Page 59 - some-stuff-i-wrote-and-some-stuff-i-didn't-(2011)-h-morris-williams
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Some Stuff I Wrote and Some Stuff I Didn't (2011) H. Morris Williams







                  Column March  19,  2006


                  ‘JUST’  READ THIS ‘LITTLE’  COLUMN


                  I  write  a  newspaper column  so you  might  suspect  I  am  interested  in  how
                  words  are  used.  I  notice  that two  old  words  have  taken  on  a  new  use  in
                  recent years,  ‘ju st’ and ‘little .’


                  First  the word  ‘ju st’.  Quite  a  few of my  friends  use the word  ‘ju st’  when
                  they pray and  I  have  heard  it used several times in television  prayers.  For
                  example,  “Lord,  we just  thank  you  for  this  beautiful  day.  We just  ask
                  your  blessing  on  our  service  today.  We  just  pray  you  will  give  us  safe
                  travel home.”


                  Some  people  might  say  the  prayer  would  have  the  same  meaning  if  you
                  ‘ju st’  left  out  the  word  ‘just.’  Personally  I  like  the  way  it  sounds— it
                  resonates certain warmth I find appealing.


                  Along  a  similar  line,  is  ‘forever  and  ever’  longer  than  just  ‘forever’?  Or
                  does  ‘forever’  pretty well cover the eternal time span?  Does ‘forever and
                  ever’ add emphasis?


                  The  second  word  is  ‘little .’    Sometimes  people  tell  me  they  read  my
                  ‘little ’  column,  though  this  column  is  the  same  length  as  other  columns.
                  A friend  speaks of her ‘little ’  yardman who stands six  feet tall  and weighs
                  200 pounds.


                  Football  coaches  and  announcers  describe  a  lot  of  their  plays  as  being
                  ‘little .’  CHS  Coach  Danny  Green  sometimes  speaks  of  running  a  “little ’
                  counter play.  FSU’s Coach  Bobby Bowden said the Seminoles ran a  ‘little ’
                  reverse option.  South Carolina Coach Steve Spurrier said his offense ran a
                  ‘little ’  quarterback  draw.  All  these  plays  looked  the  same  size  as  the
                  other plays to me.


                  Understand  I’m  not  being  critical.  These  are  all  outstanding,  winning
                  coaches  and  who  cares  how  they  talk  if  they  win  football  games?
                  Actually I enjoy these ‘little ’ variations in our language— they spice it up.












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