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....
xshub says it all the time, the economy HAS to be doing well, bc NO ONE is staying home.
Hey, it worked for Snow White!
A+++ yes they do indeed, and they need slapped silly for it.
thanks CEEJ! it would really be a nice gift if you would post a pic of the pups wearing bday hats... ; )
Robt looks innocent. Very, very innocent.
leave it to the highbrow Ohioans! A+++
i saw Gov Huckabee at the original Silverware Ball. where'd you meet him, vast? A+++
beauteous and yummy looking cake, thanks loney!
what a cute cake! thanks!
that isn't xsboy he is too wellbred to relieve himself in public! i think that was toby, who has admitted to whipping it out in public! ; ) thanks, arghy!
Sorry. My only pics of them are on the other computer.
A+++ i know you know what to do with vowels, robt....
i love stooges! FANKS, marteen!
thanks so much, jaded!
thanks, moochypoochy! i like being on vaca!
no wonder she was in a coma there laying in the glass case!
now there is a sight.... glad i didn't say BUTTCRACK o dawn... ; )
(but she peeks behind him just to make sure he's not hiding a voodoo doll with knitting needles...)
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