tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post6127308123623042102..comments2024-03-14T10:31:26.918+00:00Comments on DCblog: On skyfallDChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10192779827863835310noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-37886621496412592312011-12-05T03:41:31.648+00:002011-12-05T03:41:31.648+00:00"Planetfall" is surely the science ficti..."Planetfall" is surely the science fiction equivalent of "landfall", "a reaching of land", and "skyfall" a deliberately paradoxical take on "landfall", rather than the "Chicken Little" idea of the sky falling on our heads.<br /><br />Curious, though, that "landfall" and "waterfall", which a Martian making planetfall on Earth might think ought to be connected, in fact denote totally different concepts.Terry Collmannhttp://zythophile.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-60688068233517813802011-11-12T11:04:03.546+00:002011-11-12T11:04:03.546+00:00There's a whole family of reduplicated names i...There's a whole family of reduplicated names in the story, many of which are shared between US and UK. I have a chapter on this (and a picture of the eponymous chicken) in my 'The Story of English in 100 Words' (Profile, 2011).DChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10192779827863835310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-34321098444135970722011-11-12T06:42:47.857+00:002011-11-12T06:42:47.857+00:00Also sometimes Henny Penny but I don't know if...Also sometimes Henny Penny but I don't know if this is of US, UK or other origen.Sarahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-21132524855781507942011-11-11T16:55:18.062+00:002011-11-11T16:55:18.062+00:00Yes, i think so, but I'm not sure how far the ...Yes, i think so, but I'm not sure how far the two naming traditions spread.DChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10192779827863835310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-65549026369975407112011-11-10T18:30:52.883+00:002011-11-10T18:30:52.883+00:00Chicken Licken? I've only heard Chicken Little...Chicken Licken? I've only heard Chicken Little... is this a US/UK difference?The Ridger, FCDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01538111197270563075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-79937092076654390372011-11-09T22:50:35.490+00:002011-11-09T22:50:35.490+00:00In Icelandic, the word "skýfall" means &...In Icelandic, the word "skýfall" means 'very heavy rain" (ský = cloud).Péturnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-91197165094602272282011-11-08T12:26:02.978+00:002011-11-08T12:26:02.978+00:00In almost all of the examples given, Xfall means t...In almost all of the examples given, <i>Xfall</i> means the literal or metaphorical 'fall of (i.e. experienced by) X'.<br /><br />The exception is <i>pitfall</i> which means something which might result in a 'fall (experiencer unspecified) into X'.<br /><br />An exception not given is <i>windfall</i> — meaning a 'fall caused by X'.<br /><br /><i>Skyfall</i> is probably a 'fall of X' coining, but could conceivably mean 'fall from X'.David Crosbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858358459416955921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-25454284117569981862011-11-07T10:52:22.811+00:002011-11-07T10:52:22.811+00:00Nothing before 1950 in the OED.Nothing before 1950 in the <i>OED</i>.DChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10192779827863835310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-68039758718807733322011-11-07T10:48:25.678+00:002011-11-07T10:48:25.678+00:00Apart from waterfall (and just possibly planetfall...Apart from waterfall (and just possibly planetfall), English appears to prefer single syllable words as the first part of compounds of this kind, which is why I suppose we have "fallout" as opposed to "radiationfall".<br /><br />I wonder, does the word fallout to describe the aftermath of an accident, scandal, etc. occur in English before 1945?Cneifiwrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08767078276794410524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-15467947488260767412011-11-03T17:31:04.254+00:002011-11-03T17:31:04.254+00:00In Swedish skyfall means 'very heavy rain'...In Swedish skyfall means 'very heavy rain'. We've been using it forever, so please give it back.setAD7https://www.blogger.com/profile/02501088408919498583noreply@blogger.com