[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

That goodness that spell checkers were invented.

And what might be the nature of this goodness that you speak of, Thad?!

[Thad E Ginathom]

Ahhh... a perfect example of the spell checker being totally unable to help when the misspelt word actually exists <Blush>

Thank goodness you spotted it!

[anupmathur]

Thad, your relying too much on that inanimate spelling checker!
Or should that be 'you're relying ....'?
Hah! Another one of those enigmas that people cannot seem to get the hang of, LOL!

[Thad E Ginathom]

it's an enigma indeed!

The fact that you're relying (Uhh... how many 'L's in that? ok:- t h a t; none. ) on something leads to your reliance, but might make you less reliable.

In another thread, recently, somebody mentioned the Robin Reliant!

[Xeno]

*doh !*
All the gentlemen here could be editors for all the english dailies in this country would make newspapers a better read : P

OT
I just read in some "diamond comics" "Billoo" ... the guy has literally translated "Meri Dahdi Banao"(hindi) -> "Make my beard"

[anupmathur]

Thad, some serious questions for you. Please help.

The usage of 'inauguration' and 'installation' in the sentences below, somehow just sounds wrong to me! Your views please.

From Outlook news magazine dated 2 Feb 2009:

The groundswell of support for Barack Obama culminated in his inauguration as the President of the United States.

The installation of Barack Hussein Obama as the 44th president of the United States has set off a wave of good feelings the world over.

*sigh* Will Sam ever again find time for this thread?!

[Xeno]

It sounds wrong to me as well. As if the president is a software that gets installed in the white house every 5 years. Expert's opinion awaited.

*sigh* Will Sam ever again find time for this thread?!

hehe :P after reading the Yetiblog (registered) I do not think so.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Whilst I feel sure that the White House has had a major upgrade (not an upgradation), I am really not sure about this usage of inauguration and installation.

Installation --- I think I have heard it used in ceremonial context, so perhaps this is correct.

inauguration --- my feeling is that it would be strictly correct to use this to refer to the presidency, or his instance of that presidency, rather than to the person.

If I make it over to the bookshelf today, and manage to lift the heavy tomes, I'll post further <Blush>.

I am sorry to have to say, by the way, that the BBC website is in far greater need of good English-speaking writers and editors than are the English-language newspapers I read here. I find that very sad.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

If I make it over to the bookshelf today, and manage to lift the heavy tomes, I'll post further <Blush>.

Please do make it to the bookshelf soon, Thad!
I find it impossible to believe that a 'person' can be installed to an office!
Equally impossible seems to be the concept of inaugurating a person!

[Thad E Ginathom]

From the Oxford Dictionary site:

install (also instal)

• verb (installed, installing) 1 place or fix (equipment) in position ready for use. 2 establish in a new place, condition, or role.

My Concise Oxford from 1976 puts the definitions the other way around:

1. Place (person in office or rank) with ceremonies...

So yes... that one is spot on!

Inaugurate, also, gets a special metion from my Concise, just for American Presidents!

Admit (person, esp. President of US to office, etc. with ceremony...

Here's the definition from the Oxford site

• verb 1 begin or introduce (a system, project, etc.). 2 admit formally to office. 3 officially mark the beginning or first public use of (a building, service, etc).

So it looks as if both those words, in the Obama context, get cleared with flying colours, and not only just in American usage!

You can rest tonight without worry!

[anupmathur]

Thanks, Thad!
As is clear, this confounded language can never be mastered!

[Thad E Ginathom]

It can be mastered.

It is the spelling that's tough!

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by pankaj_sachdeva

SH is State highway and NH is National Highway

Hmm. Thanks, man. I seem to be having a problem with acronyms recently - WTPT, VOE etc and now SH/NH.

[Thad E Ginathom]

That might be because they are abbreviations, not acronyms!

Surprise; I think life is trying to tell you to take it a little slower

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

That might be because they are abbreviations, not acronyms!

While I would have thought (till now ie.) that both words mean the same, this is what Wikipedia has to say:

While the word abbreviation refers to any shortened form of a word or a phrase, some have used initialism or alphabetism to refer to an abbreviation formed simply from a string of initials. In 1943, Bell Laboratories coined the term acronym as the name for a word (such as SONAR) created from the first letters of each word in a series of words (such as SOund Navigation And Ranging). The terms initialism and alphabetism are neither widely used nor widely known. The term acronym is widely used to describe any abbreviation formed from initial letters.

Going by which, "acronym' seems to be perfectly correct for the terms referred by me.