on ``the numb of the matter''
Daniel Bastos
heart of the matter.'' Is it? But is there a logic behind the choice
of words? ``Heart'' for example is consider a source; a center. But
``numb'' is not even a noun, is it?
tony cooper
The word is "nub". Definitions are:
�noun
1. the point, gist, or heart of something.
2. a knob or protuberance.
3. a lump or small piece: a nub of coal; a nub of pencil.
4. a small mass of fibers produced on a card, dyed brilliant
colors, and introduced into yarn during the spinning process.
Also, knub.
Origin:
1585�95; < LG, MLG knubbe; cf. knob
--
Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida
Daniel Bastos
tony cooper wrote:
Interesting. Very appreciated. Is ``numb'' misspelled then? (The
expression being ``the nub of the matter.'')
tony cooper
<dba...@toledo.com> wrote:
>In article <bf1ii5lur7f56t9vu...@4ax.com>,
>tony cooper wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:00:47 +0000 (UTC), Daniel Bastos
>><dba...@toledo.com> wrote:
>>
>>>It seems that ``the numb of the matter'' is an equivalent for ``the
>>>heart of the matter.'' Is it? But is there a logic behind the choice
>>>of words? ``Heart'' for example is consider a source; a center. But
>>>``numb'' is not even a noun, is it?
>>
>> The word is "nub". Definitions are:
>> ?noun
>> 1. the point, gist, or heart of something.
>> 2. a knob or protuberance.
>> 3. a lump or small piece: a nub of coal; a nub of pencil.
>> 4. a small mass of fibers produced on a card, dyed brilliant
>> colors, and introduced into yarn during the spinning process.
>> Also, knub.
>>
>> Origin:
>> 1585?95; < LG, MLG knubbe; cf. knob
>>
>
>Interesting. Very appreciated. Is ``numb'' misspelled then? (The
>expression being ``the nub of the matter.'')
The sentence, as you wrote it, uses the wrong word. "Numb" is
incorrectly used and the correct word for that context is "nub".
John Dean
It's a mis-spelling, a mis-hearing spelt correctly or an eggcorn:
(BTW, *love* the recent addition:
Without addressing these issues, NOW and others have nothing to offer the
average Jane and in consequence, have allowed Sarah Palin and her elk to
define women's issues. )
--
John Dean
Oxford
Peter Duncanson (BrE)
That should be one very nervous elk given Sarah Palin's shooting
tendencies.
--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.english.usage)
mm
<john...@fraglineone.net> wrote:
>
>http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/
>
>(BTW, *love* the recent addition:
>
>Without addressing these issues, NOW and others have nothing to offer the
>average Jane and in consequence, have allowed Sarah Palin and her elk to
>define women's issues. )
>--
>John Dean
>Oxford
AIUI, a lot of people think Santa is too liberal, and believes in
redistributing wealth, and there's going to be a showdown between
Santa and his reindeer and Sarah and her elk.
--
Posters should say where they live, and for which area
they are asking questions. I was born and then lived in
Western Pa. 10 years
Indianapolis 7 years
Chicago 6 years
Brooklyn, NY 12 years
Baltimore 26 years
Robin Bignall
Given an automatic shotgun she could turn one into a mousse quite
quickly.
--
Robin
(BrE)
Herts, England
mm
Indeed. Have you seen her recipe for scrambled eggs? Crack open and
empty into a cast iron bowl a dozen eggs. Scramble using 3 shotgun
blasts.
Cook and serve.
BMCT2010
Yes, "the numb of the matter" is equivalent to "the heart of the
matter." The logic behind the decision to use either is left up to the
person who chooses to place "numb" in place of "heart," or vice versa.
Thus, to say that "the numb of the matter" was "this," is to imply
that "this" is the "heart" of the matter. Just paying attention to
normal English usage can help with problems like this -- for example,
the word "demarcate" means the same thing as "mark," but the prefix
"de-" implies that the relation of the root "marc" to the suffix "-
ate" is disjunctive. If one were obeying logic, they would assume that
"demarcate" means something different from "mark," judging from how
the various components of the word influence one another. But "mark"
essentially means the same thing as "demarcate," and the "de-" prefix
does not reduce the clearness with which the two words are compared,
as one might expect if they studied Latin. Logic forgives such
mistakes as believing that the two words have different meanings,
because it adheres strictly to the formulas of creating words that
linguists use; to distinguish between words, sometimes logicians use
correlates to reduce confusion. But the use of a correlate often
leaves one in the position of wondering how words retain meaning; so
to use "the 'numb' of the matter" instead of "the heart of the matter"
seems to imply some form of colloquial expression. Ultimately, I think
the two maxims are the same, but to be sure, I would check with
someone who is more familiar with the particularities of language in
that part of the world.
Barb Knox
<4a7a2322-e6c2-4f43...@c34g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>,
BMCT2010 <BMCT...@AOL.com> wrote:
I thought this was a clever satire, until I got halfway through it. My
bad.
BTW, "de-" does not mean disjunction; it means away, away from, down,
removal, reversal, etc.
--
---------------------------
| BBB b \ Barbara at LivingHistory stop co stop uk
| B B aa rrr b |
| BBB a a r bbb | Quidquid latine dictum sit,
| B B a a r b b | altum videtur.
| BBB aa a r bbb |
-----------------------------
Princess Tiaamii
> On Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:33:40 +0000, "Peter Duncanson (BrE)"
>
>
>
>
>
> <m...@peterduncanson.net> wrote:
> >On Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:08:21 -0000, "John Dean"
> ><john-d...@fraglineone.net> wrote:
>
> >>Daniel Bastos wrote:
...living on an eland teaches you to be resourceful