Well I never...

[pat]

One of the common words I missed in in the vulgarized puzzle was virgule. The fact that only seven people got it doesn't necessarily indicate that it's not a common word as I would imagine that even if you know it it's not one that you would easily spot.

But I must admit that it's a new word for me - I never knew the 'slash' was called anything other than that. Lest all you polymaths hold up your hands in horror at that statement, let me say that although I consider myself to be reasonably intelligent I am, unfortunately, an uneducated person. This isn't a suggestion to downgrade it to rare, just a confession of my ignorance.

[Linda]

I consider myself to be reasonably well educated, Pat, and I have never heard of the word either.  Anyway, why use virgule (ugly word) when slash sounds so much better?! 

[anonsi]

Interestingly, Alan commented earlier this year on the rareness of virgule.

https://theforum.lexigame.com/index.php/topic,3068.0.html

[pat]

Judging by his comments on that thread I'm beginning to think that maybe virgule isn't such a common word!

[rogue_mother]

One of the common words I missed in in the vulgarized puzzle was virgule. The fact that only seven people got it doesn't necessarily indicate that it's not a common word as I would imagine that even if you know it it's not one that you would easily spot.

But I must admit that it's a new word for me - I never knew the 'slash' was called anything other than that. Lest all you polymaths hold up your hands in horror at that statement, let me say that although I consider myself to be reasonably intelligent I am, unfortunately, an uneducated person. This isn't a suggestion to downgrade it to rare, just a confession of my ignorance.

Not to worry, Pat. I have a science degree from an Ivy-covered university, and I never heard it called anything except slash or forward slash. Okay, maybe stroke, too. I doubt the term virgule is generally taught in United States schools except by particularly priggish schoolmarms.

I was one of the seven people who got it, but that was only because I happened to remember the word from the discussion that Anonsi linked to. The word came to me while I was thinking of something else, considerably after the time that I first played the puzzle.

[nineoaks]

If I recall correctly, 'virgule' is French for 'comma.' That's the only context in which I've encountered it.

9O

[Maudland]

Me too, 9O. So this thread has flummoxed me - I can't help imagining a comma, which would look rather odd in the place of a slash.

[Alan W]

While it may not have been your intention to suggest a change to the classification of virgule, pat, it's pretty clear that it should be a rare word, so I'll change it.

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[pat]

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