Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Return

We have returned from Texas and Alaska, though I did not get to bed until 4:00AM.  I have followed no current events, but have done some reading and listening to podcasts.  I will be visiting my usual sites and perhaps commenting, and will start posting on the basis of the notes I put in my phone. I have very much enjoyed listening to Glenn Loury on bloggingheads.tv and will have some observations based on The Glenn Show, particularly the weeks he is discussing things with John McWhorter, who I have long been a fan of.

It may take a while to get under weigh, as there are appointments and errands and they are digging up my street today.

9 comments:

james said...

Welcome back.
Digging up the street makes quite a mess. They say they'll be done with ours in August.

Douglas2 said...

I've often been overburdened by appointments and errands, but at least mine have never dug up my street.

Under weigh as the English correlate of the Dutch onderweg is new to me, but accepted in style manuals -- when one weighs-anchor one is then under weigh. For me I'm thinking 'route' or 'way', so I've always written or said "way"

Christopher B said...

Welcome back. I hope your trip proceeded as expected.

Uncle Bill said...

I'm glad someone commented about "weigh.". I always thought it was "way", but "weigh" makes some sense too.

RichardJohnson said...

Woody Guthrie: Hard Travelin'
Twenty-first century version:

I've been walkin' that Southwest terminal, I thought you knowed
I've been inspected disinfected, way down the road
Homeland Security says to me- Winnie the Flu won't let you be
I've been havin' some hard travelin', Lord

RichardJohnson said...

I've been ridin' them fast jet planes, I thought you knowed
Cooped up breathin' stale air, way down the road
Sittin' next to a verbose Karen, bitin' my tongue, or am I darin'
I've been havin' some hard travelin', Lord

Assistant Village Idiot said...

"Under weigh" used to be considered the only correct usage because of origin, but language changes in response to actual usage and that hasn't been the case for fifty years now. Under might be an unusual preposition to use for the phrase, but "way" is much more closely related in meaning.

Douglas2 said...

My reference on under-weigh vs under-way places "way" as the earlier, based on etymology in the OED:

https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2009/03/a-way-with-words.html

A further reference that I've found indicates simultaneous use but different meanings to the pairs under-weigh and under-way, with under-weigh having a precise technical meaning of un-anchored but not yet moving under motive power, whereas under-way means moving.

See section 5.7.8 GET'UNDER'WEIGH/WAY:
https://publications.aston.ac.uk/id/eprint/25092/1/Isserlis_Simon_2014.pdf#page=298

Assistant Village Idiot said...

Excellent reference. I shall change my usage immediately.