On Fri, 25 Jul 2008, Mortimer wrote:

"asdf" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:40:22 GMT, Chris Tolley wrote:

disgoftunwells wrote:

Electrocution for peeing on a railway track is a very harsh penalty
indeed.

Seems to be more a form of karma than a penalty.

I think he's making a pedantic comment about the subject line.

(Electrocution is a form of execution, not accidental death.)

No, electrocution means death by electric shock, whether accidental or as an
execution:

New Oxford Dictionary of English (2001)

"electrocute: injure or kill someone by electric shock: 'a man was
electrocuted on the rail track'"

They even choose the same example as in this case!

And from the big OED:



1. trans. To put to death by means of a powerful electric current; to
execute in the electric chair.

1889 Trenton (New Jersey) Times 7 June 4/2 (heading) He wants to be
electrocuted... An offer on the part of a man..to act as a victim..by
testing the..new apparatus for executing by electricity. 1890 Congress.
Rec. 8375/1 That the gentleman..should be electrocuted by the Kemmler
process recently adopted in the state of New York. 1903 W. D. HOWELLS
Lett. Home v 32, I could be sitting this moment with the transmitter at my
mouth, and the receivers strapped to both ears, and looking as if I were
just going to be electrocuted. 1945 N. MITFORD Pursuit of Love xiii. 101,
I bet the Scotsboro' boys will be electrocuted in the end, if they don't
die of old age first, that is. 2001 Times (Nexis) 28 July, In Georgia I
stood outside death row as the state electrocuted a man I thought was
probably innocent.

2. trans. To give an electric shock to; esp. (chiefly refl. or in
pass.) to kill or injure by electric shock.

1890 Freeborn County Standard (Albert Lea, Minnesota) (Electronic text) 24
Sept., When venture-some rodents walk within a metallic cage, containing
cheese, they are transfixed by a strong electric current and electrocuted.
1899 Times 11 Apr. 1/4 Continuation of the Monster Holiday Show.
Marvellous performances... See to-day, at 3 and 8, Dr. Walford Bodie
electrocute a man. 1909 Yorkshire Post 4 Aug. 4/5 [A boy] who was
electrocuted on the Mersey Railway last Saturday. 1939 D. L. SAYERS In
Teeth of Evid. 9 One of them got loose last time and tried to electrocute
itself on the X-ray plant. 1988 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) (Nexis) 10 May, I
was electrocuted. I can still smell the flesh burning. 2004 Chicago
Tribune (Midwest ed) 11 July X. 23/2, I wasn't going to touch a
battery{em}I'd have electrocuted myself.



So, the word was coined (in the US) to mean execution, but within a year
it had shifted to mean killing more generally, even in the US.

tom

--
No noon today. Noon tomorrow. There's always a noon tomorrow.

Tom Anderson wrote:
So, the word was coined (in the US) to mean execution, but within a year
it had shifted to mean killing more generally, even in the US.

Edison is believed to have introduced the word "electrocution" after a
few false starts, see http://edison.rutgers.edu/emort.htm
--
Bruce Fletcher
Stronsay, Orkney
http://tinyurl.com/3b54af
(Remove dentures to reply)

Mortimer wrote:

No, electrocution means death by electric shock, whether accidental or as an
execution:

New Oxford Dictionary of English (2001)

"electrocute: injure or kill someone by electric shock: 'a man was
electrocuted on the rail track'"

They even choose the same example as in this case!

That's interesting: I have always maintained that "electrocute" should
only be used when the electric shock leads to death - in line with
"execute", and as you have put it. I am surprised that the OED extends
it to non-fatal injury.

Peter Beale

Peter Beale wrote:

Mortimer wrote:

No, electrocution means death by electric shock, whether accidental or as an
execution:

New Oxford Dictionary of English (2001)

"electrocute: injure or kill someone by electric shock: 'a man was
electrocuted on the rail track'"

They even choose the same example as in this case!

That's interesting: I have always maintained that "electrocute" should
only be used when the electric shock leads to death - in line with
"execute", and as you have put it. I am surprised that the OED extends
it to non-fatal injury.

What word do you use for the other case, then?

--
http://gallery120232.fotopic.net/p9632865.html
(33 063 at Ludlow, Aug 1982)

Chris Tolley wrote:
Peter Beale wrote:

Mortimer wrote:
No, electrocution means death by electric shock, whether accidental or as an
execution:

New Oxford Dictionary of English (2001)

"electrocute: injure or kill someone by electric shock: 'a man was
electrocuted on the rail track'"

They even choose the same example as in this case!

That's interesting: I have always maintained that "electrocute" should
only be used when the electric shock leads to death - in line with
"execute", and as you have put it. I am surprised that the OED extends
it to non-fatal injury.

What word do you use for the other case, then?

Suffered an electric shock, was badly injured by an electric
shock/lightning...

Peter Beale

On 24 Jul, 23:50, asdf wrote:
On Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:40:22 GMT, Chris Tolley wrote:
disgoftunwells wrote:

Electrocution for peeing on a railway track is a very harsh penalty
indeed.

Seems to be more a form of karma than a penalty.

I think he's making a pedantic comment about the subject line.

(Electrocution is a form of execution, not accidental death.)

I believe it was sci-fi write Robert Heinlein who wrote "in space,
stupidity is punishable by death"

The Stoon wrote:
On 22 Jul, 20:05, Brian Robertson wrote:
wrote:
http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article...=229490&in_pag...
ISTR an episode of "Mythbusters" that suggested this wasn't possible
(the stream would probably stops being a continuous one by the time it
hit the live rail and thus wouldn't be able to conduct), although
given the reports say he "walked onto the track" perhaps he
accidentally made contact with the electrified line another way.
~cj
Who the hell is going to do the job that he would have stolen of an
English worker now?

Here to improve his scrounging more like.

Brian.

You are officially a ****ing idiot. I'm not paying 70% tax so old
moochers like you get a decent pension, and if it needs foreigners
here to pay taxes so you can live a life of riley until you die then
so be it.

I doubt if either of us will draw a pension, or live a life of Riley in
our old age, dear boy.

Brian.