Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site utai.UUCP Path: utzoo!utcsri!utai!gh From: gh@utai.UUCP (Graeme Hirst) Newsgroups: net.nlang Subject: Re: tuna fish (english horns, actually) Message-ID: <473@utai.UUCP> Date: Tue, 30-Apr-85 09:48:55 EDT Article-I.D.: utai.473 Posted: Tue Apr 30 09:48:55 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 30-Apr-85 10:41:31 EDT Organization: CSRI, University of Toronto Lines: 20 > >In Australia, we always used to call them Chinese gooseberries, > >which makes sense as they aren't gooseberries and don't > >(I understand) originate in China. > > Well, heck, that's OK: "English horns" are neither horns nor English! > Any more self-contradictory words? Such expressions often take the form +, meaning a deviant instance of the object. Usually, it is derogatory to . Examples are easily found in Webster's and Robert: Dutch courage -- courage due to intoxication Dutch treat -- not a treat Dutch elm disease -- nothing Dutch about it, I have read French leave -- sneaking away, which in French becomes "filer a` l'anglaise"! French letter -- "capote anglaise"! English muffin -- an American invention, I believe English sparrow -- "native to most of Europe and parts of Asia" (Webster's) -- \\\\ Graeme Hirst University of Toronto Computer Science Department //// utcsri!utai!gh / gh.toronto@csnet-relay / 416-978-8747