[lit-ideas] Without That Certain Thing

From the OED, under 'nothing':
 
"As in 'anything', 'something', 'nothing', the subst. 
element has usually no definable meaning, 
the compound being equivalent to a neuter 
absol. use of the adj."
 
Under 
 
"thing":
 
   "The forms 'any thing', 'every thing', 'no thing', 'some  thing' 
    (in which 'thing' is an unemphatic stressless use of 
    sense [sic -- JLS] 8 or 11), are now written each as 
    one word (see ANYTHING pron., n., and adv., 
    EVERYTHING pron., NOTHING pron., n., adv., and int., 
    SOMETHING n. and adv.).]"
 
"NICHTS, ETWAS, ALLES"
 
Under 'thing' 8:
 
c1200 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 1839 Niss nani ing att muhe ben Wi 
 godd off efenn mahhte.
 
under 'thing' 11:
 
1757 W. PROVOOST Let. 25 Aug. in P. L. White Beekman Mercantile Papers  
(1956) II. 659 Please to send me the following things Vizt. 1 Dozen of Black  
mitts. 1 piece of Black Durant fine. 
 
German for 'something':  ETWAS
 
German for 'nothing': NICHTS
 
German for 'everything': ALLES
 
German for 'anything': ALLES

JLS
   See you all tomorrow -- I have _things_ to do!
 
 
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