06-07-2003, 01:05 AM
Hi,
. . . if this was parody or not. Either way, good job :)
BTW:
radar: radio detection and ranging.
laser: light amplification by the stimulated emission of radiation.
scuba: self contained underwater breathing apparatus.
or the cat in cat-scan: computer aided tomography.
Now excuse me for a moment while I check :)
OK, according to m-w online:
radar: radio detecting and ranging. (close)
laser: light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. (off by an article. I like mine better :) )
scuba: self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. (OK, they hyphen makes sense).
or the cat in cat-scan: computerized axial tomography (and three others. However, on this one I claim superior knowledge since I was intimately involved with CAT scanning of aerospace components for a while. The machine was no longer "axial", using a sheet of x-rays rather than an approximate point source. Thus the "a" in CAT shifted meanings and was eventually dropped. By the people who know, they're called CT scans now. Of course, that ruins the joke about the cat scan and the lab test :) )
Also, " unwitting tautologies as "ten A.M. in the morning" or "the third century A.D." I get the "morning" bit, but since there was a third century BCE, why is "the third century A.D." a tautology?
"...I have done most of my reading in English. I find English a far finer language than Spanish.... Firstly, English is both a Germanic and a Latin language, those two registers. For any idea you take, you have two words. Those words do not mean exactly the same. For example, if I say 'regal,' it's not exactly the same thing as saying 'kingly.' Or if I say 'fraternal,' it's not saying the same as 'brotherly'... 'ghost' is a fine dark Saxon word, while 'spirit' is a light Latin word."
I like that quote. It is a fine description of the distinction of connotation and denotation. And goes far in explaining why people who try to use a thesaurus to look erudite usually end up looking foolish instead.
--Pete
. . . if this was parody or not. Either way, good job :)
BTW:
radar: radio detection and ranging.
laser: light amplification by the stimulated emission of radiation.
scuba: self contained underwater breathing apparatus.
or the cat in cat-scan: computer aided tomography.
Now excuse me for a moment while I check :)
OK, according to m-w online:
radar: radio detecting and ranging. (close)
laser: light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. (off by an article. I like mine better :) )
scuba: self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. (OK, they hyphen makes sense).
or the cat in cat-scan: computerized axial tomography (and three others. However, on this one I claim superior knowledge since I was intimately involved with CAT scanning of aerospace components for a while. The machine was no longer "axial", using a sheet of x-rays rather than an approximate point source. Thus the "a" in CAT shifted meanings and was eventually dropped. By the people who know, they're called CT scans now. Of course, that ruins the joke about the cat scan and the lab test :) )
Also, " unwitting tautologies as "ten A.M. in the morning" or "the third century A.D." I get the "morning" bit, but since there was a third century BCE, why is "the third century A.D." a tautology?
"...I have done most of my reading in English. I find English a far finer language than Spanish.... Firstly, English is both a Germanic and a Latin language, those two registers. For any idea you take, you have two words. Those words do not mean exactly the same. For example, if I say 'regal,' it's not exactly the same thing as saying 'kingly.' Or if I say 'fraternal,' it's not saying the same as 'brotherly'... 'ghost' is a fine dark Saxon word, while 'spirit' is a light Latin word."
I like that quote. It is a fine description of the distinction of connotation and denotation. And goes far in explaining why people who try to use a thesaurus to look erudite usually end up looking foolish instead.
--Pete
How big was the aquarium in Noah's ark?