Posted by Joe Windsor on July 28, 2006 at 13:08:49 from 84.12.178.90 user Joe.
In Reply to: Re: Food fashions- squirrel casserole. posted by Owen Roberts on July 28, 2006 at 11:01:31:
Hugely enjoyed hair-splitting over 'rat eating'. Stirring the pot, suggest that the fragment 'rat eating midshipmen' only could mean middies eating rats. 'A rat eating midshipmen' means the converse whereas 'a rat eating midshipman' again means a middy eating rats.
I adore the English language for many reasons and it has earned me a living over the years. It is more subtle than any other language of which I am aware. More nuances and shades of meaning than one can imagine. Thank you both for the fun!!
I have much sympathy with the French for desperately trying to defend their language history against the incursion of globalised English and having an Academy (I forget what it's called) to 'control' the French language. It's just that some of the French alternatives 'up with which they come' (stick to the rules, Joe) are simply weird!!
Cheers all - Joe