metropolitan Diary, I have a feeling that our readers will be equally dismayed:
Carol Ruth Langer stopped at the information desk of a Barnes & Noble in Midtown to inquire about a copy of the Book of Job.
"How would you be spelling 'Job'?" the clerk asked.
"J -- O -- B", Ms. Langer said.
"Job books are in the career section."
Ms. Langer tried again. "Not job, Job, a book in the Bible".
"Who is the author" the clerk asked.
At that point, Ms. Langer knew it was time to leave.
2. Value for the money spent or a favorable cost-to-benefit ratio: It does matter what gets built: the country spent too much on increasingly wasteful roads and bridges, and not enough in areas like education and social services, which studies show deliver more bangs for the bucks than infrastructure spending.
rioters:
honing:
deterrence:
"Mr. Cameron said the four days of arson, riot and looting in London and major cities was 'absolutely appalling' and the criminal justice system should be sending 'a very clear message that it's wrong and won't be tolerated.' "
Prospective jurors may also be excused from jury duty because of being law enforcement officers, relatives of law enforcement officers, court officers, or relatives of court officers.
Any obvious bias for or against a defendant may result in the exclusion of the biased prospective juror.
The result will always be 198. For example, 123 would become 321; subtract 123 from 321, and the answer is 198.
Try it and see for yourself.
checkout:
"The technology giant introduced Google Wallet, a mobile application that will allow consumers to pay at a store by waving their cellphones at a retailer's terminal instead of using a credit card [or cash]."
"The app, for the Android operating system also will enable users to redeem special coupons and earn loyalty points."
Lists of words used on old gravestones which used Latin terms.
These statements were found on actual products. Really! Why? Is it ignorance on the part of companies or is this something out of “Instructions for Dummies?” Not all of them are blunders in English.
The warning labels are real because some companies are afraid of being abused by frivolous lawsuits that U.S. courts should be throwing out without further consideration. Instead, it is costing consumers millions of dollars because companies are actually required by law to pay large sums for nonsense lawsuits and, of course, these costs are passed on to those who buy their products.
Robert Dorigo Jones, president of the Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch, a consumer advocacy group says, "Wacky warning labels are a sign of our lawsuit-happy times."
- On hairdryer instructions: Do not use while sleeping.
- On a bag of Fritos: You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside.
- On a bar of Dial soap: Directions. Use like regular soap.
- Frozen dinner that says: Serving suggestion, Defrost.
- On a hotel-provided shower cap in a box: Fits one head.
- On Tesco's Tiramisu dessert: Do not turn upside down. (Printed on the bottom of the box)
- On Marks & Spencer bread pudding: Product will be hot after heating.
- On packaging for a Rowenta iron: Do not iron clothes on body.
- On Boots (pharmacy chain in the UK) children's cough medicine: Do not drive car or operate machinery after use.
- On Nytol: Warning, may cause drowsiness.
- On a Korean kitchen knife: Warning, keep out of children.
- On a string of Chinese-made Christmas lights: For indoor or outdoor use only.
- On a Japanese food processor: Not to be used for the other use.
- On Sainsbury's peanuts: Warning, contains nuts.
- On an American Airlines packet of nuts: Instructions, open packet, eat nuts.
- On a Swedish chainsaw: Do not attempt to stop chain with your hands.
- Label on a baby stroller (British, "pram"): Remove your child before folding the stroller for storage.
- A Batman costume carried a warning stating: "PARENT: Please exercise caution. FOR PLAY ONLY. Mask and chest plate are not protective. Cape does not enable user to fly.
- A plastic sled advises users to wear helmets and to avoid trees, rocks, or "man-made obstacles."
It also states: "This product does not have brakes."
- Addicted to Milk? A self-described milk-a-holic is suing the dairy industry, claiming that a lifetime of drinking whole milk contributed to his clogged arteries and a minor stroke. Norman Mayo, 61, believes he might have avoided his health problems if he had been warned on milk cartons about fat and cholesterol.
"I drank milk like some people drink beer or water," he said. "I've always loved a nice cold glass of milk, and I've drank [sic] a lot of it."
The Associated Press, 6/6/97.
Milk Lawsuit - Featured in Jay Leno's "Tonight Show" [a Talk-Show Host and comedian on American T-V].
As Jay Leno noted in his monologue on June 10, 1997, "Here's another reason why Americans hate lawyers. A man in suburban Seattle is suing the dairy industry because he's become addicted to milk and it has raised his cholesterol to dangerous levels. It's just as dangerous as tobacco. The government should have warning labels on milk, in fact this is the proposed warning label:
2. Caveat emptor, quia ignorare non debuit quod jus alienum emit or "Let a purchaser beware, for he ought not to be ignorant of the nature of the property which he is buying from another party."
The well-known shorter version, Caveat Emptor applies to the purchase of land and goods, with certain restrictions, both as to the title and quality of the thing sold. Out of the legal sphere and as a non-legalistic usage, the phrase is used as a warning to a buyer regarding any articles of doubtful quality offered for sale.
This legal terminology means, the purchaser (buyer), not the seller, is responsible for protecting the purchaser (himself or herself) in the transaction. Caveat emptor is the opposite of caveat venditor.
3. Under caveat venditor, the seller is assumed to be more sophisticated than the purchaser and so must bear responsibility for protecting the unwary purchaser.The purchaser, emptor, is a child who must be protected against his or her own mistakes, while the seller, venditor, is the big, bad wolf lying in waiting for Little Red Riding Hood. So while the two rules struggle for preeminence, attorneys gleefully watch—and litigate."
4. Cave canem means, "Beware the dog". This was used in Roman times and may be seen even now on some gates in Europe. Would anyone be warned sufficiently in the United States if he or she saw this sign on a gate?5. Cave quid dicis, quando, et cui strongly suggests, "Beware what you say, when, and to whom."
This is certainly good advice for all of us; especially, when writing e-mails or on social websites.
Recent studies have shown that e-mail messages may stay recorded somewhere for years and be available for others to read long after we thought they no longer existed.
A case in point is Bill Gates, whose videotaped deposition for the federal trial in the United States revealed that he couldn't remember sending an e-mail about Microsoft's plans to use Apple Computer to "undermine Sun".
Reading about, "The Tale of the Gates Tapes" in the November 16, 1998, issue of Time, the writer Adam Cohen, wrote, "At a key point in his war against archrival Sun Microsystems, Gates fired off an e-mail about Microsoft's plans to use Apple Computer to 'undermine Sun', but now he can't remember sending the message and has no idea what he could have meant by it."
"Trouble was, it was a difficult line to swallow. Gates as a fuzzy-headed amnesiac? This is the man revered even by the geniuses who roam Microsoft's Redmond, Washington, campus for his awesome 'bandwidth' (geekspeak for intelligence)."
How leeches have played a part in medical treatments.
artery, the study of paintings.
bacteria, the back door of a cafeteria.
barium, what doctors do when patients die.
bowel, a letter like a, e, i, o, or u.
caesarean section, a neighborhood in Rome.
cat scan, searching for a lost cat.
cauterize, making eye-contact with a girl.
coma, a punctuation mark.
dilate, to live a long time.
enema, not a friend .
euthanasia, Chinese, Japanese, etc. adolescents.
fester, quicker.
fibula, a small lie.
genital, not a Jew.
hangnail, a coat hook.
impotent, distinguished, well known.
labor pain, getting hurt at work.
malfeasance, exorbitant charges for professional services.
medical staff, a doctor’s cane.
morbid, a higher offer.
nitrates, cheaper than day rates.
node, was aware of, knew.
nosography
1. The art of writing using a pen or pencil stuck up one’s nose.
2. The writing done by a nasograph.
outpatient, someone who has fainted.
pap smear, a fatherhood test.
pelvis, a cousin of Elvis.
prophylactic, a person who favors birth control.
recovery room, place to do upholstery.
rectum, dang near killed ‘em.
secretion, hiding something.
seizure, famous Roman leader.
tablet, a small table.
terminal illness, getting sick at the airport.
tumor, more than one.
urine, opposite of “you’re out”.
vein, conceited.
start-up fund:
inventors:
"The U.S. government agency that helped invent the Internet now wants to do the same for travel to the stars."
Phrases of words that describe the term war:
- armed conflict
- warfare
- hostilities
- military operations
- clash of arms
- combat
- military attacks
- battle with opponents
- take up arms
Dear Ann Landers:
Is there a medical name for a disorder that causes a person to be unduly concerned with germs and cleanliness? If there is, I have it.
I am obsessed with cleaning and talk about it all the time. I rinse by glasses and cups before I use them even though they have been washed with soap before I put them in the dishwasher. I always use the sanitize cycle.
I clean the homes of relatives and friends when I am a guest even though I've been told not do do it because it makes them uncomfortable. I just can't help myself, Ann. Everything around me must be in perfect order.
I imagine I have every symptom of every disease I hear about and worry constantly about being contaminated by unclean persons in public places. I could go on and on about my strange behavior, but I think you get the picture.
Please let me know what I can do to break this crazy pattern. It is as annoying to me as it is to others. I need help.
Dear Anti:
Don't despair. A problem identified is a problem half solved. You are suffering from a form of mental illness called mysophobia.
You need to get some counseling and find out why you feel so inadequate that you must compensate by knocking yourself out to prove that you are simply marvelous at something; in this case, chasing dirt.
There are no medals for women like you. I urge you to get into counseling and conquer this obsessive-compulsive behavior that is taking over your life.