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From: george@sysvis.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.jokes
Subject: Re: A tail of woe. Knott Berry punny.
Message-ID: <-1833228@sysvis.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 4-Oct-84 13:17:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: sysvis.-1833228
Posted: Thu Oct  4 13:17:00 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 19-Oct-84 06:03:11 EDT
References: <18332@sysvis.UUCP>
Lines: 42
Nf-ID: #R:sysvis:-1833240:sysvis:-1833228:37777777600:2133
Nf-From: sysvis!george    Oct  4 12:17:00 1984

> You might do better with "staid lions".  Look it up; staid means,
> "of sedate character".
_________________________________________________________________________
In response to this particular message, and several others similar to it,
I would like to pass on some interesting information to all of those who
are concerned about the proper use of English words.  First an extraction:
__________________________________________________________________________
(...) his way down the trail to the boat.   Suddenly he SAW a large and
							---
STATELY lion with a tremendous mane lying across the trail, blocking it 
-------
completely.  Since the surrounding vegetation was dense and thick he would
be unable to pass unless he used the trail.  The large STATELY lion seemed
						       -------
not to notice him and he soon discovered that the lion was asleep. (...)
he was suddenly and summarily arrested and charged with: "Transporting
gulls across a STATELY lion for immortal porpoises".
	       -------
_________________________________________________________________________
From the "American Heritage Dictionary" (ISBN 0-395-09066-0):

(1).	staid  adj.  1. Prudently reserved and colorless in STYLE,
		MANNER, or BEHAVIOR; GRAVE; SOBER.  2. Fixed;
		permanent. [from "staid" OBSOLETE past participle
		of "stay"]

(2).	state-ly  adj.  1. Dignified; formal  2. Majestic; lofty  ....
		[M.E. "statly", suitable to a person of rank, from
		"stat", - a person of rank, "state".]

I fully INTENDED to describe the lion's APPEARANCE, not his CHARACTER, as
the unsuspecting anthropologist has only SEEN the lion.  He did not, in
fact INTERVIEW the lion in order to determine the lion's style, manner,
or behavior.  As a matter of fact, I feel that it is well nigh impossible
to determine if a lion is staid when that same lion is asleep (by jes'
lookin' at 'im).  Neither is the lion fixed or permanent since he is only
asleep and indeed has only recently arrived on the trail.  I believe that
the proper word was used, and is very appropriate in this context.

	George Robertson    (817) 390-3330
		{...}!trsvax!sysvis!george