I draw the line at stomachache

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One of the things I love about the English language is that it's alive. It changes; it sways in the wind; it accommodates that which is new. One of the most common changes is two words becoming a hyphenate or one word. Almost before we could blink, online went from on line to on-line to online. Headache used to be two words. Now it's one.

The lastest edition of Webster's has stomachache as one word. I don't like it. It looks strange. If one didn't know what was being referred to, one might think it were stoma-cha-che.

We have to draw the line somewhere. I draw it at stomachache. I say no. Mad

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I'm with you! I've never been fond of this cramming together of what was two perfectly good words.

stomachache? ugh... If it makes you feel any better, when you search for that , Google asks "Did you mean: stomach ache?

My 1998 Oxford Dictionary doesn't go for that either, and says that ache can be both the pain or the source of the pain.

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I always preferred "head ache in my tummy"

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colocation

I don't care much for this & wish it remained hyphenated.

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In Webster's Tenth Collegiate Dictionary ( a few years old), stomachache is one word. Feh.

Craven, I never heard "head ache in your tummy," but I like it.

Piffka, If you like, I can cover the rules for hyphenation at some point in the future.

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The older I get, the more I'm dedicated to maintaining varient spellings.

Just because the rest of the world chooses to debase the English language is no reason for me to toddle along.

I can misspell all by myself.

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I'll stick with the Oxford - it's a bit stuffier, and it seems to take the editors longer to agreed to changes/modifications.

Changes to usage/grammar don't seem to upset me as much as spelling changes. I should probably try to suss out why that is.

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Ahh, the good old days, before 'ask' became 'aks', and 'at' became @...I agree.

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Roberta,
...Feh? Shocked

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I'm an editor/proofeader. All the publishing houses I work for require me to use Webster's Tenth Collegiate Dictionary. So the changes that I'm aware of stem from there. To my neverending disappointment, editors and decision makers at Webster's have never once asked for my input.

Booman, Feh is the Yiddish version of Yuck. Feh is often followed by pooh, which I guess would be double-yuck in English.

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somewordsliketocuddle others don't

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Feh is the best all-purpose Yiddish word....covers all 'yuck', and sounds scarier.

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nextone, Same as people. Some like to cuddle; some don't.

Cav, Feh is one of my favorites. When something was especially yucky, my grandmother would add three poohs. I remember in particular this reaction when I asked her to make me some bacon for breakfast. Feh, POOH, POOH, POOH. Very potent.

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LOL!

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I wonder, being non-Jewish, if I could still add that to my vocabulary??

And yesk, bring on the hyphenation rules -------

I did mean to say that "a headache in my tummy" is so darn cute!

(Now see, headache is OK, stomachache NOT.)

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WOW!..... the gobblygook, I learn hangin' out with youse guys.

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Will acheybrachey, ever evolve? Razz

....Okay,okay, i'm gonna' stop now, before I start to get silly. ....HE-EY! ...I heard that, "To late." Evil or Very Mad

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In a tangent to italian, I need to mention their word 'buh', which seems quite like 'feh', not that I am so versed in either 'buh' or 'feh'. They seem to this outsider like mutual dollops of some mildly dismissive disgust.

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And really, I'd just as soon not order stoma khakis. Jeans would be ok.

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I like that spelling.

Why?

'cause that's the way, I've always spelled it! Twisted Evil

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I draw the line at stomachache

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