Canny lass

http://www.careeroverview.com/blog/2010/100-reliable-and-ridiculous-excuses-for-calling-out-of-work/ My choice: #61. There was a car accident. (Because the driver started to discuss the linguistics of the screamed warning.) That will surely do it! I'm afraid this one's got me beat. I've sent it off to a few former colleagues to see if they can make head or tail of it.

He also said that Boris Johnson would be next Prime Minister - and he isn't: “The former London Mayor [Ken Livingstone] said Brexit would usher in Boris Johnson as Prime Minister so he would think about "emigrating to somewhere the economy is not going to collapse". His comments, in his local newspaper the Ham and High, come just days after it was reported Labour bosses had blocked him from making media appearances after deciding he was "uncontrollable".” https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/political-parties/labour-party/news/73826/ken-livingstone-brexit-could-make-me-leave-country "Someone who should be admired for "having the guts" to readily admit they were stupidly wrong." Really?

The operative word was budget - seeing as emergency was used as a modifier.

I do not give a jot about where you quoted from. It’s enough that it’s a newspaper! You appear to be missing the whole point of my argumentation viz. NEWSPAPERS ARE NOT RELIABLE SOURCES OF INFORMATION! But then again, you appear to know about journalistic bias. You describe it perfectly in the first two sentences of the above quote.You could have added: 'and if I'd wanted to convey the truth I would have quoted the Beano'. I am not arguing politics. In or out of the EU makes no difference to me. If we are in then nothing has changed. You and I will continue as we are – immigrants with Germanic surnames. If we are out then you and I will still be immigrants with Germanic surnames but we’ll then have one foot in each camp, so to speak. Time after time, on level after level, I have demonstrated that newspapers manipulate text to sell copies. I’m a linguist by profession. I work with text. Get over it! Oh, I'm forgetting, a university education and a handful of degrees mean nothing. Maybe, instead of specializing in one subject, I should have spent six years setting up television aerials instead and become an expert on everything. Now, another challenge; you state quite categorically that The Telegraph “has multiple direct lines into the heart of the Tory government”. You state it in a declarative sentence – That's to say, something which the writer knows to be true. Name these multiple direct lines! If you can name them I personally will write to each and every one of them, ask if it's true, and publish their replies here (yes, I know that's an Oxford comma but I quite like them and they are rapidly gaining ground in the English language). BTW the genitive 'its' has no apostrophe. Thought I'd just add a smiley because that seems to make everything alright.

You use the verb ‘to talk down’ in its transitive form and are therefore accusing me of disparaging and belittling my country of birth. That’s a very serious accusation. May I just remind you that: It’s not me who, publicly and almost daily, derides the work done by Her Majesty’s democratically elected, Government It’s not me who, publicly and almost daily, applies derogative nicknames to the, democratically elected, Prime Ministers who have headed that government It’s not me who criticizes the social security system of my own country It’s not me who belittles the educational system of my own country It’s not me who disparages the British constitution or the laws of my own country And it’s certainly not me who derides fellow, law-abiding British citizens because of their ‘legally’ chosen religion in their own country! SHAME ON YOU!! A challenge; show me ONE instance of my disparaging the UK and I will show you ten instances of you doing that very same thing.

At least you are not 'off-topic' - things that will NOT happen!

the 'loca'l economy - is that the same thing as The Red Lion?

I was being cheeky, Merc! You said you were reverting to commenting on local issues.

Would that be locally?

It's not only the Telegraph that's used "ruled out an emergency budget" in its headlines. Most of them, however, say something else in the text. Here's a small selection: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-36792202 14 July 17, 2016: He added he did not anticipate the need for an emergency Budget as a result of the Brexit vote. http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2016/07/14/475139/Britain-Brexit-Philip-Hammond-Chancellor-Exchequer-Theresa-May Hammond said in his first interview on Thursday morning as the Chancellor of the Exchequer that there will be no “plan for an emergency budget,” following the country’s June 23 vote to leave the European Union. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3689669/New-Chancellor-Philip-Hammond-says-NOT-Brexit-punishment-Budget-threatened-George-Osborne-takes-No-11.html#ixzz4EgTMNDsZ Mr Hammond said: 'There is no plan for an emergency budget, My comment: I have no plans for a holiday abroad next month, neither am I anticipating snow in September - does that rule out the possibility of either actually happening?

Sorry to disappoint you! I have no linguistic observations regarding either the form, function or the content of the word - within the given context - which are relevant to the topic under discussion. Better luck next try!

I’m not really sure just what it is you wish to illustrate with this quote. I’ve now read this article, from 14 June (http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/14/osborne-predicts-30bn-hole-in-public-finance-if-uk-votes-to-leave-eu) and assume it is the article from which the quote was taken (the source given was somewhat incomplete). While I am aware that many blunders, on occasions howlers, have escaped the lips of George Osborne – and indeed every other, so-called politician during the referendum campaign – I have to point out that this article, in its entirety, does not relate to anything ‘said’ by Mr. Osborne but to something which Mr. Osborne “plans to say” (1st row, words 13-15 of your quote). In other words a reporter is saying what Mr. Osborne will be saying at some anonymous event at some time in the future.

My dear 3g, I really thought that your imagination had reached the limit of its capabilities with the question of “outbreeding”. Clearly, I was wrong! Your imagining that you and I could ever find ourselves in the same vehicle – especially with me as your chauffeur - is surpassed only by your imagining that anyone else would want to be in that vehicle at the same time! It is, therefore, my opinion that, in the event of such a screamed warning, there wouldn't be anybody in the vehicle with whom I could have a sensible discussion. However, it may surprise you to learn that even screams have linguistic properties – ask any mother with a 6 month old baby.

I think you must have spelled 'lemonade' wrongly when listing your interests. How many does this 'window seat' accommodate?

If I could like that twice, I would!

There's always someone to put a spanner in the works! We'll have to work on him! Could he be bribed with a pint?

You wouldn't do a bad job yourself, Vic!

Happy birthday, Ovalteeny and thanks for some really good music.

Lovely pics Foxy1 I must get over to Bedlington for this next year. Can you book table 25 for me for the next picnic? Merc can you abandon table 36? (the one with radiator and street view) for my visit? Maggie, have you got a bed available? Anybody, have you got a bed available?

I'm with you on most of that Webtrekker! However, sometimes a post seems to go dead, only to be revived when a new member or a new piece of information comes along. The Bedlington tunnels is just one example. Until now, I've thought of the Bedlington tunnels as something that go between table 25 at the Red Lion and other pubs in the area. It's nice when they suddenly pop up again with a new angle.

That is one of the best suggestions ever made on this site. Well done!

That's a pity Vic because I think you have a lot to give.

Erring on the side of caution I listened to what he said three times - and three times I heard him say that an emergency budget wasn't needed "YET". In linguistic circles this little, but never the less important,adverb 'yet' usually expresses a degree of uncertainty - an uncertainty which is strengthened when placed in final position in the sentence (as it was here). So, maybe we shouldn't be to hasty in our judgements - yet. Darn this biological attention to detail!

This can be a very interesting topic and maybe a money-spinner for Bedlington if tunnels exist. Two years ago I was invited to a rather unusual birthday party which started with a tour of the tunnels under Gothenburg. It was fantastic (the tour - the party afterwards wasn't bad either). There is so much history underground. It's hard to imagine it when walking around the streets above. Tunnels had all sorts of uses! Here, they've been opened up by enthusiasts working voluntarily and made available to the public by charitable trust. I'd gladly give up a few weeks of my time every year to open up the tunnels of Bedlington.

Welcome to the forum, Pauline.