With some reluctance to forward to
canberrabirds.org.au
but at least I’ll change the subject. Yes I even recall a few years ago, one of the TV commentators calling on a Hawthorn AFL game referring to the Hawks as “Hawkers”. What
a dill I thought. Thankfully I never heard it again and I try to never miss a game of theirs. Even though, as you describe their coach Clarkson is called “Clarko”. Even sillier, one time when Paul Roos was the Sydney Swans coach, the camera focussed on someone
in the crowd holding up a nicely painted sign, favourable to “Roo’s”! As if the guy’s name, finishing with an s, needed an errant apostrophe, giving his name an absurd meaning........
Philip
From: Geoffrey Dabb [
Sent: Tuesday, 30 January, 2018 10:01 AM
To:
Subject: FW: [canberrabirds] Off topic ID of Image of insect on pond in Campbell Park
As a person with an interest i the language, I would like to know whether ‘entos’ is indeed legal tender. We know the Australian tendency to add the semi-affectionate
‘o’ in such abbreviations, and I have wondered if there is a rule that dictates that choice in preference to ‘ies’ (eg
fieries, pollies, bookies, roadies (in the entertainment sense),chippies, greenies, cockies.
Even ‘blockies’, for persons holding an allocated agricultural block.)
On the other hand, we also have
garbos, birdos, musos, commos, winos, reffos.
I remember being told that ‘sussos’ built the Great Ocean Road, although that was well before my time.
With ‘ento’ there is perhaps a slight chance of confusion with ‘enterologist’, which could only be avoided by using the longer forms ‘entomos’ and ‘enteros’. The latter are
likely to be in practice under the longer title of ‘gastroenterologist’, but ‘gastros’ is not really available for the same reason that reptile persons would not wish to be known as ‘herpos’.
On the subject of ailments, if ‘ento’ is legitimate it will only be a matter of time before ‘csiroento’ is used for the sub-class, and that sounds like something I for one
would not wish to be diagnosed with.
From: Con Boekel [
Sent: Tuesday, 30 January 2018 7:12 AM
To: canberrabirds chatline
Subject: [canberrabirds] Off topic ID of Image of insect on pond in Campbell Park
Thanks to everyone who responded, in particular to the CSIRO entos from the Australian National Insect Collection. The consensus is that the insect is a type of March fly
Scaptia auriflua
I must admit that this is the first time in my life that I have felt even a very tiny bit favourably disposed towards a march fly.
regards
Con
