Peter T. Daniels wrote:
> On Nov 6, 12:02 pm, "Vari L. Cinicke" <cini...@netscape.net> wrote:
>> Peter T. Daniels wrote:
>>> On Nov 5, 11:24 pm, "Vari L. Cinicke" <cini...@netscape.net> wrote:
>>>> Peter T. Daniels wrote:
>>>>> On Nov 2, 10:35 am, Paddy Grove <paddy_gr...@hotNOSPAMPLEASEmail.com>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>> This is the thread for comments, questions, raspberries,
>>>>>> etc. (but not entries, apart from "bonus" clues, if any)
>>>>>> relating to the Simple Clue Writing Competition, no. 42.
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Paddy Grove, Cambridge, UK
>>>>> Mark I:
>>>>> Cook's aid used to be head of General Electric (5)
>>>>> This could only work if "aid" can do double duty as "aide" as well,
>>>>> for an aid can't be a person (bur fits RANGE), and only a person can
>>>>> have run G. E.
>>>> The OED lists under aid, n:
>>>> 7. a. A person who renders help or assistance; a helper, an assistant;
>>>> b. U.S. = AIDE.
>>> ?? Which edition? Not in my OED!
>>> It claims, under the main entry for Aide, that it's short for aide-de-
>>> camp; both citations are American (the second from 1876) and it's
>>> certainly not apparent from them that it's any such shortening.
>> Current online edition. What edition is yours?

> The original, as reproduced in the Compact OED.

>>>> Chambers:
>>>> aid noun 1 help. 2 help or support in the form of money, supplies or
>>>> services given to people who need it. 3 (often in compounds) a person or
>>>> thing that helps do something
>>> Not in a compound here.
>> "Often in compounds" always means that some of the time it is not used
>> in compounds.

>> You don't appear to have any objections that stand scrutiny. I believe
>> that an actual dictionary definition trumps vague objections.

> As a linguist, I know that dictionary definitions are drawn from
> examples of actual usage and not from someone's view of what usage
> "should" be.