[net.nlang] Alarming past participle

ix900@sdccs6.UUCP (David Sewell) (02/06/84)

I had a stopover in the Dallas - Fort Worth airport recently, and saw
this message imprinted on the horizontal metal bar going across an
emergency exit door:

            A  L  A  R  M  E  D      E  X  I  T

The alarm box on the door facilitated the interpretation of this curious
new meaning of "alarm" (v.), but I was amused nevertheless.  Is this a
Texan bid for linguistic independence, or have any of you seen this
usage elsewhere?
			David Sewell
			University of California, San Diego
			[...!ucbvax!sdcsvax!]!sdccsu3!sdccs6!ix900

smeier@ihuxt.UUCP (S. Meier) (02/06/84)

.....
About a year ago, at the Computer Science building at USC, a large red
sign appeared on one door which read:

                    ``THIS DOOR IS ALARMED!''

Everyone had a good laugh, wondering what event could be so shocking as
to alarm a door.  After about a month, the sign disappeared.

S.Meier    (ihnp4!ihuxt!smeier)

grw@fortune.UUCP (Glenn Wichman) (02/06/84)

	Out here in California, I have even seen signs saying:


	WARNING! DOOR IS ALARMED!


	I guess doors become unpredictable when startled.

						-Glenn

ntt@dciem.UUCP (Mark Brader) (02/08/84)

"Alarmed door" (which I've also seen) isn't a new usage of the verb "alarm";
"-ed" can also turn nouns into adjectives, as in "man is a two-legged animal".

Mark Brader