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Re: Receipts

From Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid>
Newsgroups alt.usage.english, alt.english.usage
Subject Re: Receipts
Date 2026-07-01 07:19 +0100
Message-ID <najpr7FjuhuU1@mid.individual.net> (permalink)
References (3 earlier) <lfpv3ltg5v5brql4489a2dpb49kf6r5f57@4ax.com> <111p602$i3jg$1@artemis.inf.ed.ac.uk> <111qgln$3eu94$1@dont-email.me> <naccbnFd0bvU1@mid.individual.net> <mn.e2a67ea602f1d15c.127094@snitoo>

Cross-posted to 2 groups.

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Le 01/07/2026 à 03:40, Snidely a écrit :
> With a quizzical look, Hibou observed:
>>
>> The meaning was deducible from context, but the choice of word looked 
>> like an error. Better the mot juste, in this case 'evidence'; better 
>> plain English than a limping attempt at decoration.
> 
> Much of the choice has to do with the impact you desire.  Sometimes 
> plain English does that best, sometimes it doesn't.


In this case the statement was a strong one, about armed forces 
deliberately choosing children as targets. It needed no decoration. 
Trying to enliven it with non-standard words risks distracting readers 
and weakening it. If one has evoked an image of soldiers shooting 
children, does it help to overlay that with a picture of a stack of 
receipts?

> There is also the impact the phrase has had on the speaker ... if a 
> bunch of recent usages has moved the phrase to the front, it might have 
> displaced the plain English, and seem clearer to the speaker.


Metaphors are dangerous, because they so often die or become clichés or 
both. Standard words generally have a much longer life.

In a world where so many try to ginger up their sentences, plain English 
has great power.

> And there was a time when "evidence" and "proof" weren't plain English. 
> Language evolves despite curmudgeons best efforts. [...]


Is it only curmudgeons, surly miserly people, who object to linguistic 
misuse? What about the good people of aue and aeu, who love the language 
and would rather not see it come to harm?

Would it be curmudgeonly to object to someone using our carefully 
sharpened chisels as screwdrivers?

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Thread

Receipts Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-06-26 17:00 +0200
  Re: Receipts athel.cb@gmail.com <user12588@newsgrouper.org.invalid> - 2026-06-26 15:01 +0000
    Re: Receipts Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2026-06-26 19:17 +0100
      Re: Receipts Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-06-27 05:02 +0200
        Re: Receipts The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> - 2026-06-27 06:10 -0400
          Re: Receipts Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-06-28 03:29 +0200
          Re: Receipts Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2026-06-29 02:17 -0300
      Re: Receipts Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> - 2026-06-27 15:47 +1000
        Re: Receipts Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2026-06-27 11:15 +0100
          Re: Receipts nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-06-27 13:25 +0200
          Re: Receipts Aidan Kehoe <kehoea@parhasard.net> - 2026-06-28 08:29 +0100
            Re: Receipts Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-06-28 17:09 +0200
        Re: Receipts "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2026-06-27 13:49 +0200
        Re: Receipts Tony Cooper <tonycooper214@gmail.com> - 2026-06-27 11:30 -0400
          Re: Receipts richard@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Richard Tobin) - 2026-06-27 18:49 +0000
            Re: Receipts liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid (Liz Tuddenham) - 2026-06-27 21:58 +0100
            Re: Receipts Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> - 2026-06-28 11:21 +1000
              Re: Receipts Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2026-06-28 05:51 +0100
            Re: Receipts Ross Clark <benlizro@ihug.co.nz> - 2026-06-28 18:57 +1200
              Re: Receipts Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2026-06-28 11:46 +0100
                Re: Receipts Snidely <snidely.too@gmail.com> - 2026-06-30 19:40 -0700
                Re: Receipts Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2026-07-01 07:19 +0100
                Re: Receipts Snidely <snidely.too@gmail.com> - 2026-07-01 03:21 -0700
                Re: Receipts Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2026-07-01 11:49 +0100
                Re: Receipts Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> - 2026-07-01 21:16 +1000
                Re: Receipts athel.cb@gmail.com <user12588@newsgrouper.org.invalid> - 2026-07-01 12:57 +0000
                Re: Receipts Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2026-07-01 15:40 +0100
                Re: Receipts Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> - 2026-07-02 09:44 +1000
                Re: Receipts Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-07-02 05:16 +0200
                Re: Receipts Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2026-07-02 06:11 +0100
                Re: Receipts Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-07-03 08:28 +0200
      Re: Receipts occam <occam@nowhere.nix> - 2026-06-27 14:22 +0200
        Re: Receipts Phil <phil@anonymous.invalid> - 2026-06-27 18:18 +0100
          Re: Receipts ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram) - 2026-06-27 18:35 +0000
            Re: Receipts Tony Cooper <tonycooper214@gmail.com> - 2026-06-27 15:05 -0400
    Re: Receipts Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-06-27 04:44 +0200
      Re: Receipts nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-06-27 13:25 +0200
        Re: Receipts Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-06-28 03:39 +0200
          Re: Receipts nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-06-28 11:01 +0200
            Re: Receipts Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> - 2026-06-28 21:21 +1000
            Re: Receipts "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2026-06-28 15:48 +0200
              Re: Receipts nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-06-28 21:32 +0200
                Re: Receipts "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2026-06-29 17:45 +0200
          Re: Receipts "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2026-06-28 15:42 +0200
  Re: Receipts "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2026-06-26 18:13 +0200
    Re: Receipts Tony Cooper <tonycooper214@gmail.com> - 2026-06-26 12:57 -0400
      Re: Receipts "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2026-06-27 13:40 +0200
        Re: Receipts Tony Cooper <tonycooper214@gmail.com> - 2026-06-27 11:01 -0400
          Re: Receipts Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-06-28 03:53 +0200
            Re: Receipts Tony Cooper <tonycooper214@gmail.com> - 2026-06-27 23:26 -0400
        Re: Receipts Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> - 2026-06-28 11:37 +1000
          Re: Receipts Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2026-06-28 05:51 +0100
          Re: Receipts nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-06-28 11:01 +0200
    Re: Receipts Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2026-06-26 19:24 +0100
      Re: Receipts liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid (Liz Tuddenham) - 2026-06-27 12:23 +0100
      Re: Receipts "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2026-06-27 13:41 +0200
        Re: Receipts Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2026-06-27 13:39 +0100
    Re: Receipts Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-06-27 05:04 +0200
  Re: Receipts Tony Cooper <tonycooper214@gmail.com> - 2026-06-26 12:46 -0400
    Re: Receipts Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-06-27 05:25 +0200
      Re: Receipts Tony Cooper <tonycooper214@gmail.com> - 2026-06-27 00:31 -0400
        Re: Receipts Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-06-27 19:00 +0200
          Re: Receipts The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> - 2026-06-27 13:16 -0400
            Re: Receipts "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2026-06-27 19:33 +0200
            Re: Receipts Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-06-28 04:09 +0200
              Re: Receipts Tony Cooper <tonycooper214@gmail.com> - 2026-06-27 23:25 -0400
          Re: Receipts Tony Cooper <tonycooper214@gmail.com> - 2026-06-27 14:51 -0400
      Re: Receipts "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2026-06-27 13:58 +0200
        Re: Receipts Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-06-28 04:16 +0200
          Re: Receipts "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2026-06-28 10:16 +0200
    Re: Receipts "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2026-06-27 13:31 +0200
  Re: Receipts <-- mis-dictation? cursed? "Mr. Man-wai Chang" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-06-27 12:10 +0800
    Re: Receipts <-- mis-dictation? cursed? Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-06-27 19:05 +0200
      Re: Receipts <-- mis-dictation? cursed? Tony Cooper <tonycooper214@gmail.com> - 2026-06-27 15:01 -0400
        Re: Receipts <-- mis-dictation? cursed? "Mr. Man-wai Chang" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-06-28 12:54 +0800
      Re: Receipts <-- mis-dictation? cursed? nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-06-27 23:10 +0200
        Re: Receipts <-- mis-dictation? cursed? Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-06-28 04:21 +0200
          Re: Receipts ... ignore threads? "Mr. Man-wai Chang" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-06-28 12:53 +0800
          Re: Receipts <-- mis-dictation? cursed? occam <occam@nowhere.nix> - 2026-06-28 09:35 +0200
            Re: Receipts <-- mis-dictation? cursed? "Mr. Man-wai Chang" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-06-28 18:19 +0800
              Re: Receipts <-- mis-dictation? cursed? Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> - 2026-06-28 21:28 +1000
                Re: Receipts <-- mis-dictation? cursed? occam <occam@nowhere.nix> - 2026-06-29 08:16 +0200
                Re: Receipts <-- mis-dictation? cursed? "Mr. Man-wai Chang" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-06-29 19:18 +0800
          Re: Receipts <-- mis-dictation? cursed? nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-06-28 11:01 +0200
        Re: Receipts ... forcing delta updates to old NNTP servers? "Mr. Man-wai Chang" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-06-28 12:46 +0800
  Re: Receipts vs Magical Talisman??? "Mr. Man-wai Chang" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-07-01 14:42 +0800

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