Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2008 January 18

= January 18 =

English Slang word myder
Has anybody heard of the english slang word myder or mider. It is a term which is used to describe something worrying or when somebody is pestering, they are midering —Preceding unsigned comment added by 1cassy1 (talk • contribs) 12:29, 18 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Do you mean Myther/Mither? - X201 (talk) 12:34, 18 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Urbandictionary.com is also good for looking up slang words, here's their entry for "mider".--droptone (talk) 13:14, 18 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Yeah, I know this word/these words. "Stop mithering on!", "Don't mither me so!" and so on. mither is in the OED as a variant of moider, and one of the definitions is as User:1cassy1 says. Moider is apparently 'Chiefly Irish English, Manx English and English regional (north and midland)', and there are about a dozen spellings. The OED gives a different etymology from the possibilities on Wiktionary, btw: it says uncertain but suggests Irish modartha as an origin. Telsa (talk) 09:19, 20 January 2008 (UTC)

When history was wrtten the final page will say..
Is the following sentence correct, and if so, how could one imagine its meaning given the strange use of tenses:

There is no doubt in my mind when history was written, the final page will say: Victory was achieved by the United States of America for the good of the world; that by doing the hard work now, we can look back and say, the United States of America is more secure, and generations of Americans will be able to live in peace.

The text is from here. It was mentioned on the Daily show.

Regards, --77.234.78.235 (talk) 18:17, 18 January 2008 (UTC)


 * This seems wrong to me. Here is what I think it should say:
 * When history is written, the final page will say...
 * When history has been written, the final page will say...
 * When history was written, the final page said...
 * -- Falconus p t   c 19:03, 18 January 2008 (UTC)


 * It simply says (if I may speculaltively interpret the mindset of the speaker) that history after the end of written history will see generations of illiterate and uncritical Americans. The status quo will be maintained. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 19:10, 18 January 2008 (UTC)

Because of the scansion (like lyrics), I would say "when history's been written, the final page will say". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.51.122.2 (talk) 19:48, 18 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Didn't anyone else notice that this utterance was from the mouth of that supreme idiot, George W. Bush? That should be sufficient explanation. +ILike2BeAnonymous (talk) 02:53, 19 January 2008 (UTC)


 * I think our No Personal Attacks policy extends even to the gentleman in question. --  JackofOz (talk) 11:40, 19 January 2008 (UTC)

"rocks" meaning 'sports'??? ("rocks a 240x400 pixel screen")
How should I interpret the sentence

"The CECT 599 rocks a slightly smaller 3.2 inch 240×400 touchscreen display, but loses the navigation hard keys in favor of a more iPhone-esque minimalistic style"

here

Is there a correct reading of the word "rocks" in this sentence, or do they just mean "sports"? Can "rocks" mean "sports" in some dialect or slang or something, or am I misreading the sentence?

Thank you! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.51.122.2 (talk) 19:46, 18 January 2008 (UTC)
 * You're correct. "Rocks" as used here is slang for "sports". Recury (talk) 20:18, 18 January 2008 (UTC)
 * is this common? did you know this usage before?  can you give another example on the internet of this usage?  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.51.122.2 (talk) 22:33, 18 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Googling for returns mostly this usage.  It's pretty common American slang.  --Sean 23:01, 18 January 2008 (UTC)
 * "Common"? I've never heard it before.   Corvus cornix  talk  05:24, 20 January 2008 (UTC)
 * It's not common at all, but upon encountering it here for the first time, it was fairly obvious to me what the intended meaning (and tone) was. Tesseran (talk) 07:35, 22 January 2008 (UTC)

Exemplary exam questions
I have a book with example exam questions in the back. The section is titled "exemplary questions". The book was written by non-native speakers of English. Is this use of the word "exemplary" incorrect? Seans Potato Business 23:45, 18 January 2008 (UTC)


 * No Yes, it is incorrect. "Exemplary" means something like "of the best possible standard".  The section should have been called "example questions".  --  JackofOz (talk) 00:09, 19 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Maybe they are exemplary example questions. --Lambiam 01:14, 19 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Yes, that occurred to me too, Lambiam, but proclaiming one's own writings/achievements/contributions as "exemplary" is, in my view, not an exemplary approach. I think that's a judgment for others to make.  One aims for excellence, and hopefully one achieves excellence, but one does not profess to have achieved excellence.  --  JackofOz (talk) 02:00, 19 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Your answer was not exemplary. The right answer to whether the usage was incorrect is yes, not no, no? Clarityfiend (talk) 02:54, 19 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Verily. Clarified above.  Thank you.  --  JackofOz (talk) 11:38, 19 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Well, CF, yes and no, not simply yes or no, yes? You know, examplary exemplary [A simple slip! Be charitable.–&thinsp; Noetica ♬♩&thinsp;Talk 06:05, 19 January 2008 (UTC)] can mean all sorts of things. SOED gives these meanings:
 * "A adj. 1 Of a person, quality, etc. fit for imitation. L16. 2 Of a thing: serving as a model or pattern; archetypal. L16. 3 Of a kind liable to become an example; remarkable, signal, extraordinary. arch. L16. 4 Of a penalty, punishment, etc. serving as a warning or deterrent. E17. 5 Serving as a specimen or type; typical. E17. [obs.]6 Of or pertaining to an example; providing examples; illustrative. E17–E19"
 * Sense 5 fits with the usage in question here, even if sense 6 is obsolescent. Nevertheless, I myself would use the word in sense 1 only. Better safe than thought stupid by the masses, no?
 * You find that clear, Clarityfiend?
 * –&thinsp; Noetica ♬♩&thinsp;Talk 03:07, 19 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Examplary? To be frank, I find your spelling execrable, rather than exemplary.  :) Gwinva (talk) 03:31, 19 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Ha! We all make those mistakes...  But I was intrigued that you'd only use Sense 1.  I'd use all but 6, although my interpretation of 5 would probably not allow for "exemplary questions" unless they were extremely typical examples.  The full OED is more expansive.  There's the noun form, which is obsolete:
 * "1. a. A type or figure.  b. A typical instance, an example.    c. An example, pattern of conduct. 2. a. A ‘copy’ of a book; = EXEMPLAR n. 5.    b. A copy or transcript (of a writing)."
 * and the adjective and adverb:
 * A. adj. 1. Of or pertaining to an example; furnishing examples. Obs. 2. That may serve as a specimen or type; in a typical form; typical. b. Serving for an illustration; illustrative. 3. Of a penalty, damages, etc.: Such as may serve for a warning, or act as a deterrent. b. Phrases: to be exemplary: to become a warning. to make (a person, also a thing) exemplary: to make an example of. Obs. 4. Of a kind to become an example, liable to be turned into a precedent. Hence in weaker sense: Such as to attract notice; remarkable, extraordinary, signal. arch. 5. Of things: Serving as a model or pattern, after which something may be made; archetypal. 6. Of persons and personal attributes: Fit to serve as an example or pattern for imitation. b. Hence, Excellent, perfect. Obs. B. adv. In an exemplary manner; to an exemplary degree; so as to be exemplary. Obs.
 * I'd agree with those, yet somehow the quoted usage does not sit easily with me. Gwinva (talk) 07:46, 19 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Yes, let us make an exemple of Noetica, for daring to mock the Three Aspects of the True God: Nit and Pick. Clarityfiend (talk) 09:05, 19 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Exemplary, in the sense quoted by Sean, is perfectly normal usage in this house (and in the textbooks I recall using when at school). DuncanHill (talk) 08:59, 19 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Why yes, Charityfriend. Let's do that. :)
 * I should have added above that I would use exemplary in SOED's fourth sense, in fixed phrases like exemplary fine and exemplary damages.
 * Duncan, where was that? What country? I've never seen exemplary used to mean just example (adj.), in referring to exam questions or similar. (And I would have been in a position to notice such wording.)
 * –&thinsp; Noetica ♬♩&thinsp;Talk 22:52, 19 January 2008 (UTC)