Replies (1)

• @vnikolov@ieji.de 2026-09-27 14:33

  There is a traditional Bulgarian saying: God gives, but does not bring into the pen. I think the American counterpart may be: Praise the Lord and pass the ammo. (I don't know whether this contrast between a livestock metaphor and a battlefield metaphor is significant.) *** «... we didn't learn language from those dictionaries. We learned by observing use.» Right. And dictionaries that can afford the space partly compensate for this by giving quotes (not invented examples) to demonstrate actual use. «The ability to say what words mean is an enormous power, with huge implications.» Yes. I think the Looking-Glass World's take¹ on this is well-known, too (the importance of being master and the need to pay words extra). _________ ¹ Actually, a logician's take, of course. @kentpitman@climatejustice.social

  Open ##5282447