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[personal profile] venta
The BBC, in attempt to milk as many pages as possible from the White House switch-over, has produced a page of Bushisms. Many are, I think, the sort of mistakes which you'd normally forgive someone who was speaking off the cuff; badly planned sentences and confused pronouns. Some are the statements of the bleeding obvious which most politicians use as rhetorical devices. Some are more worrying. My favourite, however, is a delightful example from the conjoined proverb department.

Talking in Washington in 2004, he described the enemies of free society as those who kill "at the whim of a hat".

Isn't that a lovely phrase ? I shall begin using it forthwith.
(deleted comment)

Date: 2009-01-08 10:24 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] venta.livejournal.com
Of course not! Firstly because the more people use it, the better it will propagate. Secondly because I don't think it's reasonable to claim ownership of a phrase anyway (especially when it wasn't even your own invention!)

Date: 2009-01-08 10:24 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] venta.livejournal.com
Where by ownership I meant 'exclusive use', not 'ownership'.

Date: 2009-01-08 11:23 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] feanelwa.livejournal.com
That's one mighty powerful hat.

Date: 2009-01-08 11:28 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] venta.livejournal.com
In wars, it's not uncommon for a hat to order a small expedition force to launch into enemy territory. It's called... The Sortie Hat.

I go now.

Date: 2009-01-08 11:43 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] feanelwa.livejournal.com
Gaaaaaaah

Hi Condign...

Date: 2009-01-08 11:45 am (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Since you're bound to be dropping in....

Date: 2009-01-08 12:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hughe.livejournal.com
like oddjob?

Image

and not kill at the whim of a shoe?

Image

Date: 2009-01-08 10:03 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lathany.livejournal.com
OK, that's a fine picture of a hat.

Date: 2009-01-08 12:14 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] undyingking.livejournal.com
I guess that would be a titfer-tat reprisal...

Date: 2009-01-08 03:36 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] venta.livejournal.com
Urgh. That really does cap it all.

Date: 2009-01-09 09:48 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] undyingking.livejournal.com
Your cup brimmeth over, I expect.

Date: 2009-01-08 04:13 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] valkyriekaren.livejournal.com
those who kill "at the whim of a hat".

I'm saving this for the next lot of Catholic terrorists.

Date: 2009-01-08 06:41 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lathany.livejournal.com
We need a picture of the hat.

Date: 2009-01-08 10:10 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] onebyone.livejournal.com
"I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office."

Presidents who only wish they could say that include: Clinton, Nixon.

Title only...

Date: 2009-01-08 10:29 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] deeteeuk.livejournal.com
...I now have Carter USM in my head.

Re: Title only...

Date: 2009-01-09 11:27 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mrlloyd.livejournal.com
well at least there were only two of them. Imagine if it had been Dexy's Midnight Runners...

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