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interests / alt.usage.english / "or so"?

SubjectAuthor
* "or so"?Stefan Ram
+* Re: "or so"?Peter Moylan
|`* Re: "or so"?bert
| `- Re: "or so"?Ken Blake
`* Re: "or so"?Ken Blake
 `- Re: "or so"?bruce bowser

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"or so"?

<or-so-20220114070713@ram.dialup.fu-berlin.de>

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From: ram...@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram)
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
Subject: "or so"?
Date: 14 Jan 2022 06:19:51 GMT
Organization: Stefan Ram
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Expires: 1 Apr 2022 11:59:58 GMT
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 by: Stefan Ram - Fri, 14 Jan 2022 06:19 UTC

In this Newsgroup I've been told that one uses "or so" only with
numbers ("We use 'or so' with numbers: 'a hundred or so',
'eight feet or so'") but not with things (not: *"a yak or so",
but "a yak or some such").

When I was living in the 1970s, we had a singer called
"Cat Stevens", and he would sing a song called "Sitting":

|I keep on wondering if I sleep too long
|Will I always wake up the same (or so)?
....
|And if I make it to the waterside
|Will I even find me a boat (or so)?

. So, what do you think about this "or so"? Is it an error
because it does not refer to a number, or is it correct
even though it does not refer to a number? Is it clear what
it means?

Re: "or so"?

<srre8e$ruf$1@dont-email.me>

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From: pet...@pmoylan.org.invalid (Peter Moylan)
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
Subject: Re: "or so"?
Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2022 20:03:08 +1100
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 by: Peter Moylan - Fri, 14 Jan 2022 09:03 UTC

On 14/01/22 17:19, Stefan Ram wrote:
> In this Newsgroup I've been told that one uses "or so" only with
> numbers ("We use 'or so' with numbers: 'a hundred or so',
> 'eight feet or so'") but not with things (not: *"a yak or so",
> but "a yak or some such").

Yet there is a famous poem that includes the words "but a moose or two,
and a caribou, and a bison cow or so".

> When I was living in the 1970s, we had a singer called
> "Cat Stevens", and he would sing a song called "Sitting":
>
> |I keep on wondering if I sleep too long
> |Will I always wake up the same (or so)?
> ...
> |And if I make it to the waterside
> |Will I even find me a boat (or so)?
>
> . So, what do you think about this "or so"? Is it an error
> because it does not refer to a number, or is it correct
> even though it does not refer to a number? Is it clear what
> it means?

I vaguely remember hearing something similar in a couple of other Cat
Stevens songs. Just one of his verbal tics, I'd say.

--
Peter Moylan Newcastle, NSW http://www.pmoylan.org

Re: "or so"?

<dl63ugp232ov208urml9131i678bjs5ds0@4ax.com>

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From: Ken...@invalid.news.com (Ken Blake)
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
Subject: Re: "or so"?
Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2022 08:47:29 -0700
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 by: Ken Blake - Fri, 14 Jan 2022 15:47 UTC

On 14 Jan 2022 06:19:51 GMT, ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram)
wrote:

> In this Newsgroup I've been told that one uses "or so" only with
> numbers ("We use 'or so' with numbers: 'a hundred or so',
> 'eight feet or so'") but not with things (not: *"a yak or so",
> but "a yak or some such").
>
> When I was living in the 1970s, we had a singer called
> "Cat Stevens", and he would sing a song called "Sitting":
>
>|I keep on wondering if I sleep too long
>|Will I always wake up the same (or so)?
>...
>|And if I make it to the waterside
>|Will I even find me a boat (or so)?
>
> . So, what do you think about this "or so"? Is it an error
> because it does not refer to a number, or is it correct
> even though it does not refer to a number?

I'm not sure it's an error, but I would only use the term with a
number.

> Is it clear what
> it means?

Yes. Correct or not, it's easy to understand.

Re: "or so"?

<c6625b46-7bc1-4082-a526-bbd3b9fa4315n@googlegroups.com>

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Subject: Re: "or so"?
From: bruce2bo...@gmail.com (bruce bowser)
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 by: bruce bowser - Fri, 14 Jan 2022 16:53 UTC

On Friday, January 14, 2022 at 10:47:35 AM UTC-5, Ken Blake wrote:
> On 14 Jan 2022 06:19:51 GMT, r...@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram)
> wrote:
>
> > In this Newsgroup I've been told that one uses "or so" only with
> > numbers ("We use 'or so' with numbers: 'a hundred or so',
> > 'eight feet or so'") but not with things (not: *"a yak or so",
> > but "a yak or some such").
> >
> > When I was living in the 1970s, we had a singer called
> > "Cat Stevens", and he would sing a song called "Sitting":
> >
> >|I keep on wondering if I sleep too long
> >|Will I always wake up the same (or so)?
> >...
> >|And if I make it to the waterside
> >|Will I even find me a boat (or so)?
> >
> > . So, what do you think about this "or so"? Is it an error
> > because it does not refer to a number, or is it correct
> > even though it does not refer to a number?
> I'm not sure it's an error, but I would only use the term with a
> number.
> > Is it clear what
> > it means?
>
> Yes. Correct or not, it's easy to understand.

.... or something similar.

Re: "or so"?

<1babbdfb-afef-49ee-841f-f7d4f0f874f4n@googlegroups.com>

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Subject: Re: "or so"?
From: bert.hut...@btinternet.com (bert)
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 by: bert - Fri, 14 Jan 2022 20:51 UTC

On Friday, 14 January 2022 at 09:03:14 UTC, Peter Moylan wrote:
> On 14/01/22 17:19, Stefan Ram wrote:
> > In this Newsgroup I've been told that one uses "or so" only with
> > numbers ("We use 'or so' with numbers: 'a hundred or so',
> > 'eight feet or so'") but not with things (not: *"a yak or so",
> > but "a yak or some such").
>
> Yet there is a famous poem that includes the words "but a moose or two,
> and a caribou, and a bison cow or so".
>
> > When I was living in the 1970s, we had a singer called
> > "Cat Stevens", and he would sing a song called "Sitting":
> >
> > |I keep on wondering if I sleep too long
> > |Will I always wake up the same (or so)?
> > ...
> > |And if I make it to the waterside
> > |Will I even find me a boat (or so)?
> >
> > . So, what do you think about this "or so"? Is it an error
> > because it does not refer to a number, or is it correct
> > even though it does not refer to a number? Is it clear what
> > it means?
>
> I vaguely remember hearing something similar in a couple of other Cat
> Stevens songs. Just one of his verbal tics, I'd say.
>
> --
> Peter Moylan Newcastle, NSW http://www.pmoylan.org

Cat Stevens' usage is very strange, but Stefan Ram's "only
with numbers" rule is far too limited - it's quite okay with
distances and times like "a mile or so", "an hour or so."

Re: "or so"?

<e6p3ugpek2uabhfp5stbvam0eb9g7k6ei2@4ax.com>

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From: Ken...@invalid.news.com (Ken Blake)
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
Subject: Re: "or so"?
Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2022 14:05:07 -0700
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 by: Ken Blake - Fri, 14 Jan 2022 21:05 UTC

On Fri, 14 Jan 2022 12:51:42 -0800 (PST), bert
<bert.hutchings@btinternet.com> wrote:

>On Friday, 14 January 2022 at 09:03:14 UTC, Peter Moylan wrote:
>> On 14/01/22 17:19, Stefan Ram wrote:
>> > In this Newsgroup I've been told that one uses "or so" only with
>> > numbers ("We use 'or so' with numbers: 'a hundred or so',
>> > 'eight feet or so'") but not with things (not: *"a yak or so",
>> > but "a yak or some such").
>>
>> Yet there is a famous poem that includes the words "but a moose or two,
>> and a caribou, and a bison cow or so".
>>
>> > When I was living in the 1970s, we had a singer called
>> > "Cat Stevens", and he would sing a song called "Sitting":
>> >
>> > |I keep on wondering if I sleep too long
>> > |Will I always wake up the same (or so)?
>> > ...
>> > |And if I make it to the waterside
>> > |Will I even find me a boat (or so)?
>> >
>> > . So, what do you think about this "or so"? Is it an error
>> > because it does not refer to a number, or is it correct
>> > even though it does not refer to a number? Is it clear what
>> > it means?
>>
>> I vaguely remember hearing something similar in a couple of other Cat
>> Stevens songs. Just one of his verbal tics, I'd say.
>>
>> --
>> Peter Moylan Newcastle, NSW http://www.pmoylan.org
>
>Cat Stevens' usage is very strange, but Stefan Ram's "only
>with numbers" rule is far too limited - it's quite okay with
>distances and times like "a mile or so", "an hour or so."

Yes, those are quite OK, but they fit into the "only with numbers"
rule. "A mile or so" and "an hour or so" both use the indefinite
article to mean "one."

interests / alt.usage.english / "or so"?

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