Monday, December 03, 2012

Divers and Sundry

"Divers and Sundry". No, I'm not a deep-sea diving enthusiast, nor do I own a sundries store.

"Divers": many and various kinds, several, different, assorted. The word is considered somewhat archaic or quaint in some circles but is still in use.

"Sundry": various kinds, miscellaneous.

It makes me think of "a little bit of this, a little bit of that" from Anatevka, a song from Fiddler on the Roof. My mind forms odd connections.

So the blog title "Divers and Sundry" with the description "various and assorted miscellany" is doubly redundant.

The expression "divers and sundry" used to be a not infrequent expression, but apparently it's fallen so out of use that even intelligent people don't get it. Ah, well, it still suits me: somewhat archaic and redundant but still in use.

6 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:15 AM

    There are still a few of us Flat-Earthers around; after all, I _still_ use email...
    -- A Pal

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    1. yes, the old fuddy duddy in me just doesn't realize when a good expression is no longer expressive

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  2. Those that are intelligent often express themselves forgetting that many who are listening won't be capable of understanding

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  3. Also, an intelligent person is no stranger to the dictionary. All on-line these days. ;-)

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    Replies
    1. i remember checking out the phrase "divers and sundry" online before i named my blog just to make sure it didn't have bad connotations I didn't know. i do love the internet!

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