From: benlizro@ihug.co.nz   
      
   On 20/10/2024 9:18 a.m., Christian Weisgerber wrote:   
   > On 2024-10-16, Ross Clark  wrote:   
   >   
   >> "National" here is American. And the day is the birthday of Noah Webster   
   >> (16/10/1758-28/5/1843). Author of the "National Dictionary".   
   >> Actually called The American Dictionary of the English Language.   
   >   
   > I'm positive I've seen a Webster's Dictionary of the American (!)   
   > Language somewhere.  I thought Noah Webster himself started this,   
   > but apparently I was mistaken.   
   >   
   > ... Okay, it's _Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language_   
   > and Wikipedia informs me that this is an independent work, wholly   
   > unrelated to that of Webster himself.  Sorry, Noah.   
   >   
      
   I remember being told this long ago, that Webster was unable to   
   trademark his name, or the right lapsed after his death or some such, so   
   that 20th century dictionaries with "Webster" in the title might have no   
   connection whatsoever to Noah's work. That some people continued this   
   deceptive practice is an indication of how much NW had been identified   
   with the idea of a "definitive dictionary".   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)