Irregular Verb Watch

by Kieran Healy on January 8, 2004

This New York Times Report about a fight in a firehouse defines a new irregular verb in its first three sentences. The conjugation appears to be “I tease playfully; You make abusive taunts; He is asking for a broken nose.” (Via En Banc.)

{ 7 comments }

1

neil 01.08.04 at 7:35 am

Wouldn’t it make more sense, in this case, as: “I tease playfully; He makes abusive taunts; You are asking for a broken nose”?

2

John isbell 01.08.04 at 5:27 pm

“I am a liberal; you are a leftist; she (I reset the default) is a Communist sympathizer, and wants to make kissy-kissy with Kim Jong Il.”

3

Keith M Ellis 01.08.04 at 6:04 pm

I don’t really see the newsworthiness of that article. For that matter, I don’t really get the appeal of irregular verbs. I figure it’s a mysterious Brit thing. Like um, you know, other stuff is. Benny Hill, say.

But hey, I’m not complaining. Y’all CT bloggers knock yourselves out.

4

Ted Barlow 01.08.04 at 6:59 pm

I’d like to point out that I’m not British. I don’t want to be tarred with the Benny Hill brush.

5

Kieran Healy 01.08.04 at 8:38 pm

Me neither, thanks. Same goes for Eszter, Henry, Maria, Brian, Micah, etc.

6

Mark 01.08.04 at 9:51 pm

Yes, don’t forget that we Brits abandoned Benny long before his popularity waned in the US and more importantly his second home, France.

7

Anna 01.09.04 at 5:26 am

My meme is fertile, yours is (?), his is virulent.

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