PREV ARTICLE
NEXT ARTICLE
FULL ISSUE
PREV FULL ISSUE
WHAT WE CALL OURSELVESDick Johnson writes: "When I was in the medal business I often spelled out the words "medal" and "metal" since both words sound so similar in speech. Particularly so on meeting a new acquaintance or they would think I brokered fabricated metal or such. "I was M-E-D-A-L dealer." What makes matters worse there are two other words, called homonyms, that also sound like medal: "meddle" meaning to interfere, and "mettle" -- like temper of a sword blade -- the quality of temperament of a person's disposition or spirit. I clipped an editorial from The New York Times, May 14, 1992, and added this to my clip file. The article endorsed the action of composer Stephen Sondheim, who rejected the Medal of Art from the National Endowment for the Arts. It stated the new chairwoman meddled with the grants for several university art centers, an action which many in the art community objected. Hooray for Stephen Sondheim! He upholds the spirit of his art commitment, attesting to his mettle. Too bad he didn't get his medal (which of course, is made of metal, but the Times didn't mention that!) Moral for medal administrators: don't meddle; it will diminish your mettle. You paper money enthusiasts can call yourselves anything you wish, just spell it every time you meet a new acquaintance! I'll bet you go back to P-A-P-E-R M-O-N-E-Y."Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
|