Re: The origins of the OED

Posted by ESC on December 18, 2003

In Reply to: The origins of the OED posted by James Briggs on December 18, 2003

: For those of you who can receive the channel, there appears to be a remarkable documentary on BBC TV this evening. For those, and those who can't see it, the preview of the programme in today's Times reads:

: IMAGINE
: BBC One, 10.35pm; N.lreland, 11.15pm
: The remarkable story of the Oxford English Dictionary, which took 70 years to complete and included more than 400,000 definitions.
: At the centre of this was the relationship between two men: the editor, Professor James Murray, and William Chester Minor, an American surgeon. For 20 years, Minor sent thousands of contributions from a village only 50 miles from Oxford. On many occasions, Murray invited him to visit Oxford, but his offers were always turned down. Murray finally found out that Minor was a murderer, incarcerated in Broadmoor. (A hospital for the 'criminally insane' - JB).

It will probably make it to BBC America eventually. While I'm on the subject, I would like to thank you all for some really great programs. Because of the "Jerry Springerization" of American TV, BBC is about the only decent thing to watch. And because of this board, I can almost understand what's being said.

• Re: The origins of the OED Word Camel 18/December/03