Talk:writing on the wall
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Latest comment: 6 years ago by -sche in topic Additional plural
Where does the form the writing is on the wall fit into this? ---> Tooironic 09:06, 15 March 2010 (UTC)
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I question whether the uncountable sense and the plural actually exist (with the relevant idiomatic meaning that is; obviously the noun "writing" can in itself be uncountable and plural). 86.152.161.224 21:21, 13 March 2016 (UTC)
- Here are three unambiguously uncountable citations and three plural citations (all apparently of the idiomatic meaning):
- That was writing on the wall
- a sort of revolt, a statement, a piece of writing on the wall that any clear-eyed person would've understood
- there was plenty of writing on the wall already in 1956
- the implications and writings on the wall for our family's future
- The Portuguese refused to read the writings on the wall
- The Writings on the Wall: Necropolitics in Security Discourse
- —Mr. Granger (talk • contribs) 21:59, 13 March 2016 (UTC)
- I have added some citations to the entry. 1982, 2012, and the first 2014 are of the plural in the idiomatic sense. 2011 and the last two 2014 cites are of the uncountable "vague" sense IMO. DCDuring TALK 22:31, 13 March 2016 (UTC)
- OK, fair enough, thanks. 86.152.161.224 02:56, 14 March 2016 (UTC)
- I have added some citations to the entry. 1982, 2012, and the first 2014 are of the plural in the idiomatic sense. 2011 and the last two 2014 cites are of the uncountable "vague" sense IMO. DCDuring TALK 22:31, 13 March 2016 (UTC)
- RFV passed. --Dan Polansky (talk) 15:38, 15 July 2016 (UTC)
Additional plural
[edit]writings on the walls? Hard to search for because all of the plural forms are often literal. - -sche (discuss) 02:23, 1 July 2018 (UTC)