Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: Notesfiles $Revision: 1.6.2.17 $; site sysvis.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!decwrl!amd!dual!zehntel!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!sysvis!george 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