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To: Mrs. Don-o

“Anarthrous professional signifier” is a noun identifying a profession, preceded by an adjective modifying the noun, but lacking an article. “Gifted writer” Diana West. The construction was made famous by Dan Brown, of “DaVinci Code” fame, and it’s a running joke between Clyde Asbury and me.

http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/001628.html


24 posted on 12/11/2007 8:16:06 AM PST by Tax-chick (Every committee wants to take over the world.)
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To: Tax-chick

Respected FReeper Mrs. Don-o lurched through the Peter Pan Nation thread, struggling to grasp the arcane intellectual jokes irrelevantly inserted by notoriously multiparous forumista Tax-chick.

Got it. Thank you. :o)


35 posted on 12/11/2007 9:35:53 AM PST by Mrs. Don-o (Vernie was underdressed for this foul weather; her black, rain-soaked tank top clinging to her torso)
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