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I don’t know if you can factually back up your claims but I applaud your proper use of decimate. It is a rare thing. One might even say it happens less than 10%
by unnamed76ri 1y ago
I don’t know if you can factually back up your claims but I applaud your proper use of decimate. It is a rare thing. One might even say it happens less than 10% of the time.
- furyofantares 1y agoDecimation was way worse than reduction by a tenth. It was a punishment in the Roman army where the offending unit was divided into groups of 10 and each group had to draw straws. Whoever drew the short straw must be stoned or clubbed to death by the other 9. If you threatened me with death if I didn't cut off my feet, I wouldn't consider that "reduction by 10%" even if mathematically it might be.
- analog31 1y agoLook on the bright side, it would have been much more harsh, had they worked in binary.
- djoldman 1y agoYep. 10 times worse.
- underlipton 1y agoWould you say it's half as bad as the worst-case scenario?
- Agraillo 1y agoHmm.. Is this my brain inference or the parent comment author' too: "Bright side of life" -> "Always look at the bright side of life" from "Monty Python's Life of Brian" -> plot was taking place during Roman times (mentioned in the GP comment)
- nickpeterson 1y agoCould be worse, you could be stabbed.
- mwcremer 1y agoAt least it gets you out in the fresh air.
- CorrectHorseBat 1y agoIt's not proper use, it's archaic use. Do you also claim bread is meat? A cat is a deer?
- dahart 1y agoI wouldn’t say archaic or historical definitions are improper, but you’re right - the primary meaning of decimate in English changed and now means to destroy the majority of. Maybe this is because decimate was always very damaging; threat of death is very serious, regardless of the numbers. That said, I had sweet breads recently. And a cat being a deer sounds strange in English now, but deer is still the word for animal in other Germanic languages today, even if it faded in English, so it doesn’t sound completely archaic.
- downrightmike 1y agoI split the hair where chickens were men