I'm sorry, Peter! You're quite right. I hadn't noticed the straw between
your teeth .... must look more carefully in future.
joanna
----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter Cudmore" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, September 24, 2007 7:32 PM
Subject: Re: rip hyphens
> No, but my misuse counts as 'rustic', I think.
>
> P
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Poetryetc: poetry and poetics [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
>> Behalf Of Joanna Boulter
>> Sent: 24 September 2007 19:02
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Re: rip hyphens
>>
>> And you're right, 'may' isn't rustic, not in the normal verbal sense.
>> What
>> Fowler is meaning in Peter's quote is the term 'maybe', shortened from
>> 'it
>> may be (so)'. It sounds like 'mebbe', and I think it's still in use
> further
>> south, but it's certainly used all the time up here in the north-east of
>> England.
>>
>
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