Your chipper attitude in the face of adversity is a tonic to us all. We salute you.
About “preempt,” as a lawyer (now retired) I believe your readers should be made aware of the importance of the legal doctrine of “Preemption, ” particularly Federal Preemption of State Law. Take the hurricane swirling around the issue of gun control, for instance. Now that the Supreme Court has ruled individuals have a limited (handguns in the home) right to bear arms under the Second Amendment to the Constitution, to what extent will that Constitutional right preempt or supersede state gun control laws? The answer will be given by the Court “in the fulness of time.” Meanwhile lives hang in the balance.
Liz Taaffe:
November 2nd, 2019 at 9:45 am
I am asking about “pre-empt” as I am a Bridge teacher and we have pre-emptive bids in this game. But every time I go to print out new notes on this particular subject it gives me pause and I think “is it pre-empt, or preempt,” because, as you pointed out the latter is becoming more popular. I live in Ireland and wonder is it less common here? And should I go on using “pre-empt”? And to make it worse I now see I have chosen both ways in my notes to date. Sigh! I guess in this situation in Bridge it is to take action before the next player is able to.
Cheers and thanks,
Liz
Geoffroy Dictionnaire:
January 29th, 2021 at 7:16 pm
Let us not forget the word “pre-emptory,” meaning “related to pre-emption.” It is similar in sound and appearance to its cousin, “pre-emptive,” but let us not commit the existential sin of conflating these two terms. If one conflates such, one shall be punished, surely. Now, I would like to direct your attention to a linguistic entry that is dear to my heart: “peremptory,” a glorious word if ever a glorious word existed. The meaning of this term is something along the lines of mean or short or fast, or kind of demanding, in a sort of vague sense. You get the idea! Unfortunately for the intelligentsia of this world, many a buffoon has thought “peremptory” was completely equivalent to and interchangeable with the word “pre-emptory” or, shockingly, I dare say devastatingly, the word “pre-emptive.” Quoth Hamlet: “Words, words, words!” Words, indeed, and I am thankful for these morsels of thought, which I consume in place of carbohydrates and lipids in order to maintain a gaunt, overly svelte appearance.
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Monroe Thomas Clewis:
January 12th, 2013 at 4:30 pm
Your chipper attitude in the face of adversity is a tonic to us all. We salute you.
About “preempt,” as a lawyer (now retired) I believe your readers should be made aware of the importance of the legal doctrine of “Preemption, ” particularly Federal Preemption of State Law. Take the hurricane swirling around the issue of gun control, for instance. Now that the Supreme Court has ruled individuals have a limited (handguns in the home) right to bear arms under the Second Amendment to the Constitution, to what extent will that Constitutional right preempt or supersede state gun control laws? The answer will be given by the Court “in the fulness of time.” Meanwhile lives hang in the balance.
Liz Taaffe:
November 2nd, 2019 at 9:45 am
I am asking about “pre-empt” as I am a Bridge teacher and we have pre-emptive bids in this game. But every time I go to print out new notes on this particular subject it gives me pause and I think “is it pre-empt, or preempt,” because, as you pointed out the latter is becoming more popular. I live in Ireland and wonder is it less common here? And should I go on using “pre-empt”? And to make it worse I now see I have chosen both ways in my notes to date. Sigh! I guess in this situation in Bridge it is to take action before the next player is able to.
Cheers and thanks,
Liz
Geoffroy Dictionnaire:
January 29th, 2021 at 7:16 pm
Let us not forget the word “pre-emptory,” meaning “related to pre-emption.” It is similar in sound and appearance to its cousin, “pre-emptive,” but let us not commit the existential sin of conflating these two terms. If one conflates such, one shall be punished, surely. Now, I would like to direct your attention to a linguistic entry that is dear to my heart: “peremptory,” a glorious word if ever a glorious word existed. The meaning of this term is something along the lines of mean or short or fast, or kind of demanding, in a sort of vague sense. You get the idea! Unfortunately for the intelligentsia of this world, many a buffoon has thought “peremptory” was completely equivalent to and interchangeable with the word “pre-emptory” or, shockingly, I dare say devastatingly, the word “pre-emptive.” Quoth Hamlet: “Words, words, words!” Words, indeed, and I am thankful for these morsels of thought, which I consume in place of carbohydrates and lipids in order to maintain a gaunt, overly svelte appearance.