back to books Re: doublets / langue / traffic

[Annemehr]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "sistermagpie" 
<sistermagpie at ...> wrote:
>
> > > Carol, not "getting" the Tom Swiftie is that's what "blandly" is
> > 
> > Geoff:
> > Sorry, you'll have to explain this one; I'm left scratching my 
head 
> > in puzzlement.
> 
> Magpie:
> I think Carol is saying that she doesn't understand the meaning 
behind 
> your use of the Tom Swiftie "blandly" in that sentence? Not sure if 
> Swiftie confused you, but in case anybody else doesn't know the 
word--a 
> Swiftie or Tom Swiftie refers to an adverb being used after "said," 
> usually a pun. Such as "He poked me!" he said pointedly. Or "But 
who 
> turned out the lights?" he said darkly.
> 
> I always tend to think of the word as applying to any far-out 
adverb 
> use, but I think that was the original joked. All coming from the 
Tom 
> Swift books where Tom could never just "say" anything.
> 
> -m (she said helpfully)
>

Yeah, what Magpie said.

I didn't intend my original "innocently" as a Swiftie, and couldn't 
see that Geoff's "blandly" was, either.  But when I said "bytingly," 
of course that one was.

Annemehr