whimperative n.— «We shall not discuss here the complicated questions of implicit performatives, e.g., of so-called whimperatives, debated in the linguistic literature.» —“Directives, Norms, and Performatives” by K...
whimperative
n.— «Sadock, Jerrold M. 1970. Whimperatives. In: Studies presented to R.B. Lees by his students. Edited by Sadock and Vanek Edmonton, Linguistic Research, Inc. 223-228.» —, 1970. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
whimperative n.— «The clearest example is ordinary politeness. When you are at a dinner party and want the salt, you don’t blurt out, “Gimme the salt.” Rather, you use what linguists call a whimperative, as in “Do you...
In our latest online-only episode, Martha’s been putting together a collection of your favorite collective nouns and Grant joins her to swat around a caller’s question about what to call a game of tennis when you have only three players...
Aloha! We have another A Way with Words podcast goofy-footing among the grommets. Martha's been putting together a collection of your favorite collective nouns and Grant joins her to swat around a caller’s question about what to call a...
witness mark
n.— «Correct form of blaze on trees as witness marks.» —by Richard Henry Stretch Prospecting Locating and Valuing Mines , 1900. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)