On Tue, May 17, 2011 at 4:04 PM, Ted MacNEIL <eamacn...@yahoo.ca> wrote: >>Webster's" on a dictionary has no significance - it's just an attempt to >>cadge some legitimacy by invoking Noah Webster's name). Try AHD or OED (both >>of which do support the usage).
> Dictionaries do NOT support usage! > They report it! > Any usage is subject to consensus. > We, when I was a kid, used to say ain't ain't in the dictionary. > It is, now! Good point...that's what I meant by "support": they assert that it is a common usage. The better ones (AHD comes to mind) include comments on non-standard usage-and these evolve with each revision. (There's no such note for "issue" as a synonym for "problem".) As a broad example, compound nouns typically evolve from "open" ("web server") to hyphenated ("web-server") to closed ("webserver"). The OED, of course, has a group who do nothing but track this evolution and make updates for the next rev. However, note that the OP seems convinced that dictionaries define 'correct' spelling and usage... ..phsiii ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html