Timeline for Is the word "palaver" in common use anywhere in the English-speaking world?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
5 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 31, 2020 at 18:58 | comment | added | WS2 | @EdwinAshworth I only seem to recall usages such as "all that confounded palaver", "a lot of palaver" etc. | |
| Jan 31, 2020 at 15:23 | comment | added | Edwin Ashworth | I've only ever come across "What a palaver!" / "There was a right palaver" etc. I think the CGEL definition of 'count usage' is easily the most useful; 'palaver' is non-count in both my examples, as you'd never hear "There were two / a few / ... palavers". Compare "I take a great pride in my achievements". | |
| Jan 31, 2020 at 13:33 | comment | added | WS2 | @EdwinAshworth It is the current online edition, as of this morning. One thing puzzles me, which you may be able to help with. I have always used "palaver", and mostly heard it used as a mass noun. Some of the examples above have it as a count noun. Indeed the phrase "a load of palaver" sticks in my mind. | |
| Jan 31, 2020 at 12:27 | comment | added | Edwin Ashworth | Which version of OED, WS? Some of us have outlived many updates. | |
| Jan 31, 2020 at 9:50 | history | answered | WS2 | CC BY-SA 4.0 |