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Chris Waigl
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2005 7:04 am
Post subject: off of = on? |
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This is from a paragraph that was quoted in a Slashdot post:
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Microsoft's suit against Kai-Fu Lee and Google is based off of the
thought that in some circumstances people can't avoid sharing or relying
on trade secrets from their former employer when moving to a competitor.
----
I'm familiar with "off of". Is this usage unremarkable to you?
Chris Waigl
--
blog: http://serendipity.lascribe.net/
eggcorns: http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/ |
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Areff
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2005 7:04 am
Post subject: Re: off of = on? |
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Chris Waigl wrote:
| Quote: | This is from a paragraph that was quoted in a Slashdot post:
----
Microsoft's suit against Kai-Fu Lee and Google is based off of the
thought that in some circumstances people can't avoid sharing or relying
on trade secrets from their former employer when moving to a competitor.
----
I'm familiar with "off of". Is this usage unremarkable to you?
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No; this usage of "off of" seems incorrect to me. I don't recognize it as
an informalism. |
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mark
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2005 7:04 am
Post subject: Re: off of = on? |
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Legend tells of a time when the mysterious hermit Chris Waigl of
cwaigl@free.fr returned briefly from exile to say ...
| Quote: | This is from a paragraph that was quoted in a Slashdot post:
----
Microsoft's suit against Kai-Fu Lee and Google is based off of the
thought that in some circumstances people can't avoid sharing or relying
on trade secrets from their former employer when moving to a competitor.
----
I'm familiar with "off of". Is this usage unremarkable to you?
|
No. Should be "based on"; "based off" sounds odd, and "off of" just
draws attention to itself.
--
We think you're a threat to property and justice;
Three years up the creek, while we make sure.
- Redgum, "Stewie" |
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Areff
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2005 6:59 pm
Post subject: Re: off of = on? |
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Steve MacGregor wrote:
| Quote: | Chris Waigl wrote:
Microsoft's suit against Kai-Fu Lee and Google is based off of the
thought that in some circumstances people can't avoid sharing or relying
on trade secrets from their former employer when moving to a competitor.
I've heard this, and think it's as stupid as saying "out of" to mean
"in", as in "Our company is based out of Cincinnati."
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I think that one is a little different (and one we've discussed in AUE
before). I see a subtle difference between saying "based in Cincinnati"
and "based out of Cincinnati". The latter implies (at least weakly) that
there are other offices or operations of some significance that are
substantially removed, geographically, from Cincinnati. The former
contains no such implication. |
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Steve MacGregor
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2005 9:36 pm
Post subject: Re: off of = on? |
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Chris Waigl wrote:
| Quote: | Microsoft's suit against Kai-Fu Lee and Google is based off of the
thought that in some circumstances people can't avoid sharing or relying
on trade secrets from their former employer when moving to a competitor.
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I've heard this, and think it's as stupid as saying "out of" to mean
"in", as in "Our company is based out of Cincinnati."
--
Stefano |
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Chris Waigl
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2005 10:31 pm
Post subject: Re: off of = on? |
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Steve MacGregor quoted me and wrote:
| Quote: | Chris Waigl wrote:
Microsoft's suit against Kai-Fu Lee and Google is based off of the
thought that in some circumstances people can't avoid sharing or relying
on trade secrets from their former employer when moving to a competitor.
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Well, I didn't write this. It was a quote.
| Quote: | I've heard this, and think it's as stupid as saying "out of" to mean
"in", as in "Our company is based out of Cincinnati."
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Google returns an astounding number of hits (> 200,000) for the search
_"is | was | are | were based off | out of"_:
<http://shorl.com/bavyfygepobi>.
Chris Waigl
--
blog: http://serendipity.lascribe.net/
eggcorns: http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/ |
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