Word: requesting
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...inform them that they would no longer be receiving pillows from the College, in neighboring Pforzheimer House, some rooms received pillows while others did not. While there is good reason for some of the unevenness—a few house masters, such as those of Adams House, requested the pillows remain (and students in other houses can still receive pillows upon request), and the red phones remain in the Quad houses because of their spotty cell phone reception—there is no good reason for the absolute dearth of communication to students...
...issue pillow this fall are without hope. Cerullo reported that Adams House Master Sean Palfrey had asked Dorm Crew to leave the House’s pillows be. And according to the Office of Physical Resources, several cases of pillows had been retained to be distributed to students upon request, sparing them the 10 dollar bill for each of the pillows currently being marketed by Harvard Student Agencies.RED PHONE EXODUSJoining institutional pillows in the ranks of the deceased dorm room accessory, the red phones that were once standard issue for everyone from Wigglesworth to Winthrop also appear to have fallen...
...outwardly conservative politics of these men and their private same-sex behavior. But while these guys may be liars--Craig's "wide stance" inanity has already entered the world-historical lexicon of political b.s.--it's not clear that they are conniving hypocrites. Here's a moistly liberal request: Can we have a moment of pity for moralizers who fall...
Taken literally, these sentences are inane. The second is an overstatement, and the answer to the first is obvious. Fortunately, the hearer assumes that the speaker is rational and listens between the lines. Yes, your point is to request the salt, but you're doing it in such a way that first takes care to establish what linguists call "felicity conditions," or the prerequisites to making a sensible request. The underlying rationale is that the hearer not be given a command but simply be asked or advised about one of the necessary conditions for passing the salt. Your goal...
...coffee. He declines, explaining that caffeine keeps him up at night. Later he slaps his forehead: "'Coffee' doesn't mean coffee! 'Coffee' means sex!" The moment is funny, but it's also a reminder of just how carefully romantic partners must always tread. Make too blatant a request, as in Tootsie, and the hearer is offended; too subtle, as in Seinfeld, and it can go over the hearer's head...