Date: Thu, 9 Nov 1995 09:02:20 -0800

From: Dan Moonhawk Alford dalford[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]S1.CSUHAYWARD.EDU

Subject: Re: Knarly?



PS -- my wife also is of the opinion that looking up Valley Girl Talk in

Webster's is a case of misplaced authority.



On Thu, 9 Nov 1995, Jenny Becker wrote:



"Gnarly" comes from "gnarled," which, according to Webster's Third, means

"warped or twisted with or as if with gnarls." While "gnarly" may be used

in popular speech to mean both "disgusting" and "cool" (I think), there is

certainly a standard spelling for it.



Jenny Becker

beckerj[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]omri.cz





This word is difficult in that it is normally restricted to oral use.

Although a preceived spelling may be present with its usage, I cannot

say for certain whether the spelling has truly been standardized.



Tom



I know it's too soon for prescriptivism here, but isn't it usually spelt

"gnarly"? Funny what a history of silent letters can do!



On Wed, 8 Nov 1995, SETH SKLAREY wrote:



In Golden Beach, Florida they used to have them on the median strip, and

trimmed them down all the time. It is a very hard, knarly plant when

treate

d





Tom Uharriet

utom[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]admn.712.nebo.edu