Date: Fri, 24 Oct 1997 10:50:38 -0400
From: Carol Andrus CLAndrus[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]AOL.COM
Subject: sea change
Can someone enlighten me about when the expression "sea change" came into our
language? It's a common buzzword in corporate writing...a sea change in
management, etc.
Also, some words in English have a separate meaning for the plural, as in
premise and premises (Macy's recently had a big sign at the 34th St.
entrance: "No Solicitation on the Premise!") Daily, the NY Times uses the
term "ground" as "he sued her on the ground that"...Isn't this a legal term
and used in the plural? On the grounds that? I also see the singular usage in
the CSMonitor. Even the most respected newspapers are coming up with
inexcusable typos: the CSM recently described a new hairstyle as designed to
resemble a Roman centurion's helmut, which my German friend Helmut loved! and
the NYTimes had a headline: Study of Prostrate Cancer Proves Inneffective --
2 boners in one headline! Sorry to ramble.