Re: Can't see the wood for the trees

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Article #4029

#4029

From: John Savage
Date: Wed, 06 Sep 1995 13:13

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peter@fourier.newcastle.edu.au (Peter Moylan) writes:
>A couple of weeks ago I used the expression "can't see the wood
>for the trees" in a posting to comp.lang.modula2.  Somebody asked
>me if I was Dutch; apparently this expression is common in Dutch

By this enquiry, your questioner, Somebody, has also underscored
an observation that use of this phrase betrays its speaker's non-
native [Australian] background.

This concept "wood" is satisfied by "forest" in Australian-English,
and I'd venture to say that examples of use of the word "wood" to
mean "forest" are non-existent in the local lingo (with one notable
exception: it's retained in an evergreen nursery song).

--
John "teddy-bear" Savage               koala@sydney.dialix.com.au

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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!sydney.DIALix.oz.au!not-for-mail
From: koala@sydney.DIALix.oz.au (John Savage)
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english,comp.lang.modula2
Subject: Re: Can't see the wood for the trees
Date: 6 Sep 1995 23:13:58 +1000
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