Chester Draws, in a parallel universe

[ifIwerenotanandroid]

Somewhere this week on MN, I've seen someone write about 'the luck of the drawer' - which still makes sense, as if there's a huge chest of many, many drawers & you have to pick one to open, without knowing what's inside any of them.

She did pronounce walking and talking as walkin' and talkin' though. I am aware that there are regional accents that pronounce these as walken and talken. But her 'mingen' rhymed with her sodden, not with her walkin'. I can't believe I am having to write so many posts about minging 😂

Also, if you say 'she is minging', 'minging' is, in fact a verb, as it is the present participle of the verb 'to ming'. She is minging - she mings is the equivalent of she is singing - she sings. Minging, singing here are verbs. Only when you move 'minging' to before the noun does it take on the role of an adjective. She is minging (verb), minging bird (adjective). Saying 'she's mingen' is incorrect, as instead of using the present participle of the verb 'to ming', you're using mingen as if it were an adjective in its original form like ugly, tall, etc.

I don't think so. In "She is minging" it feels like an adjective to me, not a verb. Minging isn't something she's actively doing, it's something she just is… Unless you are deliberately going for something self-consciously humorous, it wouldn't sound right to say "She minged at that party last night".

Where I live, at least, ming is one of those weird verbs that with most users is rarely heard except when transformed into either an adjective (like minging) or a noun (like minger).

I think "She is minging" is like "She is annoying" (meaning she is, intrinsically, an irritating person, not that she's currently actively annoying someone) or "That mask is frightening" (meaning it has the potential to scare someone, not necessarily that someone is being frightened by it right now). It doesn't have to be in the form "an annoying person" or "a frightening mask" for it to be functioning as an adjective.

Though yes, mingen is technically incorrectly inflected, but you could always assume she's treating it as an Old English verb…

Saltywalruss · 14/03/2023 16:37

steep lurking curb just trying to imagine what one of those would look like

One of these, hiding:

upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/WesternCurb.jpg

Have we had

Don't be such a pre-Madonna?

Also, if you say 'she is minging', 'minging' is, in fact a verb, as it is the present participle of the verb 'to ming'. She is minging - she mings is the equivalent of she is singing - she sings

It is an adjective in that case - she is smelly, minging and disgusting.
Have often does any ususe "ming" as a verb? What is the past tense? Minged? Mung?
As far as I'm aware, minging arrived as a fully formed adjective, following the pattern of disgusting, revolting, hanging etc. and to say that something 'mings' - if anyone does - is a backformation.

Though yes, mingen is technically incorrectly inflected, but you could always assume she's treating it as an Old English verb… Grin

Like it! "I had forgotten I had mingen"

*how often does anyone use

But doesn't the fact that you can use the -er suffix to the root of the verb 'to ming' to create 'minger' proof that minging a verb? A minger is someone that mings, i.e., someone that is minging. My friends and I have definitely said thing like 'She mings for Britain.' Anyway, in hindsight, I should have said in my first post, my friend spells 'minging' 'mingen' and left it at that. There was no need to go down the verb/adjective rabbit hole 😬

This door is alarmed

What alarmed it?

As for the past tense, after a heated discussion decades ago, my friends and I settled on ming - minged - minged.

Which reminds me of an unrelated bug bear of mine. Snuck. People who say 'I snuck in' instead of 'I sneaked in'. It makes me shudder.

I don't get this - what should it say?

Isn't this just an example of simple perfect passive? Like 'the book is written'.

*simple present passive, I meant.

'He is minging' is a property, not an action. Same as 'He is tall". Adjective.

Now that, @GBoucher , I do agree with you on!

Minging is a present participle, which can act as a part of a present continuous verb tense or as a participial adjective. In the example you gave (she's minging) it feels more like an adjective to me, though you might feel differently.

I suppose minging could also potentially be a gerund if you really put your mind to it…

Grammar rabbit holes are fun!

Oh I kind of like snuck! I sort of enjoy it when people instinctively apply the remnants of Old English rules about vowel changes in verbs to words that shouldn't have it — it's a little glimmer of how our "irregular" verbs actually aren't all that irregular when you look into their history. Also it's just plain fun to complain at someone that they brothe on you.

'I suppose minging could also potentially be a gerund if you really put your mind to it…'

'The minging was too much to bear.'??

Dear gods somebody actually went and did it.

@GBoucher what have you done…

😅

👏👏

Just seen on another forum - tackless.

That didn't phase me!

That's kind of fun, makes me think of someone who runs off at the mouth like a runaway horse. Sorta fits