"I love making plurals of the word 'octopus'. It's 'octopuses' if
you treat it like an English word. It's 'octopi' if you treat it like a
Latin word (which is isn't, but a lot of people treat it like it is,
because the Latin language stole it from Greek). It's 'octopodes' if you
treat it like a Greek word (which it is, but it's been a long time since
we stole it, so there). It's 'octopods' if you're just being a little
bit geeky - it's derived from the taxonomic name- and it's 'octopussies'
if you're being a lot silly. I admit to making up octopuddykittens."
--
tamnonlinear,
2005-04-15
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This brings to mind a nifty little exchange in an episode of Disney's Hercules series, which worked some pretty clever jokes in around the edges ... two of the supporting cast were along for the ride with Hercules. One cried out, ``We're being attacked by a couple cyclopses!''
Said the other supporting cast, ``The word is cyclopodes.''
``What difference does it make?!''
``I like to be precise.''
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The taxomonic name is Octopoda, does that make a difference?
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What brought that on?
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Thing is, you'll see them big critters coming. A pack of polygoose on the other hand might leap out at you from a bush by surprise.
(no subject)
Three notes walk into a bar: a C, an E-flat, and a G. The bartender says "No minors." So, the E-flat leaves, and the C and G have a fifth between them.