Page:The king's English (IA kingsenglish00fowlrich).pdf/42

28 Motorists lose more than they know by bêtises of this kind.—Times.

His determination to conduct them to a successful issue coûte que coûte might result in complications.—Times.

The gloom which the Russian troubles have caused at Belgrade has to some extent been lightened by a certain Schadenfreude over the difficulties with which the Hungarian crisis threatens the neighbouring Monarchy.—Times.

A recent reperusal...left the impression which is so often produced by the exhibition in bulk of the œuvre of a deceased Royal Academician—it has emphasized Schiller's deficiencies without laying equal emphasis on his merits.—Times.

The following are instances of less familiar French or Latin words used wantonly:

So, one would have thought, the fever of New York was abated here, even as the smoke of the city was but a gray tache on the horizon.—E. F..

Either we know that tache means stain, or we do not. If we do, we cannot admire our novelist's superior learning: if we do not, we must be doubtful whether we grasp the whole of his possibly valuable meaning. His calculation is perhaps that we shall know it, and shall feel complimented by his just confidence in us.

When the normal convention governing the relations between victors and vanquished is duly re-established, it will be time to chronicle the conjectures relating to peace in some other part of a journal than that devoted to faits divers.—Times.

It is true The Times does not condescend to an Odds-and-Ends, or a Miscellaneous column; but many other English newspapers do, under various titles; and the Times writer might have thrown the handkerchief to one of them.

But times have changed, and this procedure enters into the category of vieille escrime when not employed by a master hand and made to correspond superficially with facts.—Times.

In relation to military organization we are still in the flourishing region of the vieilles perruques.—Times.

The users of these two varieties, who, to judge from the title at the head of their articles, are one and the same person, must have something newer than vicux jeu. Just as that has begun to be intelligible to the rest of us, it becomes itself vieux