Reply to: Strange usage of the word spill in children's book

[Mordac]

Which constituency do you represent?

Dunny-on-the-Wold, wasn't it?

[WTFH]

And those who can't do anything, become MPs.

Which constituency do you represent?

[NotAllThere]

Those who can't teach, become PM's

And those who can't do anything, become MPs.

[BR14]

Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.

Those who can't teach, become PM's

[Zigenare]

Thanks MF, but as a yank you have nothing to say about English. The query arose from two well qualified English teachers. (English English, not the primitive dialect used across the pond).



I'm aware of that usage. "He took a spill from his horse", "He spilled himself out of bed".

But the usage in this children's book doesn't seem to work. It seems the "I might spill myself" is a consequence of being a bad lander. "I might land badly and fall over".

There is an archaic usage of damage or kill, but that seems a little extreme.

Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.

[Gibbon]

"The query arose from two well qualified English teachers"

nemo repente fuit stultissimus

[DoctorStrangelove]

Or a gentleman might use one to light his cigar:

Commonwealth Cedar Spills | Just another WordPress site


Come on now, spill the beans.

[mudskipper]

From "The owl who was afraid of the dark" here: https://books.google.ch/books?id=zZL...elf%22&f=false

"I'm not a good lander" he said, "I might spill myself".

Any ideas what this might mean? The book was written in 1968 so perhaps so older usage.

I loved that book as a kiddie. I concur that it means 'fall over' or similar. You can have a spill off a motorbike.

[BR14]

Ah, a kindred spirit who doesn't know how to make the bastard things work either...

I have an iRon, but it gets little use

[Mordac]

iOS? How very dare you. I do not permit iThings in my house.

Ah, a kindred spirit who doesn't know how to make the bastard things work either...

[BR14]

iOS? How very dare you. I do not permit iThings in my house.

Oooo. A VM dungeon. Now you're talking.

Colossal Cave, i think it was, - dwarves certainly featured

[NotAllThere]

Ahh, - a Linux dungeon then, - or iOS.
Z/OS??

iOS? How very dare you. I do not permit iThings in my house.

Unix, VM, VSE????

Oooo. A VM dungeon. Now you're talking.

[BR14]

Ahh, - a Linux dungeon then, - or iOS.
Z/OS??

Unix, VM, VSE????

[BR14]

From my dungeon? There are no windows.

Ahh, - a Linux dungeon then, - or iOS.
Z/OS??

[NotAllThere]

Any more of that pal and the word you'll be looking up will be defenestrate.

From my dungeon? There are no windows.