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Subject: 
Re: From Harry Browne
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.off-topic.debate
Date: 
Wed, 15 Nov 2000 01:57:49 GMT
Reply-To: 
JOHNNEAL@USWEST.saynotospamNET
Viewed: 
943 times
  
Christopher Weeks wrote:

In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Dave Schuler writes:

blame (blam)
v. tr. blamed, blam·ing, blames.

1. To hold responsible.
2. To find fault with; censure.
3. To place responsibility for (something): blamed the crisis on poor
  planning.

http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=blame

So, while blame *can* imply fault, it can also simply be a designation of
responsibility without assigning fault, as John had indicated.

Can you (or John, or anyone) supply a sentence demonstrating how 'blame' can be
used without indicating that something bad has taken place?

"The heavy rains and cool weather were blamed for the high mosquito population."
Now, while some humans might consider that a bad thing, I'm sure the swallows,
bats, (farmers?), dragon flies, etc, might say otherwise.

I'm quick to use
the dictionary too, but I don't think that it is perfectly reflective of our
use of the word in this case.  Also, in the more complete definition that John
pasted the examples all indicated fault.

Looks to me like the number one reference is simply to hold responsible, which is
the meaning I was after.

-John


Chris

(Not that this is a really important part of the coversation or anything :-)



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: From Harry Browne
 
If you look at www.m-w.com for the verb form of "blame", you will find a dictionary that is not screwed up. "John Neal" <johnneal@uswest.net> wrote in message news:3A11ED4A.689B2C...est.net... (...) designation of (...) can be (...) population." (...) (24 years ago, 27-Nov-00, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: From Harry Browne
 
(...) Can you (or John, or anyone) supply a sentence demonstrating how 'blame' can be used without indicating that something bad has taken place? I'm quick to use the dictionary too, but I don't think that it is perfectly reflective of our use of (...) (24 years ago, 15-Nov-00, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

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