Thunderstorm as a verb
Charles Riggs
not going to thunderstorm today?
Charles Riggs
Philip Eden
Charles Riggs <chr...@gofree.indigo.ie> wrote in message
news:eevo8u8pg7lv3v5bm...@4ax.com...
> I can say it's not going to storm today; is it acceptable to say it's
> not going to thunderstorm today?
>
almost imperceptibly as you said it. However it's not something
I would say. It's easier and quicker to say simply, "it's not
going to thunder today," which I do.
Philip Eden
AlbertPeasemarch
In his latest short story collection, Toby Litt has the line: "She
thunderstormed out of the room". Bad writing, I'd say.
Albert Peasemarch.
CyberCypher
news:eevo8u8pg7lv3v5bm...@4ax.com:
> I can say it's not going to storm today; is it acceptable to say it's
> not going to thunderstorm today?
>
I'd probably say there's not gonna be a thunderstorm today, but why
not? Verbing nouns is an honorable English-language tradition. "storm"
and "thunderstorm" as verbs are a lot better than "impact" and a few of
the others recently discussed here.
--
Franke
CyberCypher
news:42b35aa5.02031...@posting.google.com:
> Charles Riggs <chr...@gofree.indigo.ie> wrote in message
>
> In his latest short story collection, Toby Litt has the line: "She
> thunderstormed out of the room". Bad writing, I'd say.
>
Yes, and I wonder who mopped up after her.
--
Franke
Michael J Hardy
> > I can say it's not going to storm today; is it acceptable
> > to say it's not going to thunderstorm today?
> >
> I don't see why not, although my left eyebrow might flicker
> almost imperceptibly as you said it.
If an Englishman's left eyebrow flickers almost imperceptibly,
should I call an ambulance?
Mike Hardy
John O'Flaherty
Only if his upper lip is quivering.
--
john
John O'Flaherty
>
> I can say it's not going to storm today; is it acceptable to say it's
> not going to thunderstorm today?
The area of application for the negative would be narrow- when you think
it might storm but not too violently. Otherwise, 'it's not going to
storm' would cover it. For the positive, 'we're having a thunderstorm'
seems more likely than 'it's thunderstorming'.
--
john
John Varela
> If an Englishman's left eyebrow flickers almost imperceptibly,
..he's probably named Cleese.
--
John Varela
Simon R. Hughes
> Charles Riggs <chr...@gofree.indigo.ie> wrote in message
>
> In his latest short story collection, Toby Litt has the line: "She
> thunderstormed out of the room". Bad writing, I'd say.
Who can tell from one sentence?
There were a group of Russian literary theorists in the 1930s known
to posterity as the Russian formalists, who measured the quality of
literature by the "defamiliarising" ability of the language
employed. "Thunderstormed" is a good example of defamiliarisation.
It is not the usual idiom, and for that reason it causes the reader
to become aware of the language again, rather than to what the
phrase refers to in the real world.
To a Russian formalist, the phrase would almost certainly be
welcomed as good literary language.
--
Simon R. Hughes
Richard Fontana
> I can say it's not going to storm today; is it acceptable to say it's
> not going to thunderstorm today?
Yes.
Charles Riggs
The reason the sentence occurred to me is that thunderstorms impact me
to a far greater extent than mere storms. I've lost two modems and had
the computer itself jolted, but not hurt, once. I like to keep my
computer plugged in and running, if prudent. Padraig may correct me,
but I believe this is thunderstorm season in this part of the world,
so I'm on the lookout for their possible occurrence.
Charles Riggs
Philip Eden
> Padraig may correct me,
> but I believe this is thunderstorm season in this part of the world,
> so I'm on the lookout for their possible occurrence.
>
Padraig will no doubt impart first-hand knowledge, but I can
give you the meteorology and the statistics.
There is no real thunderstorm season in the west of Ireland
(I seem to recall you're in Co.Mayo or Galway or nearby), with
a mean number of 5 or 6 days with thunder heard per annum --
that includes distant rumbles as well as overhead storms. On
the coast there is no preferred season; inland the period
May-July is slightly favoured. Winter storms are usually
sudden and shortlived (a couple of flash-bangs, typically),
delivered on a strong westerly or northwesterly wind in cool
Atlantic air. Some summer storms are like this too, but
between May and September you can get warm weather
storms which arrive on a gentle easterly or southeasterly
drift from England or France, and these may rumble around
for several hours. Neither type, of course, is any danger to your
electrical equipment unless the storm passes overhead.
ObAUE: One of our weather presenters in the UK tried to
introduce 'thorm' as a replacement word for 'thunderstorm'
many years ago. It didn't catch on. Is it a word anyone
else has encountered elsewhere?
Philip Eden
R H Draney
<phi...@weather.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>ObAUE: One of our weather presenters in the UK tried to
>introduce 'thorm' as a replacement word for 'thunderstorm'
>many years ago. It didn't catch on. Is it a word anyone
>else has encountered elsewhere?
Howard "Weatherman" Morgan at television KOB in Albuquerque used to
use the same term, circa 1972...he was also a cartoonist, and drew
little clouds and sun symbols on his map with a marker instead of just
putting up preprinted magnets with those symbols like his successors
in the business....
There was once a truly entertaining morning program called "Breakfast
Time" (one of the hosts is now asking the questions on "Hollywood
Squares")...the weather announcer, Jim Kocot, used to refer to the
preponderance of "spikey yellow balls" in certain parts of the
country...I'm not the only one who misses that show:
http://www.fred.net/thirteen/bkfast/mempk.html
....r
Simon R. Hughes
> On 11 Mar 2002 14:52:31 GMT, CyberCypher <fra...@seed.net.tw> wrote:
>
> >I'd probably say there's not gonna be a thunderstorm today, but why
> >not? Verbing nouns is an honorable English-language tradition.
>
The top side?
--
Simon R. Hughes
Skitt
"Richard Fontana" <rf...@sparky.cs.nyu.edu> wrote in message
news:Pine.GSO.4.21.020311...@sparky.cs.nyu.edu...
But you'd be lying if it's summer, and you are in Florida.
--
Skitt (in SF Bay Area) http://www.geocities.com/opus731/
I speak English well -- I learn it from a book!
-- Manuel (Fawlty Towers)
Philip Eden
Michael J Hardy <mjh...@mit.edu> wrote in message
news:3c8cf64e$0$3929$b45e...@senator-bedfellow.mit.edu...
imperceptible flicker is probably all that remains of an
exaggerated gallic shrug triggered by the other 50%.
Philip Eden
Charles Riggs
wrote:
>
>"Richard Fontana" <rf...@sparky.cs.nyu.edu> wrote in message
>news:Pine.GSO.4.21.020311...@sparky.cs.nyu.edu...
>> On Mon, 11 Mar 2002, Charles Riggs wrote:
>>
>> > I can say it's not going to storm today; is it acceptable to say it's
>> > not going to thunderstorm today?
>>
>> Yes.
>
>But you'd be lying if it's summer, and you are in Florida.
If I lie it will never be for that reason. You wouldn't catch me there
again even in winter.
Charles Riggs
John O'Flaherty
You might look around for a device like I have- a standard multi-outlet
surge suppressor, but with a male and female phone jack as well as the
ac outlets. They claim that it suppresses surges on the phone line too.
I've used it for years, and haven't lost any modems. (Nor seen any
elephants.)
--
john
Charles Riggs
wrote:
>On Tue, 12 Mar 2002 11:29:47 +0000, Charles Riggs
><chr...@gofree.indigo.ie> wrote:
>
>>The reason the sentence occurred to me is that thunderstorms impact me
>>to a far greater extent than mere storms. I've lost two modems and had
>>the computer itself jolted, but not hurt, once.
>
>Did you find the modems after the storm? Had they been swept away by
>the floodwaters?
Reminds me of the aunt in The Importance of Being Earnest when she
told the fellow that it was bad enough to loss one parent but
downright careless to loss two of them. (Make corrections to my
quoting, as required.)
Charles Riggs
Charles Riggs
<wewelc...@blackhole.net> wrote:
>Charles Riggs wrote:
I have, it sounds like, the exact same thing. It protected my two
modems and destroyed itself in the process. Now I unplug them.
Charles Riggs