Barbara McNichol forwarded me a question about the expression one-off as used to mean “one of a kind.”

I really thought the correct slang was ‘one OF’, not OFF, as in short for ‘one of a kind’. So if that’s true, how did ‘one of’ morph into ‘one off’? Or is it simply that people are spelling it incorrectly?

Although the definition of one-off contains the word of, the expression has always been one-off.

The expression is fairly new in American usage. It began as a British expression and derives from manufacturing jargon. Its first recorded date of use is 1934.

As a noun, one-off is defined in the OED as

A manufactured product made as the only one of its kind; a prototype; (more generally) something not repeated.

One-off can also be used as an adjective:

Made or done as the only one of its kind; unique, not repeated.

The popularity of the expression in headlines on the web will ensure that its use will no longer be confined to speakers of British English:

Vespa builds a one-off, four seater ‘Stretch Scooter’

Exclusive one-off London Bestival Party for 2010

Was Nigerian bomber a one-off?

Darling announces one-off shock tax to ‘break bonus culture’

The Top 10 Weirdest One-off Characters On Lost

A reader has asked for a comment on

the difference between “camera” and ”in camera.”

The word we use for a “picture-taking device” comes from Latin
camera, “an arched or vaulted roof or room.” The English word chamber, “room,” comes from the same Latin word.

Camera in its architectural sense exists in English as a place name: that of the Radcliffe Library at the University of Oxford.



The Radcliffe Camera (photo by Tom Murphy VII)

The evolution of the word for a room to mean a picture-taking device comes from the Latin term camera obscura:

camera obscura [L.; lit. ‘dark chamber’].   a. Optics. An instrument consisting of a darkened chamber or box, into which light is admitted through a double convex lens, forming an image of external objects on a surface of paper, glass, etc., placed at the focus of the lens. –OED

The expression in camera, literally “in the room,” is used in the sense of “privately” or “secretly.” When the judge calls opposing attorneys to meet with him “in chambers,” they are meeting in camera.

In looking for examples on the web, I found that some writers hyphenate the two words.

When a board meeting goes in-camera, should the minutes of the in-camera portion be separated as distinct and separate minutes or simply show… that the board moved into in-camera and then just indicate any resolutions that arose?

The Board may meet in camera if the subject matter deals with…

Civic in-camera meetings misused

The second part of our meeting is going to be in camera while we discuss our report on our refugee determination system and illegal migrants.

The only exceptions are matters dealt with at in camera presentations and de facto decision-making preceding formal decision-making.

Iqaluit council bars Little from in-camera meetings

So far, both the OED and Merriam-Webster agree that the expression is written as two words: in camera.

A reader has asked about the expression hell-bent for leather.

The expression fuses “hell-bent” with another expression, “hell-for-leather.”

The bent in hell-bent is the past participle of the verb to bend, a word with at least 23 definitions in the OED.

To be “bent on something” is to be determined to do a specific thing. Ex. He was bent upon becoming Prime Minister. She was bent on proving him wrong.

One of the meanings of “to bend” is “to go in a certain direction.” Literally, then, to be “hell-bent” would mean “going in the direction of hell.” The way we use it, to be “hell-bent on something” means to be wholeheartedly determined to get something done. The OED gives these citations:

1731 Ab-origines in Arms..did then resort, In Haste to Susquehanna Fort, Hell bent on Thoughts of Massacree.

1835 A large encampment of savages,..‘hell-bent on carnage’.

1891The state of Texas, or at least its legislature, went hell-bent for the reform of railroads.

The OED defines “hell-bent” as both adjective and adverb:

hell-bent: adj.   Usually in predicative use, with on, upon, or infinitive. Determined to achieve something at all costs; passionately or recklessly intent.

hell-bent: adv.  In a hell-bent manner; with no effort or resources spared; all out, wholeheartedly, totally; determinedly, doggedly.

The expression hell-for-leather means at “breakneck speed, very fast” and was originally used with reference to riding on horseback. It may have originated with Kipling. The earliest citation in the OED is from an 1889 Kipling story, “The Valley of the Shadow.”

CAPT. M. (Jealously) Then don’t say it! Leave him alone. It’s not bad enough to croak over. Here, Gaddy, take the chit to Bingle and ride hell-for-leather. It’ll do you good. I can’t go.
JUNIOR CHAPLAIN. (Flicking M.’s charger.) That’ll do, thanks. Turn in, Gadsby, and I’ll bring Bingle back–ahem–’hell-for-leather.’

The fused expression hell-bent for leather (1926) is apparently an American coinage that fuses hell-bent with hell-for-leather and means “recklessly fast.”

This is a guest post by Eric Cummings. If you want to write for Daily Writing Tips check the guidelines here.

My co-blogger and I have come across an interesting usage problem. We don’t know what to call what we write.

It feels strange to refer to blog posts as “articles.” “Articles” sounds official, proper and very old media. “Posts” is the more common word, but it demeans the quality of the writing. I wonder:

How is guest posting for another blog any different than writing an article for a magazine or newspaper?

What if that article I wrote shows up online? Is it now a post?

Where do Slate, Politico and other “e-zines” fit in to all of this?

If someone writes a personal online journal, wouldn’t the word “entry” be more appropriate?

With these questions swirling through my head, I want to pin down exactly what these words mean.

Article

Article, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, comes from the Latin word for joint, articulus. The word’s meaning was expanded to mean something that is part of a larger whole, specifically in writing. Originally, articles were sub-clauses in a document, as in “articles of faith,” “articles of war” or more famously, the Articles of the Constitution.

For our purposes, the word article gained its more modern definition in the early 1700’s:

“Article: a literary composition forming materially part of a journal, magazine, or other collection, but treating a specific topic distinctly and independently.”

What is important here is that an article refers to a piece of writing distinct from the journal, magazine or collection of writing it is a part of. I certainly think this would apply to entries on a blog or pieces on a website. Each post is distinct from the larger blog it is a part of. Of course, certain blogs, like online novels, would not fit this definition.

Post

The original definition of the word “post” was “a stick in the ground.” In the 1800’s, this definition morphed to include notices on those posts. According to the Oxford English Dictionary,

Post: to affix (a paper) to a public place”

The true technological origin of the word came shortly after the birth of the Internet, when forums and Usenet boards appropriated the word “post.” Early Internet users “posted” messages to one another, and the message itself became a “post.” As blogs and blogging became popular, the entries on blogs became “blog posts,” or “posts” for short.

Entry

According to the Oxford English Dictionary,

Entry: an item in a list or an account book.”

And of course this includes entries in a journal. Since a lot of early weblogs were journals, the term “entry” was very common.

So, what should you call it?

Well, I still don’t know.

For me, unless I’m writing a personal journal or a travel blog, I wouldn’t use the word “entry.” It has a very informal tone.

As for the “article” vs “post” debate, like a lot of usage, it comes down to preference. I think an article is something that goes on a larger website, like Politico, Pitchfork or Slate. A piece of writing on a website with a front page with multiple links–or content not displayed in reverse chronological order–I would call an article. A “post” is a piece of writing on a blog, for example, DailyBlogTips.

The line is blurry. What do you think? What do you prefer to call what you write when you blog?

Eric Cummings writes for On Violence, a blog on military and foreign affairs, art, and violence, written by two brothers–one a soldier and the other a pacifist.

A reader asks

How does one ask the time in English?

Several expressions are used:

Do you have the time?
What time is it?
What’s the time?
What time do you make it?
Have you got the time?

Depending on context, the first and last of these expressions can also be used to ask if a person has sufficient time to do something:
Do you have the time to stop at the post office?
Have you got the time to sew on this button?

In our hectic, deadline-oriented culture, lack of time is often a concern. Here are some time expressions related to anxiety about having sufficient time.

time’s running out: some sort of deadline is approaching.

Scientists have come up with the radical suggestion that the universe’s end may come not with a bang but a standstill – that time could be literally running out and could, one day, stop altogether.

running late: being off schedule. I’m running late for an appointment. According to an article on the Good Morning America site,

Chronic Lateness Is a Pervasive and Expensive Problem

last minute: the last possible moment before something is due to happen or be submitted. He always leaves his homework until the last minute. A last-minute call to the Governor stopped the execution.

eleventh hour: the latest possible time. The expression derives from the parable of the workers in Matthew:

And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? –Matt. 20:6

The workers hired early in the morning resent it when those hired at the eleventh hour (close to quitting time) receive the same payment as they do.

Most of these time expressions have figurative connotations that make them popular as titles for creative works:

The Eleventh Hour: television drama in which a scientist saves the day at the last minute.
Time is Running Out: song by English rock band Muse
Running Out of Time: novel by Margaret Peterson Haddix