This is why we dont have cool things any more... we make up our own knowledge just because it seems to fit
this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2024
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That's what I thought when I was a kid but I was told I was wrong!
Acronyms didn't become popular until fairly recently, so if the word is at least a century old, odds are that it isn't an acronym.
But when I take a brake, doesn’t that mean I’m stopping work, hitting the brakes?
When I diffuse a situation, doesn’t that mean I’m thinning out the tension or whatever?
People make up whatever reason they need to avoid going to a dictionary to understand what they’re writing.
(It’s break and defuse, in case anyone was wondering. The first doesn’t need explanation, but defuse is because you want to cut the fuse off from the thing that’s going to blow up, the thing being the situation)
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NORTH EAST WEST SOUTH
At least that's what they taught us in journalism school
Actually it's Never Eat While Shitting
Oops. Should I not have done that? I mean if anyone had told me that sort of thing is frowned upon I never would've...
They're joking. You should actually always eat while shitting and shit while eating. No exceptions.
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That doesn’t even make sense, who would refer to cardinal directions in that order?
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Lol, imagine if "sports" was part of the origin story of news as a concept.
I take issue with sports being in headline news practically every day, or multiple days per week at least.
I have nothing against people enjoying sports, but it's a hobby like any other, which I think is unreasonably thrust upon everyone else.
Where is the eSports news, or competitive dancing, woodworking news, or as I'm sure we can all agree on Lemmy, what about my old electronic gadget of the week news?
When I had The Guardian app, it was quite annoying that sports was lumped in with the push notifications for actual news.
I'm just saying sports news ought to be opt-in like any other hobby.
I agree. I can't stand that every restaurant or bar has to have a TV or 20 that are all tuned to talking heads blowing hot air over what sports guy #876,914 did last night, or what sports guy #1,456,888 will do tomorrow night.
Even when it's live sports, the broadcast is still more commercials than game, every square inch of the playing area is plastered with ads, plus the ads that are on the overlay, plus this instant replay is brought to you by A1 Hemorrhoid cream, from the Mega-Car Savings Plus Center, at beautiful Jack the Ambulance Chaser Stadium: "When you drive drunk, call Jack to blame on the innocent™!"
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Byzantine politics did have political parties and professional sports teams as literally the same thing, so it's not completely insane as a concept.
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From the Etymonline website:
news (n.) late 14c., "new things," plural of new (n.) "new thing" (see new (adj.)); after French nouvelles, which was used in Bible translations to render Medieval Latin nova (neuter plural) "news," literally "new things."
The English word was construed as singular at least from the 1560s, but it sometimes still was regarded as plural 17c.-19c. The odd and doubtful construction probably accounts for the absurd folk-etymology (attested by 1640 but originally, and in 18c. usually, in jest-books) that claims it to be an abbreviation of north east south west, as though "information from all quarters of the compass."
The meaning "tidings, intelligence of something that has lately taken place" is from early 15c. The meaning "radio or television program presenting current events" is from 1923. Bad news in the extended sense of "unpleasant person or situation" is from 1926. Expression no news, good news can be traced to 1640s. Expression news to me "something I did not know" is from 1889.
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I always assumed it was news as plural. Here's a list of new's. This is new, that is new.
I'm pretty sure this is the actual etymology of news.
People asking each other "what new things?" becomes "what news", as well as usage like "that information is new to me" becoming "that is news to me"
It's not only okay not to pluralize with an apostrophe, ever, but as a bonus it makes what you wrote into English.
Might as well call it Olds then, these days, considering how repetitious it all is.
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It takes less time to Google that or ask a device, than to post that disinfo
Disinfo gets engagement though.
I'm surprised. Merriam-Webster is usually the Urban Dictionary of print dictionaries. I'd have more expected them to change their definition because "muh common usage."
Hacks. OED or death.
I love that there are strong opinions like this out there for dictionaries.
You've convinced me. I'm ride or die for OED now too.
I never really thought about choosing a side, but I am a staunch supporter of the Oxford comma. I guess now I know which side I’m on. Let’s fucking go
Oh, extra points for the Oxford comma, too. That automatically grants you Pope status.
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the gold standard lexicon
Hopefully you're an "Oxford comma, ride or die", too.
Of course! I'd have thought that went without saying. I'm not a barbarian.
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I once read an article praising the 1913 edition of the Webster's dictionary and I have been using it ever since (in the form of GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English). That with etymonline makes the reading experience quite pleasant.
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etymology has nothing to do with common usage.
also common usage is what defines words; that has nothing to do with MW. that's how language works. i can't believe there are still prescriptionists in this century.
Never eat shredded wheat
NESW
Never Eat Wheat Shredders.
Damn right. Wheat shredders are important to the economy.
Not Everyone Wants Sausage
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No actually means "noteworthy observation" so it's nice to get that validation.
it's the opposite of olds
As I remember olds is short for: Offhand Lewd Developments and Summaries
Of course we all know that "news" stands for Never EVER Work Safe.
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