Compound adjectives

[Kathrine_the_Great]

ON LANGUAGE Weapons-grade triumph of compound adjectives
William Safire The New York Times
Monday, May 20, 2002

WASHINGTON Are you in favor of same-sex marriage? Have you recently gone through wrong-site surgery leading to a near-death experience? Do you search a drop-down menu to find a with-it shop so that you can look (to use a compound adverb) drop-dead gorgeous in your bare-midriff dress?
........

I am not the only language maven to notice this. At Astrakhan State Pedagogical University, located in the Volga River delta, Maya Ryashchina had found three patterns: noun plus postpositive, as in hands-on manager and heads-up tennis; verb plus postpositive, as in drive-by killing; and a modal verb plus infinitive, as in can-do mentality, must-have wine and must-see film. (Go, Astrakhan S.P.U.!)

Euphemizers have reached out for compound adjectives. Adults of generous girth or a tendency toward obesity (whom the insensitive used to call "fat people") wear big-and-tall clothes for men, plus-size for women.
http://www.iht.com/articles/58252.htm

[johnnymaniac]

Originally posted by Kathrine_the_Great
ON LANGUAGE Weapons-grade triumph of compound adjectives
William Safire The New York Times
Monday, May 20, 2002

WASHINGTON Are you in favor of same-sex marriage? Have you recently gone through wrong-site surgery leading to a near-death experience? Do you search a drop-down menu to find a with-it shop so that you can look (to use a compound adverb) drop-dead gorgeous in your bare-midriff dress?
........

I am not the only language maven to notice this. At Astrakhan State Pedagogical University, located in the Volga River delta, Maya Ryashchina had found three patterns: noun plus postpositive, as in hands-on manager and heads-up tennis; verb plus postpositive, as in drive-by killing; and a modal verb plus infinitive, as in can-do mentality, must-have wine and must-see film. (Go, Astrakhan S.P.U.!)

Euphemizers have reached out for compound adjectives. Adults of generous girth or a tendency toward obesity (whom the insensitive used to call "fat people") wear big-and-tall clothes for men, plus-size for women.
http://www.iht.com/articles/58252.htm

Hey Same Sex Marriage? what? I think love is love whether it be =+ pr (? whts the diff? SAME SEX LOVE IS OK........jm