Frankly, the misuse is far more useful than the correct version, which is frankly kind of confusing.
What's the correct use?
Tara: Do you have any books on robots? Giles: Oh, yes, dozens. There's a lot of research to be done in order to--no, I'm lying. Haven't got squat. I just like watching Xander squirm.
'Get It Done'
Natter 64: Yes, we still need you
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
Amy - Sep 15, 2009 7:08:15 pm PDT #9027 of 30001
Because books.
brenda m - Sep 15, 2009 7:10:23 pm PDT #9028 of 30001
If you're going through hell/keep on going/don't slow down/keep your fear from showing/you might be gone/'fore the devil even knows you're there
Here's a reasonably clear explanation:
"Begging the question" is a form of logical fallacy in which a statement or claim is assumed to be true without evidence other than the statement or claim itself. When one begs the question, the initial assumption of a statement is treated as already proven without any logic to show why the statement is true in the first place.
A simple example would be "I think he is unattractive because he is ugly." The adjective "ugly" does not explain why the subject is "unattractive" -- they virtually amount to the same subjective meaning, and the proof is merely a restatement of the premise. The sentence has begged the question.
It may be that it's an archaic use of begged? Because that's part of the problem, I think - the name for the fallacy makes no obvious sense itself. The misuse seems more rational.
Amy - Sep 15, 2009 7:12:29 pm PDT #9029 of 30001
Because books.
Huh! I had never thought about that particular phrase, and that's interesting. Thank you, brenda!
bon bon - Sep 15, 2009 7:12:33 pm PDT #9030 of 30001
It's five thousand for kissing, ten thousand for snuggling... End of list.
I think actionable has a precise legal meaning, not sure I know of it in other contexts.
Hil R. - Sep 15, 2009 7:12:37 pm PDT #9031 of 30001
Sometimes I think I might just move up to Vermont, open a bookstore or a vegan restaurant. Adam Schlesinger, z''l
I think that "beg the question" is a weird translation from a Latin phrase that, in a more modern translation, would make more sense. (I can't remember what the Latin is, though.)
Allyson - Sep 15, 2009 7:13:47 pm PDT #9032 of 30001
Wait, is this real-world child support, where the money goes to buy food for the kids, or MRA fantasyland child support where the women just buy Ferraris and cocaine? -Jessica
(Which begs the question: why are we so keen to retain archaic meanings when the new ones are so useful?)
This is a job for erinaceous!
DavidS - Sep 15, 2009 7:15:59 pm PDT #9033 of 30001
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
This is a job for erinaceous!
She's no prescriptivist.
She is, however, a Northern Californian now.
bon bon - Sep 15, 2009 7:16:06 pm PDT #9034 of 30001
It's five thousand for kissing, ten thousand for snuggling... End of list.
I just used wordnik for the first time to see other uses for the word "actionable." Now that is a useful site!
§ ita § - Sep 15, 2009 7:16:23 pm PDT #9035 of 30001
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
I have never heard decimate used in the traditional sense
They did it right on Dr. Who, bless them. I first learnt it in the traditional sense, and it was a while before I heard it used conventionally and wrong.
As for the samurai sword--there aren't that many of them around that are that sharp--most would be replicas. I don't know if mine would take that good an edge. My blades that would get that sharp are shorter and are probably ill-suited for swinging at an extremity. More something you'd lodge in someone's clavicle.
I have been idly looking for a sword-sharpener for ages. I thought I'd found one, but he moved out of state. I should have gotten them all done when I had the disposable income, dammit. I just never looked seriously enough. It's not like it's a hard search.
§ ita § - Sep 15, 2009 7:18:36 pm PDT #9036 of 30001
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
Special K:
why are we so keen to retain archaic meanings when the new ones are so useful?
Decimate ain't one of those. Devastate works just fine. One might not mean decimate often, but when you do, how many other words work as well?
Dear lord, I still seem to be watching 90210. And Melrose Place. Which seems to have a murderer. And a whore. And an art thief. It's total crack, even compared to the original.