The Crux of the Biscuit is the focus of this week's WAD
marc rosen
with Anu Garg
There's a traffic sign at the end of the street where I live. It
reads:
Please drive carefully,
for our childrens sake
It's an official sign of the Department of Transportation. I imagine
there are thousands of these reflective blue signs around the state of
Washington. These signs may not be necessary now. Children don't play
outside anymore. There are more than enough Nintendos and Hanna
Montanas and Facebooks these days to keep them busy. But that's not
why I mentioned the sign.
We're missing something here. A little squiggly mark.
We may be missing an apostrophe here but, over all, the universe's
apostrophe store stays in equilibrium. We don't put them where they
belong, and we add them where they don't. Many a grocery store display
signs such as:
Apple's $3 per pound
There's even a term for the gratuitous inclusion of these marks:
greengrocer's apostrophe.
Sometimes we are not sure whether an apostrophe is needed, so we
simply add one, as if considering pillars to support a roof. "Well,
let's add one here; it may not be needed, but it's there if necessary,
and in any case it's not hurting anything."
This week we feature terms that use apostrophes, terms that do need
them. These selections answer: Whose What? And remember, it's not:
Who's What?
deadman's hand
PRONUNCIATION:
(DED-manz hand)
MEANING:
noun: In a game of poker, a hand containing two aces and two eights.
ETYMOLOGY:
After Wild Bill Hickok, nickname of James Butler Hickok (1837-1876).
Hickock was a legendary figure in the American Wild West who worked
variously as an army scout, lawman, and professional gambler. He was
shot dead while playing poker, holding a hand that had two aces and
two eights.
USAGE:
"Other [coffins] have been customized for fishermen, golfers, truck
drivers (complete with an air horn from an 18-wheeler), and gamblers'
coffins, which featured the traditional deadman's hand of aces 'n'
eights."
C. Richard Cotton; Artist Finds Creative Niche by Painting Caskets;
Associated Press; Feb 14, 1997.
Tomasz Michalak
> for our childrens sake
> We may be missing an apostrophe here but, over all, the universe's
> apostrophe store stays in equilibrium. We don't put them where they
> belong, and we add them where they don't.
wonder what to make of womens underwear in this context. Seems to be a
standard use of an oddly looking possessive case.
globual
"marc rosen" <duck...@qis.net> wrote in message
news:342b3bc6-1ce3-4bfe...@r66g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
marc rosen
> > Please drive carefully,
> > for our childrens sake
> > We may be missing an apostrophe here but, over all, the universe's
> > apostrophe store stays in equilibrium. We don't put them where they
> > belong, and we add them where they don't.
>
wonder what to make of womens underwear in this context. Seems to be a
standard use of an oddly looking possessive case.
globual
Should that be "women's underwear"?
Marc
Tomasz Michalak
well, yeah, I suppose. Yet signs that say "womens ware" appear frequently in
department stores and on the internet, including eBay. Same with "mans."
Can't afford no shoes, but I could definitely use some hip looking mensware.
(Death Valley Days straight ahead).
globual
"marc rosen" <duck...@qis.net> wrote in message
news:848ad562-69ae-40cd...@e39g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
Charles Ulrich
"Tomasz Michalak" <tmic...@shaw.ca> wrote:
> > Please drive carefully,
> > for our childrens sake
>
> > We may be missing an apostrophe here but, over all, the universe's
> > apostrophe store stays in equilibrium. We don't put them where they
> > belong, and we add them where they don't.
>
> wonder what to make of womens underwear in this context.
A party hat, of course.
--Charles
Charles Ulrich
"Tomasz Michalak" <tmic...@shaw.ca> wrote:
> Should that be "women's underwear"?
>
> well, yeah, I suppose. Yet signs that say "womens ware" appear frequently in
> department stores and on the internet, including eBay. Same with "mans."
> Can't afford no shoes, but I could definitely use some hip looking mensware.
women's wear
men's wear
--Charles
Strictly Commercial
>
> women's wear
> men's wear
Womynsware,
Men swear.
R
Charles Ulrich
Strictly Commercial <maure...@telus.net> wrote:
What were you eating under there?
--Charles