Re: Boffins & saving email

Ed Fenning (ed361@yahoo.com)
Tue, 31 Aug 1999 16:23:46 -0700 (PDT)

--- Tim O'Connor <tim@roughdraft.org> wrote:
> At 3:31 PM -0700 on 8/31/1999, you wrote:
> 
> > May I just state that I'm jealous of your
> ownership of an OED, 2nd
> >ed.?  My little
> > old Webster's is but a pretender to the throne.
> >
> > *sigh*
> >
> > If I had an OED, I'd be quoting it constantly too.
> 
> Well, it is pretty handy when etymological questions
> come up.  And I
> just like reading it randomly.  

There is also that large (folio) two volume O.E.D.set that might come
in handy till you (sigh) can afford the whole thing.  It reduces four
pages onto one page (!!) and should be called unofficially the 
O.E.D./D.T.E. edition (Damage to the Eyes). Everything is *very* small
though a spiffy magnifying glass is provided in a hideway drawer at the
top of the slipcase.  My dad bought his set through Book of the Month. 
I did not live with an O.E.D. when I first read about Boffins.  This
two volume set can be found from time to time in used book stores.


> > One of these days, I will purchase
> > a set and point it out on every tour of my house. 
> "And on your
> >right is my Oxford
> > English Dictionary, a full set.  Would anyone like
> to look up a word?"

To always have guests who appreciate and enjoy the O.E.D. is something!
 My luck would be, they'd glance over and say "Oh yeah that's nice.
Now, how big's your TV sceen there's this game tonight between..."

> 
I couldn't believe their inability or
> unwillingness or
> earn money!

A wonderful book to read is "Caught in the Web of Words. James Murray
and the Oxford English Dictionary", published by who else but Oxford
U.Press. It's interesting to see that they're still
"between-courses-at-table" when it comes to business sense.  They
neither planned nor effectively funded Murray during his tenure as
editor; doling out funds only after meetings in the face of dire and
chronic financial situations.  But how many other people could say on
their house tour, "Come and see my scriptorium out in the backyard." 
My luck would be, guests would say, "Oh yeah, isn't there an ordinance
that you can't burn leaves outdoors in those anymore?"

- I think I'll look up *scriptorium* tonight.

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