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Conference thebay::joyoflex

Title:The Joy of Lex
Notice:A Notes File even your grammar could love
Moderator:THEBAY::SYSTEM
Created:Fri Feb 28 1986
Last Modified:Mon Jun 02 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1192
Total number of notes:42769

605.0. "Once upon a time..." by LAMHRA::WHORLOW (Prussiking up the rope of life!) Tue Jan 03 1989 23:21

    G'day,
    
    A thing that has puzzled me for many years is this
    
    If an event happens one time, it happened _once_
    
    If it happened two times, it happened _twice_
    
    and for three times, it's _thrice_
    
    What is it for four times? five? six? (careful with that one :-)
    
    Djw
    
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
605.1On numbering the events of the worldHSSWS1::GREGMalice AforethoughtWed Jan 04 1989 06:1022
    re: .0 
    
    	   Once you get beyond three it's called 'a few'.
    
    	   Once you get beyond six repetitions it's called 'several'.
    
    	   That's the rule of thumb I use.  I was never very 
    	comfortable using 'thrice' either, and usuallup opt to
    	move the lower limit of 'a few' to three (rather than
    	four) repetitions.  
    
    	   But if it's new words you want...
    
    		Quadrice = Fourth
    		Quintice = fifth
    		Sextice = sixth
    		Septemice = seventh
    		Octice = eighth
    		
    		etc, etc.
    
    - Greg
605.2Does nice mean 0 times?IOSG::LAWMDon't utilise it - USE it!Wed Jan 04 1989 12:567
    
    ref: -.1
    
    `Septemice' means more specifically `seven small furry rodents.'
    
    Mat.
    *:o)
605.3EAGLE1::EGGERSTom, VAX & MIPS architectureThu Jan 05 1989 06:281
    "Septemice" refers to mice born in September.
605.4interesting so far....LAMHRA::WHORLOWPrussiking up the rope of life!Thu Jan 05 1989 08:4414
    G'day,
    
    I thought about the erudite answers so far received.....
            
    would it not be...
    
    ON(e)ce
    TW(o)ice
    THR(ee)ice
    FOU(r)ce
    FIV(e)ice
    SI(x)ce...... 
    
    septemice  - any relation of streptomycin? or are they against oneanother?
605.5Twice upon a timeMARVIN::KNOWLESthe teddy-bears have their nit-pickThu Jan 05 1989 14:408
    So does `trice' (as in "in a trice", meaning "quickly") mean `three
    seconds'? (An analogy for this would be `brace of shakes', but that's
    never shortened to plain `brace').
    
    World-shattering thought: does a trice take longer than a brace
    of shakes? (I shan't sleep tonight, wondering.)
    
    b
605.6New counting systems...for wordplayersLEZAH::BOBBITTvis tecum sitSun Jan 08 1989 22:0348
    These are all from a book called "ounce, dice, trice" - it's a word
    play book, and really neat... now out of print (came out in 1958).
    by Alastair Reid - here are some new counting systems....1 to 10
    
    Ounce
    Dice
    Trice
    Quartz
    Quince
    Sago
    Serpent
    Oxygen
    Nitrogen
    Denim
    
    Instant
    Distant
    Tryst
    Catalyst
    Quest
    Sycamore
    Sophomore
    Oculist
    Novelist
    Dentist
    
    Archery
    Butchery
    Treachery
    Taproom
    Tomb
    Sermon
    Cinnamon
    Apron
    Nunnery
    Density
    
    Acreage
    Brokerage
    Cribbage
    Cage
    Sink
    Sentiment
    Ointment
    Nutmeg
    Doom
    
    
605.7A multiple solution?LEDS::HAMBLEN3 Hooraws - Pogo's back!Wed Jan 11 1989 14:4930
    
	Gentlepeople, it seems to me that we have not seriously considered 
the need expressed by the base note.  Clearly there is a need for such 
expressions in incantations and similar ritual rhetoric.  While wooing 
Morpheus last night, the answer came to me: simply make use of the 
arithmetic operations of addition and multiplication.
	So, for a 4-tuple operation,
		_twice twice_ , or _twice times twice_ , for emphasis
		or _twice and twice_ , or _twice and twice again_.
	(I especially like the last one with the _again_ given a British 
pronunciation.  Try it aloud.)
	Similarly, for a 5-tuple situation, I offer:
		_twice twice and once again_ , or
		_twice and thrice again_.
	For six times, how about:
		_twice thrice_.
	And for seven, especially recommended for rituals:
		_twice thrice and once again_.
	Squares and cubes are special occasions.  For eight:
		_twice twice twice_ ,or for added emphasis,
		_twice times twice times twice_.
	Nine times then becomes:
		_thrice thrice_.
	And ten:
		_thrice thrice and once again_.
	Variations abound, and will be left to the reader as an exercise,
as will the Biblical expression "seventy times seven".
    
				Multiply yours,
						Dave
605.8Where's the problem?DDIF::STONERoyWed Jan 11 1989 21:0413
    It seems like this whole topic is an attempt to complicate something
    basically quite simple...
    
    Once
    Twice
    Thrice or three times
    Four times
    Five times
    Six times
    etc.
    
    They seem to work well for me.
    
605.9EAGLE1::EGGERSTom, VAX & MIPS architectureThu Jan 12 1989 05:591
    Ahh, but .7 has a certain style that .8 totally lacks.
605.10keeps philosophers in businessMARVIN::MACHINThu Jan 12 1989 10:496
    RE: .-2
    
    Complicating something basically quite simple is what life (in common
    with this topic and this conference) is all about, isn't it?
    
    Richard.
605.11don't talk to me about life.....IJSAPL::ELSENAARFractal of the universeThu Jan 12 1989 11:1512
>< Note 605.10 by MARVIN::MACHIN >
                  ^^^^^^
                    |
                    |
                    |
                    V
>    Complicating something basically quite simple is what life (in common
>    with this topic and this conference) is all about, isn't it?

You're on the wrong node. ;-)

Arie
605.12.7 is right, although only a sixth of fourty-twoVISA::MONAHANhumanity is a trojan horseThu Jan 12 1989 23:006
    	"Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number
    of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six
    hundred threescore and six".    (revelations 13.18)
    
    	Sounds much better than :-
     	"Six six six is the number of the beast".   (Iron Maiden)
605.13thrice is niceCRLVMS::TREESEWin Treese, Cambridge Research LabThu Jan 12 1989 23:519
    And, verily, seventy times seven, in the notation of .7, becomes
    
    twice thrice thrice thrice thrice thrice and twice twice again
    
    It does get a little cumbersome, one must admit (once or twice,
    that is).
    
    	- Win
    
605.14Ronald Wilson Reagan ?= 666COOKIE::DEVINEBob Devine, CXNFri Jan 13 1989 20:293
    Reagan new retirement home in California had the street address
    of -- you guessed it! -- 666 (mumble lane).  It was quickly
    changed to 664 (mumble).
605.15EAGLE1::EGGERSTom, VAX &amp; MIPS architectureFri Jan 13 1989 21:222
    As a minor nit, the article I read said it was changed to 668,
    but who cares, except, perhaps, Nancy's astrologer.