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Usenet Posted 20 years ago
Usage
Three-and-twenty
Numbers such as "three-and-twenty" are frequently found in Jane Austen's novels (1). It seems a notation similar to German's ("drei und zwanzig", right?).
I would be interested to know from when it dates as well as when it ceased to be used.
(1) e.g. "Pride and Prejudice", chapter 1:
"Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve,(2) and caprice, that the experience of three-and-twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character".
(2) So Jane used the Oxford comma, if I understood what it is reading your recent discussion.
Bye, FB
Conversation like television set on honeymoon: unnecessary. (Murder by Death)
I would be interested to know from when it dates as well as when it ceased to be used.
(1) e.g. "Pride and Prejudice", chapter 1:
"Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve,(2) and caprice, that the experience of three-and-twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character".
(2) So Jane used the Oxford comma, if I understood what it is reading your recent discussion.
Bye, FB
Conversation like television set on honeymoon: unnecessary. (Murder by Death)
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