4 ms·
As in the phrase "pray tell". I had no idea the archaic meaning survives in legalese. I wonder what other pieces of Middle English are floating in there.
by gruseom 17y ago
As in the phrase "pray tell". I had no idea the archaic meaning survives in legalese. I wonder what other pieces of Middle English are floating in there.
- ErrantX 17y agoA surprising amount. I quite like it because it adds a little gravity or austerity to the situation.
- klochner 17y agogravity + obfuscation for the masses, hence the growing movement to do away with legalese: http://www.plainlanguage.gov/usingPL/legal/index.cfm http://www.plainlanguage.gov/usingPL/legal/index.cfm
- pbhjpbhj 17y agoIn the UK it's not unheard of to use the term "pray tell" in parlance. Particularly in phrases like "And pray tell what did you get up to last night" expecting a stretching of the truth in return or tales of derring-do or misdemeanour moral offences.
- smallblacksun 17y agoIt's not unheard of in the US, either. Though I doubt most people who say it really know what it means.
- gruseom 17y agoThat's the point: "Pray tell" is still common enough in contemporary English, while "pray" hasn't meant that for a long time. Archaisms survive in idioms.