How, when and why did this word change its meaning from, (a) "a practitioner of civil law" - which makes sense - to (b) "nonmilitary" - which doesn't? 19th century usage (Dickens, Kipling, Twain) sounds faintly comic.
German for "American conditions", a term of disparagement referring to anything bad associated with a free-market economic system; lack of universal medical insurance, excess of gas-guzzling SUV's, fast food, etc. To which list we must now add the "bad bank".
Comments by johnking
johnking commented on the word civilian
How, when and why did this word change its meaning from, (a) "a practitioner of civil law" - which makes sense - to (b) "nonmilitary" - which doesn't? 19th century usage (Dickens, Kipling, Twain) sounds faintly comic.
February 13, 2010
johnking commented on the word amerikanische verhältnisse
German for "American conditions", a term of disparagement referring to anything bad associated with a free-market economic system; lack of universal medical insurance, excess of gas-guzzling SUV's, fast food, etc. To which list we must now add the "bad bank".
January 2, 2010