Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2008 December 29

= December 29 =

Stick in the mud
Avoid being one by explaining where the phrase came from, please. :-) Dismas |(talk) 06:09, 29 December 2008 (UTC)


 * I don't have a good reference, but I think it's from punting. If you try to move a punt in mud you don't get anywhere fast.  M-W online puts the expression at 1733, at which time they seem to have used punts for cargo transports. 76.97.245.5 (talk) 08:36, 29 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Here's what Michael Quinion, my favorite online lexicographer, has to say. Deor (talk) 19:07, 29 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Cool, thanks to both of you! Dismas |(talk) 04:18, 30 December 2008 (UTC)

Deconjuration or disconjuration
Is the counter to a conjuration called a deconjuration or a disconjuration? Neon Merlin  12:45, 29 December 2008 (UTC)
 * 'Disconjure' is attested by the OED, for what that's worth. Neither 'deconjuration' nor 'disconjuration' is, and I have never seen either used. Algebraist 12:49, 29 December 2008 (UTC)


 * In occult terminology (from what I can dimly remember), first you conjure something up (or evoke it), and then you "banish" it, if that helps at all. Also, a spell whose purpose is to prevent another spell from having any effects can be called a "counter-charm".  Otherwise, I'm not sure exactly what you're asking... AnonMoos (talk) 13:35, 29 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Is "dimly" a pun? :)   Little Red Riding Hood  talk  23:17, 30 December 2008 (UTC)


 * What do you want this for, anyway? We might be able to give more useful information if we knew. Algebraist 14:03, 29 December 2008 (UTC)


 * From my old D&D days, I remember the term abjuration describing the spells which did effectively the opposite of what the conjuration spells did. This may be more or les useful depending on what you're talking about.  Faithfully, Deltopia (talk) 16:48, 30 December 2008 (UTC)

As-salaamu alaykum
Can someone help me understand the standard transliteration of السلام عليكم? It all makes sense to me except for the apparent character in "as-salaamu" between the lām and the mīm. Since the vowel between those two consonants is a long ā, I would have expected an alif in that position, but the character looks more like a wāw. Can anyone explain what is going on? Thanks. Marco polo (talk) 15:53, 29 December 2008 (UTC)
 * It is an alif. There's a special ligature for lam-alif where the vertical stroke for the alif goes slanting off to the left. I don't see that it looks even remotely like a waw, though. —Angr 15:57, 29 December 2008 (UTC)
 * It's true. lam alif can be written لا or علا (see last two letters). Wrad (talk) 17:09, 29 December 2008 (UTC)
 * [[Image:Flag_of_Jihad.svg|thumb]]Just look at the shahada (pictured). It also starts with lam alif. --Soman (talk) 10:27, 30 December 2008 (UTC)

Period past abbreviations
Why do the Brits (just to use them as an example) tend to not use a period after abbreviations, so St George, Washington St, Mr Smith, etc. 75.169.205.136 (talk) 19:23, 29 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Have you read abbreviation? Algebraist 19:25, 29 December 2008 (UTC)
 * No I haven't. Thank you. 75.169.205.136 (talk) 19:29, 29 December 2008 (UTC)