Fun Stuff > CHATTER
English is weird
Is it cold in here?:
Glad you're here. I had you in mind when I started the thread, remembering you had described English as "your bizarre language".
Tova:
In England, "booster shot" is spelled "borchestershire shot."
cesium133:
Here I assumed it would have been “boostre shot”.
Akima:
In Australia it's a "boostashot". We want to get our words out quickly before the flies get in our mouths.
Speaking of shots... It occurred to me the other day that "earshot" is a peculiar word. Most "shot" words refer to the emitter of the shot: bowshot, gunshot etc. but earshot refers to the distance from which someone can hear something.
Morituri:
As I understand them they denote the distance itself, irrespective of which endpoint it's measured from. Making "earshot" no more peculiar than "bowshot" - one means either of us could be heard by the other and the other means either of us could be hurt by the other.
I think they originate in military tradition, where (symmetric!) attack and detection ranges are tactical considerations.
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