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orson

23rd January 2024, 22:41
I read this in the Telegraph today:

It’s not you who is under attack.

It's a common mistake to assume "who" is always followed by the third person. It’s not you who are under attack.
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jigjag

24th January 2024, 13:41
I rang British Gas with a complaint, and the recorded message advised that I could "give a meter reed" by pressing a number. There was no indication of what they are, or how to donate them to the company. Rather puzzling.
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grunger

24th January 2024, 13:51
Jigjag

I have no idea what they are, and I thought I knew a lot about grasses. It could be a musical reference. I keep some spare clarinet reeds in the meter cupboard. I suppose if you kept some grasses in there, they could be meter reeds, but it seems unlikely.
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chrise

6th February 2024, 21:24
Great British menu
Oh no, the chefs keep saying "ballontine". There's no middle N - it's "ballotine".
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paulhabershon

7th February 2024, 14:29
The Times page 6 today lists the exercises performed by the King each day. More evidence for my theory that 'lay' is supplanting 'lie' in some contexts.

Lay on back with feet apart...
Lay on front, raise head...
Lay on front, straighten arms...

To be fair, this is not directly Times journalism, as the exercises were devised for the Royal Canadian Airforce.

Perhaps North American English approves of 'lay' in this context?

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grunger

7th February 2024, 15:55
Chrise

They must have been thinking of Duncan Bannatyne.

Paul

You are being too kind to the TImes. It is lie and they should say so, whatever Canadians think.
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jono

7th February 2024, 16:19
Paul,
You have the basis for a letter to the editor. I feel sure it would be published.

Sir, …
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geting

7th February 2024, 16:42
Having looked up the original document, I can report that 'lay' does not occur.
https://csclub.uwaterloo.ca/~rfburger/5bx-plan.pdf

I therefore concur with Grunger that the Times' use of English is questionable, while Paulh has proof for his theory.

Unless, of course, these were instructions issued to the royal household on how to assist HRH in an emergency situation, in which case the Times is faultless - though I would rather see 'place' than 'lay'
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alanfi

10th February 2024, 19:47
Quite right Grunger! Lie is correct. Why must we follow the American misuse of language.
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alanfi

10th February 2024, 19:53
Another common misuse of a word , I was sat. No you weren't, you were sitting!
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