munson@squirt.DEC (08/16/85)
My dictionary, _The American Heritage Dictionary_, office version, says the word staple means 1) a major product or commodity, 2) a major part, element, or feature, 3) raw material. As an adjective, it means 1) regularly grown or produced in large quantities, 2) principle; leading. In the items I mentioned in my previous posting, the first (noun) meaning certainly holds. The second holds unless you consider the word 'major' in its strictest sense, that is, as more than 50%. The third meaning is debatable. Sugar is certainly a refined substance, but it is used in many other end products . The first adjectival meaning is indubitable, the second is arguable. Anyone else want to argue that sugar is not a staple? As always, Joanne E. Munson P.S. For the grammarians in the crowd, yes, I know that the word I wanted to describe the first type of entry in the dictionary was 'nominal'. I only hope my punctuation hasn't offended you in addition.
sdd@pyuxh.UUCP (S Daniels) (08/21/85)
>Anyone else want to argue that sugar is not a staple?
Sugar is sugar, and a staple is something you put in a stapler
to hold pieces of paper together.
Just kidding, folks, but the style is representative of the idiotic
drivel that's floating around this net. I guess we can add "intelligent
discussion" to the list of net.politics oxymorons.
BTW, no offense to the original posters; the pun was too good an illustration
to pass up.
--
Steve Daniels (!pyuxh!sdd) "I'm counting the smiles on the road to Utopia."