Spoilers for Monday 17th January 2022 (Series 85, Prelim 11)

[Thomas Carey]

Let's get ready to countdown!!!!!!

[Philip A]

Disallowing MILEAGES is incorrect, very harsh and unfair. It was allowed as recently as 5 October 2021: https://wiki.apterous.org/Episode_7609

Ignoring the example sentences under the '+ More example sentence' button (a recently adopted practice on the show) is acceptable, since most of these are lifted from Internet blogs, but regardless of this I think they need to give a bit more leeway with regards to whether of not a mass noun can have a count(able) noun sense even if not explicitly specified.

Definition 1 hints a countable sense, as indicated by the indefinite article ‘a’: “A number of miles travelled or covered:”

If you Google 'mileages', it returns the +s plural in bold and is supported by the Oxford Languages dictionary (which isn’t used on the show but still reliable). https://www.google.com/search?q=mileage ... irefox-b-m

The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary (also not used, and not as voluminous as Oxford Dictionaries Online) also cites it as countable (as well as uncountable and usually in singular): https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries. ... q=mileages

In common sense, you can calculate mileages of vehicles, just as you can calculate distances.

[Fiona T]

Disallowing MILEAGES is incorrect, very harsh and unfair. It was allowed as recently as 5 October 2021: https://wiki.apterous.org/Episode_7609

I don't think you can categorically say it's incorrect. When I read the page, I wondered how it had ever been allowed. At best, it's a grey area, but I see nothing on the page to suggest it should be allowed.

Definition 1 hints a countable sense, as indicated by the indefinite article ‘a’: “A number of miles travelled or covered:”

A number of miles = mileage, not mileages

It was allowed as recently as 5 October 2021: https://wiki.apterous.org/Episode_7609

This to me is the real problem - the lack of consistency. I checked wayback machine, and the lexico page has not changed between April and now.

It needs a definitive word list - something's on it or not - errors yes, but no grey areas.

[Gavin Chipper]

Also, I've said this before but the way Susie disallows words is terrible but I think she has no idea she's doing it. Big smile - "I'm just looking at that now... you can't have it by the way."

[Toby McDonald]

GALIPEES in R12

[David Williams]

https://www.lexico.com/definition/mileage
She actually said that she was looking to see if the dictionary gave any examples of MILEAGES. Maybe she should have had a look at this, which has the plural in each of the first ten More Example Sentences.

I'm also always irritated when there's a suspicion that celebrities are being given credit for words they have been fed, and there was a prime example today. Prue "RINGDOVES". Susie "Yes. Well done." Turns and applauds. Prue "Not me." Susie is scrupulously honest about words she gets herself and blatantly lies about this, and there's no good reason for it.

[Stewart Gordon]

Dan gave /kəmpˈɒzɪt/. OTOH, COMPOSITE is /ˈkɒmpəzɪt/. So it would appear that Dan was not misspelling COMPOSITE, but trying COMPOSIT as a distinct word.

I saw it and thought along the same lines. The PNG spec uses COMPOSITED, and it seemed to me it probably came from a verb COMPOSIT, related to DEPOSIT. But now I realise that elsewhere that same document has it in the infinitive, as COMPOSITE. And I see now that both Lexico and Wiktionary give COMPOSITE as a verb, with no distinct pronunciation from the noun or the adjective.

[Howie Myers]

r3 alt: 4*(75+8)+7+3=342
r14 alt: 4*(100+9)+(2*9)=454

[Stewart Gordon]

https://www.lexico.com/definition/mileage
She actually said that she was looking to see if the dictionary gave any examples of MILEAGES. Maybe she should have had a look at this, which has the plural in each of the first ten More Example Sentences.

The definition is puzzling. "A number of miles travelled or covered." This looks like a definition of a count noun to me.

[Philip A]

https://www.lexico.com/definition/mileage
She actually said that she was looking to see if the dictionary gave any examples of MILEAGES. Maybe she should have had a look at this, which has the plural in each of the first ten More Example Sentences.

I'm also always irritated when there's a suspicion that celebrities are being given credit for words they have been fed, and there was a prime example today. Prue "RINGDOVES". Susie "Yes. Well done." Turns and applauds. Prue "Not me." Susie is scrupulously honest about words she gets herself and blatantly lies about this, and there's no good reason for it.

By “examples” I think she meant a [COUNT NOUN] example, none of which are given. I think the sentence given above the + More Example Sentences button is the most reliable.

I do agree with the comments regarding the way Dictionary Corner communicates in final cut: most of the time it’s clear, but occasionally it can be done poorly and cause confusion.

[Philip A]

The definition is puzzling. "A number of miles travelled or covered." This looks like a definition of a count noun to me.

Agreed.