Sliver / Slither

[Captain Spod]

Some time ago I had a rant here about barter vs haggle and it seems that they are broadly interchangeable now (sigh).
HOWEVER Sliver and slither are not the same, they are different parts of speech and are not interchangeable.
GET IT RIGHT, BRITAIN.(Other English-speaking nations are available).
Thanks.

[MarkRae]

Indeed, as factor30 pointed out in the fourth post in this thread...

[cazzz1975]

apologies, only read the OP.

[Davethedog]

I think the google example is probably spell checker picking the wrong word om spellig. Only a theory though.

Can I also point out there is no such word as "somethink"

[Quizmonster]

As a matter of interest, in Yorkshire, Northamptonshire and East Anglian dialects of the late 19th century, a slither was a synonym for a sliver in the sense of a 'piece'...ie it WAS the same part of speech there.
I have never heard anyone mix the two and have little experience of the districts named, so I have no idea whether the same holds true today, but that - rather than just ignorance or poor education as claimed - could well be the source of the current confusion.

[Marijn]

My pet hate is when people write ECT instead of ETC.

[Ellipsis]

> so just picking up recent usage:

> http://www.google.co....1&fp=acdf426d122b1dae

Love it!

[Booldawg]

arent there two meanings for slither/sliver?

One meaning to to slide smoothly as in a snake/worm etc. The other is a small amount as in a 'slither of cake' etc.

[sandyRoe]

Could they not just ask for a tranche of cake?

[madmaggot]

Why speak french Sandy?
It gets my goat when I hear that something is bazaar when the speaker means bizarre!

[sandyRoe]

If language didn't change we'd all still be talking like Chaucer. If somebody wants a 'slither' of cake let them eat a wee bit of cake.

[Davethedog]

Madmaggot depends how you sell it.

[oranger]

The media keeps telling us something or other has been decimated.Now i never went to uni as it is known but i do know that to decimate is to reduce by a tenth, not by a third, a half, a fifth, but a tenth, hence deci.

[Quizmonster]

Certainly, to decimate originally and specifically meant "to reduce by a tenth"; however, it has also been used loosely, since the 1600s, to mean "to destroy or remove a large proportion of". That's getting on for half a millennium, so my attitude would be, if people WANT to use it thus today...let 'em!

[starone]

Doesn't Mark talk beautifully!!. What a use of words!! My pet hate is methinks instead of I think.

[factor-fiction]

The lady/gentleman doth protest too much, methinks.

[starone]

Factor - Yes, but that was Shakespeare around 1600 or so, not exactly modern language is it? It's a lady by the way, or woman if you prefer.

[heathfield]

Last week an old dear who was celebrating her 100th birthday was described by our local paper as being a 'sprightly centurion' !! ;-(

[starone]

My mother-in-law always called spaghetti, confetti but the shopkeeper knew what she meant!

[Captain Spod]

Sorry, been away. Busy ain't it? Going back a page or so re: the comment on understandable communication - surely the point is that we have different words for different situations and it is always better to use the right one for the job. E.G. (not i.e.) 'You like him better than I' is entirely different to 'You like him better than me' and could lead to all kinds of unpleasantness
...and if you don't want a tranche, have a soupcon!

[sandyRoe]

You'd need a spoon for a soupcon, surely?