Re: Geoff Lane's "arrogant PC bunch"

["Susan Hogarth" <hogarth -at- gmail -dot- com>]

On 3/15/07, Jonathan West <jwest -at- mvps -dot- org> wrote:
> ...
> There are words we no longer use in polite conversation or writing because
> we have learned that they give significant offense to a group of people.
> That is a good thing.

Along these lines:

I knew a 'faggot' (which, interestingly enough, Firefox's spellcheck
refuses to recognize) was also a 'bundle of sticks', but I was
startled to see the word in the index (the GLORIOUS index) of _The Joy
of Cooking_ last night. Apparently it meant (means?) a bunch of herbs
tied together and placed in a broth for seasoning.

Whew - apparently it means -lots- of things:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faggot

Makes me think of one of my favorite passages from _Through the Looking Glass_:

http://www.sundials.org/about/humpty.htm

*******************
'That's a great deal to make one word mean,' Alice said in a thoughtful tone.

'When I make a word do a lot of work like that,' said Humpty Dumpty,
'I always pay it extra.'

'Oh!' said Alice. She was too much puzzled to make any other remark.

'Ah, you should see 'em come round me of a Saturday night,' Humpty
Dumpty went on, wagging his head gravely from side to side, 'for to
get their wages, you know.'

**********

And to quote Humpty once again: "Impenetrability! That's what I say!'"

-- 
Susan Hogarth
http://www.colliething.com
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