Input Junkie - January 29th, 2008
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08:08 am
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Bon bons: The OED writes back
> From: Nancy Lebovitz
> Sent: 26 January 2008 17:44
> To: OED3
> Subject: Bon bons
>
> I recently asked about bon bons on my blog, and found a range of candies
> and definitions which aren't covered by your definition. Most people seem
> to think a bon bon is a particular sort of candy (though they don't
> necessarily agree on what sort), rather than just any confection.
>
> http://nancylebov.livejournal.com/199744.html?view=1195328#t1195328
>
> I regret that I don't have paper sources, but bon bons have been around
> long enough that it may not be too hard to find them.
>
> Nancy Lebovitz
>
> P.S. Is there any hope you'll offer single word look-up for about $3?
> I'd pay that.
From: Nancy Lebovitz
Sent: 28 January 2008 14:36
To: OED3
Subject: RE: Bon bons
> Thank you for your message. You do need to bear in mind that the OED
> entry was written a very long time ago, for the first edition of the
> dictionary, and has hardly been touched since. We shall look carefully
> at the accumulated evidence when we come to rewrite the entry. In
> British English, BON-BON used on its own tends to have a very general
> sense ('a sweet'), and particular varieties are indicated by a
> qualifying word: TOFFEE BON-BON, for example - hard to find now, but a
> great treat in my youth.
Thanks for getting back to me. I was beginning to wonder if part of the
problem was a difference between British and American English.
"Bon-bon" is a small thing, but it's somehow brought home to me some of
what a huge project it is to keep track of definitions of English words.
It's not just keeping up with new words, it's that the old words won't
stay put.
> As for your suggestion about single-word look-up, we have tried to find
> a cost-effective way of making this available, and failed. In the UK
> the entire public library network has a corporate subscription to the
> OED (and our other online products), which gives library users free
> access, often from home.
Thanks for trying, and that's a very nice feature of living in the UK.
May I quote your email as part of my online discussion?
Nancy Lebovitz
OED:
> I suppose it's a mixed metaphor to call bon-bons a can of worms, but
> regional differences in usage are a real problem for us, on top of
> temporal shifts. You are welcome to quote me!
Thoughts not in email:
It hit me that the US isn't the only ex-colony with divergent English. I bet trying to keep track of Indian English is a huge job.
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) dcseain told me that access to the OED comes with a Maryland library card, but I don't know if it's only at a library, or if it can be done from home. The Maryland library card only costs $15/year for non-residents, a much better deal than $30/month or $295/year for getting an OED subscription.
I'm surprised they couldn't find a way to make $3/word work for them. Any theories about why that would be hard?
"Bon bon" has the most fractured meaning of any word I know-- I suspect it's a combination of it being rather rarely used but still having an attractive aura which makes it look commercially valuable, so it gets attached to a number of different candies, not to mention Christmas crackers.
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08:30 am
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Thinking about "good at politics"
Politics (for purposes of this discussion, defined as getting other people to do what you want, especially if they're in large organizations, and possibly also having some judgment about the consequences of getting them to do what you want) is not my strong point.
A mention of being or not being good at politics has me wondering about what goes into being good at politics. I assume it starts with being perceptive about what people want, without being compulsive about either giving it to them or denying it from them. And being able to keep track of largish numbers of people.
I suppose it splits into being able to keep track of people as individuals and having an understanding (acquired how?) of which way large groups are likely to jump if prodded.
Once you've got information, there's got to be some way of intuiting what to do to get desired reactions.
I'm especially interested in replies from people who have at least some talent for politics about what they understand that most other people don't seem to get.
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