Ramblecrap...does it have a purpose?

[Mark Sawyer]

I think we've wandered from the photographer's concept of "the fine print" to the lawyer's...

[Sandeha]

Quote and photo (let alone, god forbid, 'phone) have not been considered abbreviations in British English for a long, long time.

English is a dynamic set of languages and dictionaries in the UK try to keep up with the pace of change in accepting new words as 'standard' and binning obsolete words and archaisms. While the short form till has general use, you can still find people using 'til in place of until both in the UK and in parts of the US ... though 'til is simply old fashioned over here.

The abuse of apostrophe's (sic) is a national disaster ...



But sometimes quite funny. The King Edward VII was due for demolition when I took the shot. I fancy it went out of business because it failed to attract the right kind of custom.

[tim atherton]

Quote and photo (let alone, god forbid, 'phone) have not been considered abbreviations in British English for a long, long time.

it was somewhat less than 40 years ago that I was taught 'phone and 'bus at school....

[Sandeha]

it was somewhat less than 40 years ago that I was taught 'phone and 'bus at school....

Aye, dictionary publishers are way ahead of the schools.

[Sal Santamaura]

...Is the use of an apostrophe in other non-abbreviation plurals, such as "book's," considered incorrect in British English?

...Sal you know very well that "book's" is incorrect, unless it is, for example within a sentence as a singular "That book's" (abbrev.: that book is, possess.:that book's). Any other nit-pick's?

So, in a thread the subject of which is meaning of language, my question about a basic structural element thereof is nit picking? No, I didn't know very well that "book's" is an incorrect plural in British English. If I had known the question wouldn't have been asked. There was no way one could attribute the immediately preceding Internet linguistic fad -- which I called "the stutter" -- to correct English anywhere. An example would be "The problem is is that the camera..." That habit seems to have waned around a year ago to be promptly replaced by the apostrophe mess. Thanks for clearing up that we can't thank British English for the latter. Regardless of how you characterized my line of inquiry.

[Colin Graham]

Alright you's guy's...

[Randy H]

And speaking of nit-picking...
Anyone here really familiar with what it means? Or where it originated?
And in light of that, is it really somehing you wish to associate with your camera equipment?
And if it is, let me know to stay far, far away from you...

[Ash]

Randy I'm glad SOMEONE asked.

It has the same origin as "chat".

During WWI soldiers were infested with lice, all over their bodies. When a few soldiers were on leave, they'd take a candle to the seams of their jackets and clothing (where lice laid their eggs) to kill the lil buggers. In those days lice were called Chats, and Nats/Nits. Even when I was in school we called them Nits.

So to "have a chat" or to "chatter", and to a lesser extent "natter", would be slang for talking whilst removing the lice, just as nit-picking would be to literally pick the nits from the head, or clothing - so by all means close inspection to pick out something bad.

[Bob Jones]

The British English I was taught would consider it an abbreviation, as I would also consider "quote" an abbreviation and in fact not a real word.

Any other nit-pick's?

Only one: "Quote" is indeed a real word. It is a verb, and you'll find it in that form at the lower right corner of each of these posts.

[Colin Robertson]

Fowler's Modern English Usage.
Even more educational, and almost as entertaining, as Playboy.