johnking has adopted no words, looked up 0 words, created 0 lists, listed 0 words, written 2 comments, added 0 tags, and loved 0 words.
johnking has adopted no words, looked up 0 words, created 0 lists, listed 0 words, written 2 comments, added 0 tags, and loved 0 words.
Comments by johnking
johnking commented on the word civilian
How, when and why did this word change its meaning from, (a) "a practitioner of civil law" - which makes sense - to (b) "nonmilitary" - which doesn't? 19th century usage (Dickens, Kipling, Twain) sounds faintly comic.
February 13, 2010
johnking commented on the word amerikanische verhältnisse
German for "American conditions", a term of disparagement referring to anything bad associated with a free-market economic system; lack of universal medical insurance, excess of gas-guzzling SUV's, fast food, etc. To which list we must now add the "bad bank".
January 2, 2010