Tollef Fog Heen <tfheen@err.no> writes: > ]] Philip Hands > >> Tollef Fog Heen <tfheen@err.no> writes: >> >> > ]] Ian Jackson >> > >> >> That is 6+ weeks' more stop-energy. 6+ weeks' more inaction. 6+ >> >> weeks during which members of the TC have been prevaricating. >> > >> > What are you accusing the TC of lying about? >> >> I think that British English has drifted into using that as a synonym >> for procrastinate while American English seems to have stuck to its >> earlier meaning (judging by the online dictionary entries I see). > > That doesn't match the reading of the Cambridge dictionary: > http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/prevaricate > > prevaricate > verb [ I ] UK /prɪˈvær.ɪ.keɪt/ US /prɪˈver.ə.keɪt/ formal > > to avoid telling the truth or saying exactly what you think: > > Or the Oxford dictionary, > https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/prevaricate: > > prevaricate > VERB > > [NO OBJECT] > Speak or act in an evasive way: > >> I certainly didn't (and still wouldn't) assume that Ian was accusing >> anyone of lying here. > > Given his later apology, I'd assume so as well, but as a native speaker > of English, Ian should really know better than using the term in the > first place. Jolly interesting. It looks like I'll have to add the misuse of that to my list of pedantic pet hates, which is currently topped by 'epicentre' and 'decimate' ;-) Cheers, Phil. -- |)| Philip Hands [+44 (0)20 8530 9560] HANDS.COM Ltd. |-| http://www.hands.com/ http://ftp.uk.debian.org/ |(| Hugo-Klemm-Strasse 34, 21075 Hamburg, GERMANY
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