'Road liable to flooding' - correct English or not?

[Roomfor2]

It's a common road sign that really annoys me, but am I right in thinking that this is not good English?

I always understood 'liable' to be used in a similar way to 'likely' - so 'likely to flood, not likely to flooding... Or, if they must use flooding, then change it to 'prone to flooding' rather than liable?

Am I right to be be annoyed by it or should I let it go as a symptom of my own ignorance??

I think it's correct.

I don't know, but I've always been similarly annoyed by 'road liable to icing'. Mostly because I feel there is a joke lurking in there and I can't figure out what it is.

I always wonder what foreigners coming out of ferry ports make of those "ANY VEH" signs you get along motorways...

hmm

OED gives it as 'subject to' or 'likely to undergo' a process

and you would say 'Road subject to flooding' or 'Road likely to undergo flooding'.

'Road liable to icing' is just silly

but I do persistently refer to the Saturday-night competitive figure-skating chow as Strictly Come Icing.

Liable to flood, I think.

Yup, checked in Fowler.

Never seen 'liable to icing' - sounds like one of my daughter's cakes.

We live in Scotland, where many of the roads are, apparently, liable to icing.

Pyrocanthus - that's what I thought. Glad it's not just me!

And where the houses are all made of gingerbread, midnightexpress.

'road liable to icing UP'

That might just work. Still lame though.

Other suggestions, above, were better.

I don't think 'flooding' necessarily has to be a verb though, it can be a state as well can't it?

'I couldn't get to work because of the flooding'
'I couldn't get to work because of the flood'

I guess 'flooding' is a more general term for excess water, or several smaller floods.

[probably talking crap emoticon]

But I think your first example is one of those where extra words are implied but not written ie 'can't get to work because of the flooding of the road'