The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #43354   Message #632954
Posted By: Wilfried Schaum
22-Jan-02 - 09:36 AM
Thread Name: BS: New word for today: puissant
Subject: RE: BS: New word for today: puissant
Congratulations to Little Hawk for finally finding an old word we learned some 45 yeas ago at school in one of our English lessons in Germany.
It's always the question of using four letter words or other monosyllables of Saxon stock, or the erudite polysyllables of Norman stock. Wasn't it Scott who wrote about it in Ivanhoe of good alderman Ox turned to royal Beef? Memory may fail me here, must read this wonderful book again.
Methinks, Her Majesty's Own language, and certainly its rebel version overseaas, too, is one of the most apt languages for puns and rhymes.
First prize to the contribution of Airto for his 3 pees. VERY funny, indeed (no joke).

Wilfried