In a message dated 8/6/2000 11:58:04 AM Central Daylight Time, 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

<< > Also, as another chance to display my ignorance, I couldn't find "a
 > fortiori" in my dictionary. 
 
 Try RHD, between "aforetime" and "afoul", not between "a" and "AA". 
 It will surely be in OED as well. >>

My American Heritage Talking Dictionary  on CD not only looked up said 
latinism, but spoke  it as well.   Its corrected a number of pronunciations 
for me.  Most recently schism.    In some cases it displays a picture or  
map. 

 I couldn't find "chicken with its head cut off"  but it did offer: "The 
chickens have come home to roost[PROVERBS]The consequences of earlier actions 
are making themselves felt."

There were a number of other chicken related expressions as well.  E.g.,  
"chicken shit (chikn shit)     Obscene.n. Contemptibly petty, insignificant 
nonsense.adj. 1. Contemptibly unimportant; petty. 2. Cowardly; afraid."

Incidentally, "a fortiori" was spoken in a woman's voice, the (immediately 
preceding) vulgarity in a man's.   Hmmm?    Just for fun ---which, by the 
way, was defined as: "a joke; playfully.[Possibly from fon, to make a fool 
of, from Middle English fonnen, to fool, possibly from fonne, fool.]" ) --- I 
tried "lovely.".  'Twas spoken in a woman's voice.    Hmmm again.

I then tried "f__k" (the blanks have been used so as not to offend any 
delicate eyes, but most of you should be able to fill in them in).   'Twas 
pronounced in a male voice.  Hmmm still once again!!!  I'll have to pursue 
this interesting line of investigation furtjer on occasion.

Incidentally once more, instead of correcting the aforegoing typo.  I copied 
and pasted into the AHD.  Whereupon I was given a list of alternative 
spellings --- one of which was "further." 

What is still more, it does a fairly good job of providing synonyms and 
antonyms --- which is why I customarily keep it in my CD drive while 
composing. 

Notice that each time I copied and pasted from the AHD, 'twas careful to 
print the following attribution as well: 

---------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from American Heritage Talking Dictionary
Copyright © 1997 The Learning Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
---------------------------------------------------------

Perhaps I should add that the latest edition is (currently) priced at $19.95. 
 While not the ultimate in reference works, I've found it to be well worth 
that much.  

Aitchoo (for H[arley] U[church])


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