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  #162  
Old October 4th 05, 03:08 PM
Jan Böhme
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Jeremy Nixon wrote:
Chris Brown wrote:

It's entirely unclear why you think this usage has "almost certainly
been destroyed beyond hope of recovery". If a cricket-nerd uses it,
it will be obvious from context which version they are talking
about, hence there is to be no confusion.


Do you really think that, even in the nerdiest of cricket-nerd circles,
anyone can ever again use that word without everyone who hears him
thinking of the "new" meaning?


Well, cricketeers have for a very long time used the very common
everyday word "silly" in a specialised, technical sense. Yet, it would
seem that nobody who has ever been within four foot of a cricket bat,
believes that the silly mid-off position is any more inherently stupid
than plain old mid-off.

With "google" there wouldn't be a theoretical chans to confuse the
everyday sense with the technical one. So why would you think
cricketeers would stop using it?

Jan B=F6hme