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"Stonewall"


benjii

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Apart from its obvious masonry related use, 'Stonewall' was a nickname given to General Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson - a Confederate officer of the US civil war well known for his exceptional defence capabilities. I understand the modern usage of this term to indicate 'a certainty' is a corruption of the old expression 'Stone Cold' - which seems to have gone out of fashion.

 

That however may be completely wrong, as any fan of QI will confirm.

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Well that's the development of language , a number of words have had their meaning changed over time . Stonewall used to mean delay or total block after Stonewall Jackson of American Civil war fame but some use it now as a "certain" . Youngsters say bad to mean good or wicked etc etc ...

 

Well, that's fine, but we're not really talking about the natural evolution of language through inventive or subversive use. We're not talking about an avante garde flourish. We're talking about a small cabal of ill-educated, ill-equipped and inadequate amateurs spreading ignorance. Monkey-see, monkey-do thick-headedness of the highest order.

 

If you listen to some cricket commentary or rugby commentary you don't generally have to put up with such brain-numbing, uncultivated, predictable nonsense.

 

It comes to something when broadcasters find a way to "dumb-down" football.

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Well that's the development of language , a number of words have had their meaning changed over time . Stonewall used to mean delay or total block after Stonewall Jackson of American Civil war fame but some use it now as a "certain" . Youngsters say bad to mean good or wicked etc etc ...

 

That's sick blood.

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I like it when people get them mixed up. I heard a Man United fan (with a Southern accent, naturally) on the radio once during a run of a couple of poor results, where he proclaimed that Ferguson would be angry with the team "in between closed doors", and that the team really needed to "buckle up their ideas".

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Well, that's fine, but we're not really talking about the natural evolution of language through inventive or subversive use. We're not talking about an avante garde flourish. We're talking about a small cabal of ill-educated, ill-equipped and inadequate amateurs spreading ignorance. Monkey-see, monkey-do thick-headedness of the highest order.

 

If you listen to some cricket commentary or rugby commentary you don't generally have to put up with such brain-numbing, uncultivated, predictable nonsense.

 

It comes to something when broadcasters find a way to "dumb-down" football.

The use of "gone to ground" by commentators and pundits is far, far worse.

 

It doesn't mean dive, fall over or fall to the ground you utter fu cking morons.

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One phrase that came to semi-prominence a few months ago, but thankfully seems to have died, was defending or a tackle being "agricultural".

 

I simply couldn't begin to understand what concept was described here. This was beyond misuse of language, it was just meaningless.

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The thing that I absolutely detest is when commentators use words like 'delicious' to describe a cross or good pass. In fact the guy doing Swansea/Utd for 5Live used the phrase "succulent delivery" when reviewing the first half.

 

Wtf is a "succulent delivery"?

 

Completely cringeworthy.

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Why do pundits, and now plenty of punters, use this word to mean, "clear" or "definite"? That's not what it means.

 

Thick budgies. Might as well say, " it's an absolute spazz-wham of a penalty. Completely hole-crust, Jeff!"

 

The spelling is actually 'stoanwool', where a well was thought to be be dry 'stoan' it would be left in the hope of reactivating, if spider webs started to form to a great degree at the bottom of the well then they would be certain that there is no water trickling through it, this mass of webs was known as 'stoanwool'. It was a clear and certain sign that the well was dead, for now anyway.

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Thus far instead of so far

 

You find words and sayings being followed all over the place now, our wonderful Right Honorable leaders do this frequently, for example, Robust and Hyperbolic, both of which will be closely followed by so much Bull Sxxt it makes me gag.

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Well, that's fine, but we're not really talking about the natural evolution of language through inventive or subversive use. We're not talking about an avante garde flourish. We're talking about a small cabal of ill-educated, ill-equipped and inadequate amateurs spreading ignorance. Monkey-see, monkey-do thick-headedness of the highest order.

 

If you listen to some cricket commentary or rugby commentary you don't generally have to put up with such brain-numbing, uncultivated, predictable nonsense.

 

It comes to something when broadcasters find a way to "dumb-down" football.

 

Unless it's Brian Moore! Does my nut in!

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..since the Pilgrim Fathers set sail in that leaky boat and headed to the Colonies almost 400 years,

we've had four centuries to try and teach Americans how to use the English Language correctly - - and failed miserably.

 

With so many US-produced TV programmes generated to our screens-(it's worse in Sweden).

 

Why is it so many people....when asked about their health (not wellness)...insist on saying..." I'm good " Egotists !.....it's not for them to judge themselves - but for others so to do.

 

As for me ....I'm fine, thank you.

Edited by david in sweden
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Reminds me of an incident in a bar in Northern Ireland. Last orders, my mate asks me if I want a beer in earshot of the barmaid.

 

"Nah, I'm cool", I say.

 

Barmaid immediately pips up with "You may not want a drink, but you're NOT cool.".

 

Love the Northern Irish.

Edited by pap
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Also, david in sweden, I think you're on shaky ground with "I'm fine". In an urban language context, it can be just as self-congratularory as I'm good (fine assed b!tch, etc).

 

When uttered by a fine assed b!tch, or indeed any female, "fine" can mean literally anything.

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Why do pundits, and now plenty of punters, use this word to mean, "clear" or "definite"? That's not what it means.

 

Thick budgies. Might as well say, " it's an absolute spazz-wham of a penalty. Completely hole-crust, Jeff!"

 

Wow, if ever a post came home to roost it's this beauty!

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