whilst: classic or dud?

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amongst and amidst, too. why not just while? and among and amid? i fail to see the needst

― timely and cogent, Friday, 13 May 2005 12:46 (twenty-one years ago)

it annoys me.

― Miss Misery (thatgirl), Friday, 13 May 2005 13:48 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought this said whist. :-(

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:00 (twenty-one years ago)

whistful?

― battlingspacemonkey (battlingspacemonkey), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:46 (twenty-one years ago)

classic but not as classic as hitherto

― jones (actual), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:48 (twenty-one years ago)

That was hithertofore unbeknowsnt to me.

― Hurting (Hurting), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:53 (twenty-one years ago)

It's been a perfectly normal part of English for as long as ever. No-one's making you use it.

― Markelby (Mark C), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Isn't there actually a difference between among/amongst? I'm not sure, but I think you use "among" as in one in a group, i.e. "A giant among men" and "amongst" is more like "talk amongst yourself."

― Hurting (Hurting), Friday, 13 May 2005 15:01 (twenty-one years ago)

no, there's no difference

― ()ops (()()ps), Friday, 13 May 2005 15:03 (twenty-one years ago)

I almost used "amidst" the other day before saying, fuck that, "amid" will do just fine.

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 13 May 2005 15:07 (twenty-one years ago)

The difference is that amongst, whilst etc. are all perfectly acceptable in British English but outdated and rarely used in U.S. English.

― Jonathan Z. (Joanthan Z.), Friday, 13 May 2005 15:16 (twenty-one years ago)

The weird thing, though, is that "amidst" and "amongst" get some play in U.S. English, but if you use "whilst" people think you're some weird raised-pinky tea-sipping doily-smoothing Anglophile.

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 13 May 2005 15:34 (twenty-one years ago)

I love it when Americans get annoyed that other English speaking people don't talk just like them and jaymc's stereotype is just that, a central casting strawman. Real anglophiles don't smooth their doilies, hell, they don't even have doilies!

― M. White (Miguelito), Friday, 13 May 2005 15:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I GOT MAD LOVE FOR WHILST.

― n/a (Nick A.), Friday, 13 May 2005 15:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I say whilst sometimes, but I think I will stop soon.

― Cathy (Cathy), Friday, 13 May 2005 15:55 (twenty-one years ago)

{aside to jay--do you like how i get hung up on word choice--while v. whilst?--instead of working substantively on my dream dissertation thing? and more importantly are you going to mercury rev tonight? i'm trying to decide if i should take the extra ticket}

― timely and cogent, Friday, 13 May 2005 15:56 (twenty-one years ago)

I think we must coin 'whenst' and use it extensively.

― M. White (Miguelito), Friday, 13 May 2005 15:57 (twenty-one years ago)

"whost"

― n/a (Nick A.), Friday, 13 May 2005 15:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Whatst?

― M. White (Miguelito), Friday, 13 May 2005 16:20 (twenty-one years ago)

It's part of my new comedy routine, "Whost on First?" Whost is on first, Whatst is on second, etc.

― n/a (Nick A.), Friday, 13 May 2005 16:21 (twenty-one years ago)

mr. timely: no, i'm not going to mercury rev tonight. i'm going out to see some bands at a loft with n/a. are you coming to visit, though? or would you just be coming for the show?

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 13 May 2005 16:22 (twenty-one years ago)

{{i'd be coming just for the show and then leaving early tomorrow. i have about 35 finals to grade this weekend, so no extended fun times for me. but i'm hoping sometime in june, and i'm hoping you'll be around then}}

― timely and cogent, Friday, 13 May 2005 17:24 (twenty-one years ago)

[[[yes, of course]]]

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 13 May 2005 17:31 (twenty-one years ago)

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