barryg@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Lee Gold) (08/21/85)
Fowler's article on Mixed Metaphors mentions a number of instances in which the ghosts of dead metaphors rise to combat. One of my favorites was "It is a virgin field pregnant with possibilities." Or "on the sands of time we see the footprints of an unknown hand." For some time I've been bothered about the proper way to end a rhetorical question. A question mark somehow seems inappropriate. (Maybe a question mark inside quotes would do....) --Lee Gold
judith@proper.UUCP (Judith Abrahms) (08/25/85)
In article <> barryg@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Lee Gold) writes: >"It is a virgin field pregnant with possibilities." Love it! >For some time I've been bothered about the proper way to end a rhetorical >question. A question mark somehow seems inappropriate. I end mine with "?!". (I believe someone tried to put a combination of "?" and "!" into the language a few years ago... it looked as if they were overprinted, sharing the same dot at the base. Needless to say it didn't catch on.) -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Judith Abrahms "The sames should stay with the sames, and {ucbvax,ihnp4}!dual!proper!judith the differents should stay with the differents." -- A. Bunker ------------------------------------------------------------------------------