| Author |
Message |
Bob G
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2004 2:00 am
Post subject: Hinckley a "would-be" assassin? |
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There's discussion in the news today whether Hinckley should be allowed a
greater degree of freedom.
Someone referred to him as a "Reagan would-be assassin".
But that strikes me as awkward, since he no longer is a "would-be", being
currently incarcerated and unable, but is rather a "might-have-been" assassin,
or "could-have-been", or "wanted-to-be".
Anyone agree?
Bob G |
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Lars Eighner
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2004 2:01 am
Post subject: Re: Hinckley a "would-be" assassin? |
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In our last episode,
<20041115163539.05986.00000447@mb-m19.aol.com>,
the lovely and talented Bob G
broadcast on alt.usage.english:
| Quote: | There's discussion in the news today whether Hinckley should be allowed a
greater degree of freedom.
Someone referred to him as a "Reagan would-be assassin".
But that strikes me as awkward, since he no longer is a "would-be", being
currently incarcerated and unable,
|
and moreover being somewhat at a disadvantage since it is impossible
to assassinate a dead man
| Quote: | but is rather a "might-have-been" assassin,
or "could-have-been", or "wanted-to-be".
Anyone agree?
|
--
Lars Eighner -finger for geek code- eighner@io.com http://www.io.com/~eighner/
"The very essence of the creative is its novelty, and hence we have no
standard by which to judge it." --Carl R. Rogers, On Becoming a Person |
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Mike Lyle
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2004 2:01 am
Post subject: Re: Hinckley a "would-be" assassin? |
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Bob G wrote:
| Quote: | There's discussion in the news today whether Hinckley should be
allowed a greater degree of freedom.
Someone referred to him as a "Reagan would-be assassin".
But that strikes me as awkward, since he no longer is a "would-be",
being currently incarcerated and unable, but is rather a
"might-have-been" assassin, or "could-have-been", or
"wanted-to-be".
Anyone agree?
|
And Reagan's dead anyhow. I don't quite like it, but I think we have
to allow the "would-be". I actually dislike the whole "Reagan
would-be assassin" phrase, as it sounds too Newsweeky for comfort; so
I'd be prepared to compromise on "Reagan's would-be assassin". An
editor really ought to be able to find a few ems for an expansion
into real English prose, though. For some reason I can't pin down,
I'm not happy with "Reagan's attempted assassin".
Mike. |
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Mark Barratt
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2004 2:01 am
Post subject: Re: Hinckley a "would-be" assassin? |
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Mike Lyle wrote:
| Quote: | Bob G wrote:
There's discussion in the news today whether Hinckley should
be allowed a greater degree of freedom.
Someone referred to him as a "Reagan would-be assassin".
But that strikes me as awkward, since he no longer is a
"would-be", being currently incarcerated and unable, but is
rather a "might-have-been" assassin, or "could-have-been", or
"wanted-to-be".
Anyone agree?
|
It sounds fine to me, although I can see how it appears that
'would' is performing a dual role here. But 'would', like the
other modals, has subtle and varied uses.
| Quote: | And Reagan's dead anyhow. I don't quite like it, but I think we
have to allow the "would-be". I actually dislike the whole
"Reagan would-be assassin" phrase, as it sounds too Newsweeky
for comfort; so I'd be prepared to compromise on "Reagan's
would-be assassin". An editor really ought to be able to find a
few ems for an expansion into real English prose, though. For
some reason I can't pin down, I'm not happy with "Reagan's
attempted assassin".
|
Nor am I - I would expect "Reagan's attempted..." to be followed
by something that Reagan attempted. If I really had to stress the
past nature of "would-be", I suppose I'd go for "Reagan's
would-have-been assassin".
--
Mark Barratt
Budapest |
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Don Phillipson
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2004 2:02 am
Post subject: Re: Hinckley a "would-be" assassin? |
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"Bob G" <bobjames27@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20041115163539.05986.00000447@mb-m19.aol.com...
| Quote: | Someone referred to him as a "Reagan would-be assassin".
But that strikes me as awkward, since he no longer is a "would-be", being
currently incarcerated and unable, but is rather a "might-have-been"
assassin,
or "could-have-been", or "wanted-to-be".
|
No. (In other words) the court convicted him
of a deliberate (would-be) attempt at murder
(assassination.) Rightly or wrongly, he will
carry burden of that conviction as long as he
lives, i.e. will rightly be called a would-be assassin.
--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada) |
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Jess Askin
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2004 2:02 am
Post subject: Re: Hinckley a "would-be" assassin? |
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"Bob G" <bobjames27@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20041115163539.05986.00000447@mb-m19.aol.com...
| Quote: | There's discussion in the news today whether Hinckley should be allowed a
greater degree of freedom.
Someone referred to him as a "Reagan would-be assassin".
But that strikes me as awkward, since he no longer is a "would-be", being
currently incarcerated and unable, but is rather a "might-have-been"
assassin,
or "could-have-been", or "wanted-to-be".
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Wannabe. |
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CyberCypher
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2004 6:00 am
Post subject: Re: Hinckley a "would-be" assassin? |
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Arcadian Rises wrote on 16 Nov 2004:
--
Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor
For email, replace numbers with English alphabet. |
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Steve Hayes
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2004 6:00 am
Post subject: Re: Hinckley a "would-be" assassin? |
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On 15 Nov 2004 21:35:39 GMT, bobjames27@aol.com (Bob G) wrote:
| Quote: | There's discussion in the news today whether Hinckley should be allowed a
greater degree of freedom.
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I thought they'd let her out, and then realised that I was thinking of
Hindley.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk |
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Arcadian Rises
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2004 6:00 am
Post subject: Re: Hinckley a "would-be" assassin? |
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Reagan wannabe assassin?
Now, what's the past tense of "wannabe", dear editor? |
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CyberCypher
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2004 6:00 am
Post subject: Re: Hinckley a "would-be" assassin? |
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Arcadian Rises wrote on 16 Nov 2004:
| Quote: | From: CyberCypher cybercypher@19-16-25-13-01-03.com
Reagan's attempting assassin?
Reagan's failed assassin?
Reagan wannabe assassin?
Now, what's the past tense of "wannabe", dear editor?
"wouldabeen"? "couldabeen"? "mighta been"? |
--
Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor
For email, replace numbers with English alphabet. |
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Bob G
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2004 6:00 am
Post subject: Re: Hinckley a "would-be" assassin? |
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| Quote: | Now, what's the past tense of "wannabe", dear editor?
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Wannet'be.
Bob G |
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Tony Cooper
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2004 6:01 am
Post subject: Re: Hinckley a "would-be" assassin? |
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On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 16:01:33 -0600, Lars Eighner <eighner@io.com>
wrote:
| Quote: | In our last episode,
20041115163539.05986.00000447@mb-m19.aol.com>,
the lovely and talented Bob G
broadcast on alt.usage.english:
There's discussion in the news today whether Hinckley should be allowed a
greater degree of freedom.
Someone referred to him as a "Reagan would-be assassin".
But that strikes me as awkward, since he no longer is a "would-be", being
currently incarcerated and unable,
|
It would be perfectly acceptable to me if an apostrophe s would be
added: Reagan's would-be assassin. |
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Arcadian Rises
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2004 6:01 am
Post subject: Re: Hinckley a "would-be" assassin? |
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| Quote: | From: Tony Cooper tony_cooper213@earthlink.net
It would be perfectly acceptable to me if an apostrophe s would be
added: Reagan's would-be assassin.
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Even with an apostrophe, Reagan is no more in danger of being assassinated.
Perhaps Reagan's would- have-been assassin? |
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Arcadian Rises
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2004 6:01 am
Post subject: Re: Hinckley a "would-be" assassin? |
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Reagan's attempting assassin? |
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Maria Conlon
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2004 10:00 am
Post subject: Re: Hinckley a "would-be" assassin? |
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Don Phillipson wrote:
| Quote: | Bob G wrote:
Someone referred to him as a "Reagan would-be assassin".
But that strikes me as awkward, since he no longer is a "would-be",
being currently incarcerated and unable, but is rather a
"might-have-been" assassin, or "could-have-been", or "wanted-to-be".
No. (In other words) the court convicted him
of a deliberate (would-be) attempt at murder
(assassination.) Rightly or wrongly, he will
carry burden of that conviction as long as he
lives, i.e. will rightly be called a would-be assassin.
|
Mirriam-Webster Online defines the adjective "would-be" as: desiring,
professing, or having the potential to be.
And though Hinckley may no longer fit the definition (with 20 years
having past, and with Reagan no longer being alive), a "would-be
assassin" is exactly what he was. So, in describing Hinckley now, is it
really necessary to update the "title"? If so, I would call him,
perhaps, the "one time would-be assassin." But that sounds too fussy to
me, and so do the other suggestions I've read so far.
I agree with Don -- the name Hinckley earned was "would-be assassin" and
"would-be assassin" it should remain.
Maria Conlon |
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