Language desk | ||
---|---|---|
< January 19 | << Dec | January | Feb >> | January 21 > |
Welcome to the Wikipedia Language Reference Desk Archives |
---|
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages. |
What is the etymology of gaffe? 96.52.92.93 ( talk) 01:34, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
{{
rfe}}
in the appropriate language section (in
this case, English, French, or Italian). (I've added it for you s.v. English.)—
msh210℠
17:08, 20 January 2010 (UTC)Probably from the French colloquialism "une gaffe," a remark by which one "puts one's foot into it." John M Baker ( talk) 18:16, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
What is a pig meeting? 96.52.92.93 ( talk) 01:39, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
I finished all but one space on a crossword puzzle and I don't know what goes in that space. Could you help?
The spaces in each are the same empty square. Is the missing letter a Q? If so, I don't know what ETSEQ is supposed to mean. Dismas| (talk) 03:57, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
If someone is described as 'mental', it's at best a joke (in the same vein as "He's crazy but we love him anyway") and at worst severely pejorative. In this sense, 'mental' means insane, mentally unbalanced, deranged, etc.
But describing someone as 'physical', 'emotional' or 'spiritual' carries a neutral or even positive/complimentary tone.
Why is 'mental' the odd one out? -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 10:02, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
This use of "mental" seems to derive from the many terms that include the word and refer to the mind being in an abnormal or unhealthy state, such as mental breakdown, mental deficiency, mental disease, mental disorder, mental incapacity, mental retardation, mental illness, and many others. Uses like these date back to the 18th century, while the OED traces the meaning you cite only back to 1927. There is no similar panoply of negative terms for, e.g., "physical," since physical disorders generally have more specific descriptors. John M Baker ( talk) 18:10, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
Are they the same?-- ProteanEd ( talk) 12:13, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
By the way, if the reason this is coming up is that Google is in the news, I'll point out that their actual policy is neither of those: it's Don't be evil. And yes, Wikipedia has an article on it. --Anonymous, 19:37 UTC, January 20/10.
Is the word "is" present tense? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.91.83 ( talk) 15:11, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
The article on Fayolism says that the word translated as "control" in English, actually means "checking" in French. Is that true? It would make a lot of sense if it was. Unfortunately not being a French speaker I cannot quote the relevant part of Fayol's writing, but the article says: "Control (to verify if everything happens in accordance with defined plans, orders given, and accepted principles). The word Control clearly provoked some misunderstanding by English-readers because its 1st meaning in French is "to check" and its 2nd meaning is "to have a grip over". And it is the other way round in English. So for the French-reader Fayol clearly meant "Check everything!". Since probably thousands of future managers study Fayol every year it is rather important. Thanks 92.29.57.199 ( talk) 16:56, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
This feels a bit like the meaning of "control" as in, controlling for variation like control groups in studies and experiments, where research have a group called the "control group" that doesn't have the experiment performed on them. This is the group that they check to see if any perceptable difference exists. They don't actually control the "control" group. 72.2.54.36 ( talk) 23:56, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
Bizarrely enough, someone recently created an article in Latin: Matheus Lundberg. Swedish music teacher? Help with translation would be appreciated. decltype ( talk) 21:32, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
{{
notenglish}}
when I deleted it, but I IAR'ed since this seemed like a particularly (and intentionally) pointless one. I suppose transwikiing to Latin Wikipedia would have been fine too, although I do wonder why the user didn't just post it there in the first place. In any case, it doesn't look like a very important article so I'm sure the encyclopedia isn't suffering over its loss.
rʨanaɢ
talk/
contribs
22:10, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
Language desk | ||
---|---|---|
< January 19 | << Dec | January | Feb >> | January 21 > |
Welcome to the Wikipedia Language Reference Desk Archives |
---|
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages. |
What is the etymology of gaffe? 96.52.92.93 ( talk) 01:34, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
{{
rfe}}
in the appropriate language section (in
this case, English, French, or Italian). (I've added it for you s.v. English.)—
msh210℠
17:08, 20 January 2010 (UTC)Probably from the French colloquialism "une gaffe," a remark by which one "puts one's foot into it." John M Baker ( talk) 18:16, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
What is a pig meeting? 96.52.92.93 ( talk) 01:39, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
I finished all but one space on a crossword puzzle and I don't know what goes in that space. Could you help?
The spaces in each are the same empty square. Is the missing letter a Q? If so, I don't know what ETSEQ is supposed to mean. Dismas| (talk) 03:57, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
If someone is described as 'mental', it's at best a joke (in the same vein as "He's crazy but we love him anyway") and at worst severely pejorative. In this sense, 'mental' means insane, mentally unbalanced, deranged, etc.
But describing someone as 'physical', 'emotional' or 'spiritual' carries a neutral or even positive/complimentary tone.
Why is 'mental' the odd one out? -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 10:02, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
This use of "mental" seems to derive from the many terms that include the word and refer to the mind being in an abnormal or unhealthy state, such as mental breakdown, mental deficiency, mental disease, mental disorder, mental incapacity, mental retardation, mental illness, and many others. Uses like these date back to the 18th century, while the OED traces the meaning you cite only back to 1927. There is no similar panoply of negative terms for, e.g., "physical," since physical disorders generally have more specific descriptors. John M Baker ( talk) 18:10, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
Are they the same?-- ProteanEd ( talk) 12:13, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
By the way, if the reason this is coming up is that Google is in the news, I'll point out that their actual policy is neither of those: it's Don't be evil. And yes, Wikipedia has an article on it. --Anonymous, 19:37 UTC, January 20/10.
Is the word "is" present tense? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.91.83 ( talk) 15:11, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
The article on Fayolism says that the word translated as "control" in English, actually means "checking" in French. Is that true? It would make a lot of sense if it was. Unfortunately not being a French speaker I cannot quote the relevant part of Fayol's writing, but the article says: "Control (to verify if everything happens in accordance with defined plans, orders given, and accepted principles). The word Control clearly provoked some misunderstanding by English-readers because its 1st meaning in French is "to check" and its 2nd meaning is "to have a grip over". And it is the other way round in English. So for the French-reader Fayol clearly meant "Check everything!". Since probably thousands of future managers study Fayol every year it is rather important. Thanks 92.29.57.199 ( talk) 16:56, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
This feels a bit like the meaning of "control" as in, controlling for variation like control groups in studies and experiments, where research have a group called the "control group" that doesn't have the experiment performed on them. This is the group that they check to see if any perceptable difference exists. They don't actually control the "control" group. 72.2.54.36 ( talk) 23:56, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
Bizarrely enough, someone recently created an article in Latin: Matheus Lundberg. Swedish music teacher? Help with translation would be appreciated. decltype ( talk) 21:32, 20 January 2010 (UTC)
{{
notenglish}}
when I deleted it, but I IAR'ed since this seemed like a particularly (and intentionally) pointless one. I suppose transwikiing to Latin Wikipedia would have been fine too, although I do wonder why the user didn't just post it there in the first place. In any case, it doesn't look like a very important article so I'm sure the encyclopedia isn't suffering over its loss.
rʨanaɢ
talk/
contribs
22:10, 20 January 2010 (UTC)