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  1. Path: sparky!uunet!convex!darwin.sura.net!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!malgudi.oar.net!hyperion!desire.wright.edu!thayes
  2. From: thayes@desire.wright.edu
  3. Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
  4. Subject: Re: quite unique
  5. Message-ID: <1992Nov16.094818.5629@desire.wright.edu>
  6. Date: 16 Nov 92 09:48:18 EST
  7. References: <1992Nov14.223624.20511@bcrka451.bnr.ca> <1992Nov15.001709.14852@Princeton.EDU> <1992Nov16.044517.15622@bcrka451.bnr.ca> <1992Nov16.052332.20190@Princeton.EDU>
  8. Distribution: alt
  9. Organization:  Wright State University 
  10. Lines: 24
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  15. RL>(Note that "unique" *really* means "singular,"
  16. > "rare," etc. as well as "one-of-a-kind.")  
  17.  
  18. Not necessarily so, Roger.  I suggest you read up on this in Webster's usage
  19. guide before making this mistake again!
  20.  
  21. RL>I use "unique" to mean 
  22. > "one-of-a-kind" when the context makes that meaning clear.  I'm also
  23. > pretty good at fashioning appropriate contexts, they tell me.  
  24.  
  25. Roger, you little linguistic jack-of-all-trades you, they're right about this:
  26. you *do* keep changing meanings to fit contexts.
  27.  
  28.  
  29. RL> btw, I don't use "unique" to mean anything other than what my 
  30. > dictionary gives as its meanings.  That's not *because* the dictionary
  31. > says that; just happens to be that way.   
  32.  
  33. Eh?  "Just happens to be that way"?  What a coincidence!
  34.  
  35. -----ted hayes
  36.