Over on Language Log, Geoff Pullum has been fulminating over fresh citings of the Urschneeklon Eskimo N: on English gradations of social inadequacy, in “Eskimos again, this time seeing the invisible” (here), and on Japanese gradations and subtleties of sexual perversity, in “Octoporn” (here). And now, on ADS-L, in a discussion of bracketology, from a posting by “Otherwise” on the Scholars and Rogues site, about Rick Perry and George W. Bush:
To those of us not intimately familiar with Texas, Perry seems just like W. But I am told by my Texas friends they are very different. Eskimos have twenty words for snow. Texans must have twenty different types of asshole.
Only twenty? That’s a modest figure in the Eskimo Snow world.
(Eskimo N has come up thousands of times on Language Log; just search on {“Eskimo words for snow” “Language Log”}.)
For those of you who are wondering about bracketology, Victor said:
Bracketology appears to have been last mentioned [on ADS-L] by [Larry Horn] on 13 Mar 2005… But the expression has since gone outside basketball — it’s been seen and heard with respect to any playoffs or elimination-style tournaments, including, for example, tennis. But it need not be limited to sports.
and quoted from the Scholars & Rogues site:
Bracketology update: Newt oozes into the lead
Way back at the end of March, nine long months ago, we decided to set up a bracket-like approach for determining the Republican nominee. Forget all those polls and all that insider nonsense that Chris the Fix peddles. It’s time for bracketology. … It was a good idea, good enough that other columnists and bloggers have now swiped it, including Joe Klein.
Larry Horn added:
For aficionados (or those who would like to become one), I highly recommend American Bracketology: The Final Four of Everything Red, White, and Blue by Mark Reiter and Richard Sandomir (link)
December 21, 2011 at 11:06 pm |
Wow! I appear to have hit a rare double–Geoff picked up one example on LL while you picked up the other. And on the same day, too! Cheers!