Tin Man
Dirt's Childhood Playmate
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2015
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I'm mad about the dual meaning of mad. There should only be one definition. Instead of waffling back and forth between the two definitions depending on which context is more convenient, we English-speaking people should hold it still long enough to nail down what it really means before it has a chance to wiggle free and dart back out into ambiguity. I've had just about enough of these fair weather words. What, it costs too much for each meaning to have its own word so we give some words multiple meanings as a shortcut? Well no matter which definition you want to use for mad, I'm mad about it today. He's crazy but he's not angry or he's angry but not crazy. What the heck, let's just slap him with the word that can mean either one and then just let other people be responsible for however they interpret it. It's these lazy and cheap dictionary committees that allow murderers to get away with it. Your honor, my client isn't guilty because temporary insanity enraged him to kill so he can't be held responsible, I rest my case. Oh, well since you put it that way let's just let him loose into society so that he can get a job on the committee that gets to decide what our words mean.
I'm mad about the dual meaning of mad. There should only be one definition. Instead of waffling back and forth between the two definitions depending on which context is more convenient, we English-speaking people should hold it still long enough to nail down what it really means before it has a chance to wiggle free and dart back out into ambiguity. I've had just about enough of these fair weather words. What, it costs too much for each meaning to have its own word so we give some words multiple meanings as a shortcut? Well no matter which definition you want to use for mad, I'm mad about it today. He's crazy but he's not angry or he's angry but not crazy. What the heck, let's just slap him with the word that can mean either one and then just let other people be responsible for however they interpret it. It's these lazy and cheap dictionary committees that allow murderers to get away with it. Your honor, my client isn't guilty because temporary insanity enraged him to kill so he can't be held responsible, I rest my case. Oh, well since you put it that way let's just let him loose into society so that he can get a job on the committee that gets to decide what our words mean.