Quote:
Originally Posted by innerSpaceman
Enuf about grammer and more abought speling.
When someone is whiling away the hours, is "wile" or "while?" I needs to know.
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My immediate thought was "while," until I saw my roommate's post. So, I looked at dictionary.com and got
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8. to cause (time) to pass, esp. in some easy or pleasant manner (usually fol. by away).
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and the American Heritage Dictionary,
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tr.v. whiled, whil·ing, whiles
To spend (time) idly or pleasantly: while the hours away.
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However,
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
while (v.)
"to cause (time) to pass without dullness, 1635, earlier "to occupy or engage (someone or something) for a period of time" (1606), new formation from while (n.), not considered to be from M.E. hwulen "to have leisure," which is from a Gmc. verb form of while (n.) (cf. Ger. weilen "to stay, linger"). An association with phrases such as Shakespearean beguile the day, L. diem decipere, Fr. tromper le temps "has led to the substitution of WILE v by some modern writers" [OED] (see wile).
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Which, I guess, takes us back to the first page. Do you forgive misused and misspelled words when they enter common usage?
For the record,
Quote:
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
wile Audio Help /waɪl/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[wahyl] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation noun, verb, wiled, wil·ing.
–noun
1. a trick, artifice, or stratagem meant to fool, trap, or entice; device.
2. wiles, artful or beguiling behavior.
3. deceitful cunning; trickery.
–verb (used with object)
4. to beguile, entice, or lure (usually fol. by away, from, into, etc.): The music wiled him from his study.
—Verb phrase
5. wile away, to spend or pass (time), esp. in a leisurely or pleasurable fashion: to wile away the long winter nights.
[Origin: 1125–75; (n.) ME; late OE wil, perh. < ON vél artifice, earlier *wihl-]
—Synonyms 1, 2. deception, contrivance, maneuver. See trick. 3. chicanery, fraud.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
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So, by quoting itself, the online dictionary has created "common usage." Colbertian, in its effectiveness.
Just remember, you can wile away your coyotes, but you while away your time.