There is barely a noun that cannot be verbed, but the conductor has just informed us that the train is platforming on the other side. It hurts my sensibilities.
"The rocket lofted a capsule that is to eventually carry paying passengers"
Quote from: meddyg on 07 January, 2016, 07:20:06 pm"The rocket lofted a capsule that is to eventually carry paying passengers"That doesn't strike me as the least bit odd. I'm (reasonably) sure the use of loft to mean hitting, throwing or launching something skywards goes back a very long way. It's commonly used in cricket and football reports.From , http://www.bluecorrespondent.co.uk/1953-54/august1953.html, "Fielding did the right thing when he lofted the ball over to Eglington..." There may be earlier examples of the usage.
Kim, you are very bad!
Most people do not appreciate that if something is decimated 90% will remain, do they?
In a trailer for a film called "London has fallen" (looks like rubbish) the wondrous line "London has been decimated". Er... devastated?
decimate, v. 1. c. to reduce drastically or severely; to destroy, ruin, devastate. ... now the most usual sense in standard English.
Quote from: T42 on 09 January, 2016, 04:16:51 pmIn a trailer for a film called "London has fallen" (looks like rubbish) the wondrous line "London has been decimated". Er... devastated?The OED says:Quote from: OEDdecimate, v. 1. c. to reduce drastically or severely; to destroy, ruin, devastate. ... now the most usual sense in standard English.with citations from 1660 onwards.
I've just listened to John Meagher (I assume he's an American music journalist) in 'The Selling of Sinatra' on Radio 4,he said,"The new sound augured a new era ... the Vietnam war was seeping into the American culture, a cynicism, a sense of betrayal and loss of goodness and you know, what Sinatra did was to try to transition by co-opting a lot of the younger talent"He means 'transit'
transition, v. intr. To make or undergo a transition (from one state, system, etc. to or into another); to change over or switch.
transit, v. 1. intr. To pass through or over; to pass away.2. trans. To pass across or through (something); to traverse, cross. Also fig.3. Astrol. To pass across (a sign, ‘house’, or special point, of the zodiac). Also absol. or intr.4. Astron. To pass across (the disk of a celestial body, the meridian of a place, or the field of view of a telescope). Also absol. or intr.
I was going to remark on decimate being Medieval Latin rather than Classical but Gareth does it so much more stylishly than I could.I believe the original meaning is the same as tithe, which did indeed once have a 1/10 sense, but anyone who thinks we should only be allowed to use words with their original meaning is clearly gay.
