Posted on 07/24/2006 4:07:48 AM PDT by xsmommy
Word For The Day, monday, 7/24/06
In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day".
hoi polloi; n.
The common people; the masses.
Usage Note: Hoi polloi is a borrowing of the Greek phrase hoi polloi, consisting of hoi, meaning “the” and used before a plural, and polloi, the plural of polus, “many.” In Greek hoi polloi had a special sense, “the greater number, the people, the commonalty, the masses.” This phrase has generally expressed this meaning in English since its first recorded instance, in an 1837 work by James Fenimore Cooper. Hoi polloi is sometimes incorrectly used to mean “the elite,” possibly because it is reminiscent of high and mighty or because it sounds like hoity-toity. ·Since the Greek phrase includes an article, some critics have argued that the phrase the hoi polloi is redundant. But phrases borrowed from other languages are often reanalyzed in English as single words. For example, a number of Arabic noun phrases were borrowed into English as simple nouns. The Arabic element al- means “the,” and appears in English nouns such as alcohol and alchemy. Thus, since no one would consider a phrase such as “the alcohol” to be redundant, criticizing the hoi polloi on similar grounds seems pedantic.
Etymology: [Greek, the many : hoi, nominative pl. of ho, the; see so- in Indo-European Roots + polloi, nominative pl. of polus, many; see pel-1 in Indo-European Roots.]
Rules: Everyone must leave a post using the Word for the Day in a sentence.
The sentence must, in some way, relate to the news of the day.
The Review threads are linked for your edification. ;-)
Practice makes perfect.....post on....
Happy B-day, xsmommy. Enjoy your 2 weeks' off (I'm taking my vacation next month).
Hope the hoi polloi don't invade too much of your space.
A+++ excellent job, t5
Have a Happy! And a Dopey, and a Sleepy, and a...
i LOVE that sentence!!! A+++
i will probably check in from FL while i am gone, don't worry : )
i saw that ! A+++
" (Qwerty ergo typo : I type, therefore I misspelll.) "
and she was a happy baby 
who learned to walk early....
and feed herself 
you won't escape our birthday net.....we can celebrate again on your real birthday...
oh look at my marilyn monroe pose there!! how cute i was : )
I thought one of the guys would have noticed that first. LOL
Along with the rest of the hoi polloi at the feast,
let me wish you a
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, XS!
It shares an irony with those who mispronounce "mispronunciation" as 'mispronounciation.'
At least I can console myself with the thought that they usually say "enunciate" slowly and clearly.
thanks, mik! and that is kind of a disgusting looking display. i prefer my meat not look quite so much like the animal it came from!!! A++
But Misspelled is always misspelled when it's misspelled, even when it's not misspelled incorrectly deliberately the right way.
way too kinky, truthy! ; ) thanks!
A+++ for you, KAC. there is much news to follow these days!
that looks SOOOO yummy! thanks!
You are trying to cast a spell on me and make me dizzy, aren't you?
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