Comments on: Overheard in Whitehall: the elusive Thursdays http://blog.osirra.com/2007/08/29/overheard-in-whitehall-the-elusive-thursdays/ Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:35:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Dan http://blog.osirra.com/2007/08/29/overheard-in-whitehall-the-elusive-thursdays/comment-page-1/#comment-2261 Dan Wed, 05 Sep 2007 07:01:04 +0000 http://www.osirra.com/?p=1028#comment-2261 <p>What are you inferring, Doug?</p> What are you inferring, Doug?

]]> By: Doug http://blog.osirra.com/2007/08/29/overheard-in-whitehall-the-elusive-thursdays/comment-page-1/#comment-2262 Doug Wed, 05 Sep 2007 01:44:43 +0000 http://www.osirra.com/?p=1028#comment-2262 <p>I'm intrigued that even in today's world of instant and accurate information about the English language there are still those who apparently struggle over the correct use of 'infer' and 'imply'. Plucking an example at random,</p> <p>"That infers a relatively distant relationship"</p> I’m intrigued that even in today’s world of instant and accurate information about the English language there are still those who apparently struggle over the correct use of ‘infer’ and ‘imply’. Plucking an example at random,

“That infers a relatively distant relationship”

]]> By: Dan http://blog.osirra.com/2007/08/29/overheard-in-whitehall-the-elusive-thursdays/comment-page-1/#comment-2275 Dan Wed, 29 Aug 2007 23:57:53 +0000 http://www.osirra.com/?p=1028#comment-2275 <p>Twats indeed, Nick. Twats indeed. No, acquaintances is not right. That infers a relatively distant relationship. This is a relationship of unknown status, maybe lifelong friends, maybe people who've just met.</p> Twats indeed, Nick. Twats indeed. No, acquaintances is not right. That infers a relatively distant relationship. This is a relationship of unknown status, maybe lifelong friends, maybe people who’ve just met.

]]> By: Jon http://blog.osirra.com/2007/08/29/overheard-in-whitehall-the-elusive-thursdays/comment-page-1/#comment-2276 Jon Wed, 29 Aug 2007 23:08:18 +0000 http://www.osirra.com/?p=1028#comment-2276 <p>Isn't acquaintance the word you are looking for?</p> Isn’t acquaintance the word you are looking for?

]]> By: Nick Robinson http://blog.osirra.com/2007/08/29/overheard-in-whitehall-the-elusive-thursdays/comment-page-1/#comment-2278 Nick Robinson Wed, 29 Aug 2007 22:51:21 +0000 http://www.osirra.com/?p=1028#comment-2278 <p>My Oxford Paperback dictionary has a second definition of 'rare' which suggests that the usage you overhead might actually be correct; it has:<br /> "rare: ajd. 1. not occurring or found very often; 2. unusually good".<br /> So, the guy in Whitehall might not have been mistaken about how often Thursdays come around, but might actually have been reminiscing about a particularly good one.<br /> Maybe what we really need are a couple of words for pretentious twats in Whitehall?</p> My Oxford Paperback dictionary has a second definition of ‘rare’ which suggests that the usage you overhead might actually be correct; it has:
“rare: ajd. 1. not occurring or found very often; 2. unusually good”.
So, the guy in Whitehall might not have been mistaken about how often Thursdays come around, but might actually have been reminiscing about a particularly good one.
Maybe what we really need are a couple of words for pretentious twats in Whitehall?

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