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Re: "write him" was Re: More questions

From:Mark J. Reed <markjreed@...>
Date:Thursday, November 27, 2003, 22:42
On Thu, Nov 27, 2003 at 09:51:54PM +0000, Stephen Mulraney wrote:
> Let me get a quick poll of another (to my mind) oddity. > > Does anyone employ phrases like "The water will stop immediately the > stop-cock is turned"? (I've just noticed it in some anti-frost precautions > the Uni sent around). I'm refering to the lack (to my mind) > of a word such as "when" or "after" following "immediately. I've only ever > noticed it in England, and it really suprises me each time I see it.
I'm with you; that's one of several Britishisms which seem to me to have missing words. Also in that category are the previously-discussed time-telling phrases such as "half six" to mean "half PAST six". But the whole phrase is something that would never occur in my 'lect, or I suspect in most US dialects, even with a preposition inserted. First of all, I never hear the word "stop-cock" over here; it's a "faucet". And that term doesn't refer to the thing you turn, but to the whole assembly as a unit. So I would talk about "turning the faucet off", or less specifically turning the "water" or "sink" off. If I *were* going to refer to the thing you turn directly, I'd call it a "valve". -Mark

Replies

Costentin Cornomorus <elemtilas@...>
Stephen Mulraney <ataltanie@...>
John Cowan <cowan@...>
Tristan McLeay <zsau@...>