Comments on: You Readers are Getting a Bargain

By: BG

BG — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 18:43:40 +0000

Hmmmm.....did anyone ever read 1984?

Perhaps someone in the Big Brother Ministry has corrected this little dilemna, and gone back and corrected history too! Certainly the newspapers will be corrected. Pretty soon they will catch up and erase these blogs too. Google will repair itself 6 weeks later.

By: GF

GF — Tue, 14 Mar 2006 13:50:29 +0000

As you can see from my URL, this is not a new idea for me. I first noticed the missing dilemna in 86-87. Shortly after noticing dilemma being used in a newspaper and finding no reference to the dilemna spelling, there was a question in the Boston Globe from a reader asking to settle an argument on the spelling. The Globe said there was no reference to the dilemna spelling. Since this time I have brought the subject up with a number of people from different locations throughout the US and UK. People either have very certain memories of being taught to spell it with the mn combination because it was used as a mnemonic, OR no strong feeling on the subject.

After much thought on the subject, I have come to the conclusion that a massive shift in the underlying fabric of reality occurred in the early 80's and some, but not all, people here now (myself included) are from an alternate reality and have somehow ended up in someone else's reality. Presumably back in the reality where all the dictionaries say dilemma is spelled DILEMNA, there are people who are adamant about having been taught that it was spelled with 2 M's!

By: LL

LL — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 23:10:40 +0000

These type of "dilemnas" happen all the time...

I had a co-worker who was speaking to me, and as as she was describing something surprising that happened, she said, "and Lauren Bacall!" and then told me what happened. It took me awhile to figure out what she meant was "lo and behold!"

By: Dennis Foster

Dennis Foster — Sat, 01 Oct 2005 18:30:15 +0000

Reminds me of a colleague who put the phrase “smoking mirrors” into the notes of a meeting we attended. I asked if he meant “smoke and mirrors” and he said, “No, I’ve never heard of that one.”!!!

By: DaveJ

DaveJ — Sat, 01 Oct 2005 03:10:08 +0000

I just assumed you were right, and that perhaps the spelling had been dropped, so I went to my Webster's 2nd Edition Unabridged 1968 Dictionary and ... it's not there.

I'm crushed by the error, disillusioned in a hero, and now that you've admited your Ivy League attitude I must consider reducing your reader base to 16.

Ok, I considered. Nope, you're stuck with me.