atw: Re: Mouses??

  • From: "I-Ashley, Bruce" <bruce.ashley@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 11:09:16 +1000

Sorry Howard, you are wrong in this and whether you get irritated or
not, in computer terms, 'mouses' is correct usage. 

Forget Wikipedia and the many other on-line references that also show
'mouses' as being correct, a quick look at the SOED (4th Ed.) shows the
following:

mouse, Pl. mice, in sense 4 also mouses
Sense 4: Any of various objects regarded as resembling a mouse in shape
or appearance; spec. (b) 'Computing' a small hand-held device moved over
a flat surface to produce a corresponding movement of a cursor or arrow
on a VDU, usu. Having fingertip controls for selecting a function or
entering a command.

So, unless your group of electronic mouses eats cheese, I'd suggest
using 'mice' is probably not the best way forward.

Cheers,

Bruce Ashley


-----Original Message-----
From: Howard Silcock [mailto:howard.silcock@xxxxxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 9:29 PM
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Mouses??

I'm getting more and more irritated by people who tell me that the
plural of
'mouse', in computer contexts, is 'mouses'. Who makes these ridiculous
decisions? The attempts I've seen to justify make it seem all the more
ridiculous - how on earth can anyone say that 'mouse' is a 'headless
noun'
(see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_plural)? (At least they didn't
say
it was tailless!)
 
Has anyone been given 'mouses' as an official plural in their 'house
style'?
If so, I urge you to rebel and stamp out this ridiculous usage (no, not
stamp on the poor mouse). Let's hear it for the mice!
 
Howard
 
 
 
 

**************************************************
To post a message to austechwriter, send the message to
austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

To subscribe to austechwriter, send a message to
austechwriter-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with "subscribe" in the Subject
field.

To unsubscribe, send a message to austechwriter-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
with "unsubscribe" in the Subject field.

To search the austechwriter archives, go to
www.freelists.org/archives/austechwriter

To contact the list administrator, send a message to
austechwriter-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
**************************************************
**************************************************
To post a message to austechwriter, send the message to 
austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

To subscribe to austechwriter, send a message to 
austechwriter-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with "subscribe" in the Subject field.

To unsubscribe, send a message to austechwriter-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 
"unsubscribe" in the Subject field.

To search the austechwriter archives, go to 
www.freelists.org/archives/austechwriter

To contact the list administrator, send a message to 
austechwriter-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
**************************************************

Other related posts: