Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2007 July 26

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July 26

Slats

Glen Cameron Sather, or 'Slats' used to be a tough guy. He earned the nickname 'Slats' because of his gritty style of play. 'Slats' appreciated a good brawl.

Please explain what 'Slats' has got to do with gritty style of play. I know the expression 'hit somebody in the slats' (hit somebody in the ribs). Is this the right explanation?

Sincerely,

Vadim —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.89.88.106 (talk • contribs)

I can honestly say I have no idea. It doesn't make much sense to me either. Recury 16:40, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

Sounds to me like it came directly from his name, mixing the "l" from "Glen" with the "Sath/Sat" from "Sather" to make "Slat", + an "s" for euphony. I think his nickname and his gritty style of play, while both being part of his persona, are not at all related. On the other hand, the old word "slatternly" did mean something like "done in a dirty, unkempt, poor way," (technically "to do something the way a slut/untidy woman/prostitute would") though I have a hard time imagining a contemporary fighter using/referencing an outdated term like that. --Cromwellt|talk|contribs 01:32, 2 August 2007 (UTC)

Re:Commas

What is the difference in these two sentences? "...like dogs, cats, wolves and bears" and "...like dogs, cats, wolves, and bears"? Note the comma before "and". I read it somewhere on Wiki that its different, but the article didn't really make it clear. --Zacharycrimsonwolf 14:02, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

It's normal to omit the last comma in a list, the one before the 'and'. But I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. There's no difference in meaning. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 14:09, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

You might want to read Serial comma. However, despite the assertion in that article that the serial comma is used nearly univerally in American English, I was taught to always omit it, and I have been an American for all of my life. --LarryMac | Talk 14:13, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

So have I, and I was always taught to include it. We might have even been docked points at school for omitting it, I can't remember for sure. I always have to remember not to use it when I'm writing in German or translating for a customer who wants British usage. —Angr 15:11, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

I have been working professionally as an editor in the United States for 10 years. Serial commas before the last item in a series are a style issue. Whether they are used varies from one publisher to another and from one publication to another. However, the general rule in the United States is that final serial commas are used in books but not in periodicals (newspapers and magazines). Marco polo 15:47, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

I was taught to not use it, although I tend to agree that there is no one hard and fast universally applied rule. I try to maintain the usage described on the userbox {{user serial comma:Sometimes}}: do not use it unless the resulting sequence is ambiguous and using it helps disambiguate. My $0.02. Baccyak4H (Yak!) 03:18, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

As Angr points out, it is certainly not used in British English. It seems strange to have it there, when you wouldn't if there were only two items. The other commas are necessary to break up the list. But then there are plenty of things in American English that seem bizarre to me! Cyta 07:32, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

What's bizarre is the fact that another name for the serial comma is the "Oxford comma", considering how disfavored it is in British English. But then OUP also argues for the spellings -ize and -ization, which no one else in Britain would be caught dead using. —Angr 12:02, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

I use -ize and I'm in Britain, and I'm not the Oxford University Press. DuncanHill 21:42, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

Yeh, I've been taught by my teacher not to use it as well. I've asked her, but she wasn't very sure of it too. Anyway, thanks to you all! Cheers!! --Zacharycrimsonwolf 13:18, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

Antonym question

What is the oppsite word for " annoyed" ?

"Pleased" might be used, it depends on the context. --LarryMac | Talk 15:40, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

If it's being used as a verb, perhaps "placated". Clarityfiend 15:53, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

Well, technically, it would probably be "noyed". Gzuckier 19:42, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

Speedy delivery of fresh pizza? --Reuben 19:46, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

It's a fallacy to assume that every word has a single, perfectly opposite word. The only unquestionable opposite of "annoyed" is "not annoyed". --TotoBaggins 22:17, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

You're starting to ritate me. Clarityfiend 07:12, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

What about 'disannoyed' or 'unannoyed', in the sense of no longer being annoyed on account of something positive happening?--Manga 01:46, 30 July 2007 (UTC)

If "il", as a prefix, means a negative, then I suppose you could put "il" and "annoy" together and arrive at a US state.martianlostinspace 23:52, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

This is hilarious. It is one of the things I love about Wikipedia. --Cromwellt|talk|contribs 01:39, 2 August 2007 (UTC)

Need help to fully understand Sandra Bullock's speech in German

Hello, in this rare clip [1], Sandra Bullock accepts an award and speaks German. I can understand most of it, but not everything. In particular, my problem iss that I can't recognize the words she's saying on 1.20-1.30 ("Gott sei Dank hat sie mir....") I am NOT asking for a translation in English, the exact words in German is what I would like to have. Thank you very very much, Evilbu 21:35, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

I think the next few words are "das [sic] Mentalität vermittelt, bevor sie …" --Cam 23:32, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

Thanks, I seem to hear "anderen Welt" (other world?) in there as well, but I really can't understand the verb she's using?Evilbu 00:46, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

"Und Gott sei Dank, hat sie mir das Mentalität vermittelt, bevor sie selbst in andere Welten entschritten ist." ---Sluzzelin talk 04:55, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

Thanks, but then what would that mean? What is "entschritten"?

I can't find entschreiten in any of my German dictionaries, but what she's trying to say in highly poetic language is, "Thank God she imparted this mentality to me before she died." —Angr 11:57, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

Perhaps a bit too poetic in combination with the mistaken gender (das instead of die Mentalität). Literally, entschreiten could be translated as striding away or striding on (into other worlds), I guess. The German prefix ent- can indicate away ("entfliehen", "entkommen") or the beginning of a change of state ("entfalten", "entsprießen"), among other. ---Sluzzelin talk 13:40, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

She quite originally combines existing euphemisms for "do die": there is entschlafen and dahingehen (but I am not aware of any involving schreiten). Entschritten is reminiscent of entglitten another word suggesting a sense of loss, while entschritten itself suggests liberation (but it shouldn't be entschritten + in, it should be Dative + entschritten). If the gender of Mentalität was correct, this could be an original phrase coined by a very competent speaker :)

my suggestion would be: Gott sei es gedankt hat sie mir ihre Gesinnung vermittelt, bevor sie dieser Welt entschritten ist. :)

dab (𒁳) 14:17, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

Hmm, so her sentence might be incorrect? I think she says "das Mentalität"? But I do think that there is a problem with "Welt" (does she say "im anderen Welt(en)"?Evilbu 15:46, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

You made me listen to this sentence over fifteen times now, and I'm quite certain that she says exactly what I transcribed above ("in andere Welten"). In + accusative, indicating motion rather than position, isn't completely inacceptable here (inspite of dab's stylistic improvements!). She could have also said: "bevor sie sich in andere Welten begeben hat" or even "bevor sie in andere Welten gegangen/gefahren/gereist ist". By the way, I'm glad I heard this link (once), Evilbu. I have often read that Bullock speaks German, but had never heard her until now. Her pronunciation and melody of speech sound surprisingly authentic, and had she only been famous enough in 1992, they might have cast her instead of Melanie Griffith for the main part in Shining Through, one of the least plausible performances I have ever seen. ---Sluzzelin talk 05:57, 28 July 2007 (UTC)