# Moot discussion: toothless mutes



## Ravi (Aug 25, 2008)

AllieBaba said:


> And it's MOOT point, MOOT. Not MUTE. A MUTE is someone who has had his tongue cut out or otherwise cannot talk.
> 
> MOOT means of little or no practical value or meaning; purely academic.
> 
> I don't usually care about occasional spelling flub ups, or people who can't spell at all...but if you're going to use a word continually when attempting to be rude to people, at least use the correct word to begin with.


True, but it could mean a point with no teeth.


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## manifold (Aug 25, 2008)

Ah shucks!  Allie beat me to it.


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## AllieBaba (Aug 25, 2008)

Ravi said:


> True, but it could mean a point with no teeth.



That is just a paraphrase of the exact definition provided. In other words, means the same thing. You can say it a hundred different ways...but it means the same thing.


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## manifold (Aug 25, 2008)

Ravi said:


> True, but it could mean a point with no teeth.





Me no think so.


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## AllieBaba (Aug 25, 2008)

Then you think wrong, dear.
"No teeth" when discussing philosophical ideas is simply "deprived of practical significance; purely academic."

In other words, no teeth.


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## Ravi (Aug 25, 2008)

manifold said:


> Me no think so.



Well, it's moot anyway, isn't it?

But you are wrong.


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## manifold (Aug 25, 2008)

AllieBaba said:


> Then you think wrong, dear.
> "No teeth" when discussing philosophical ideas is simply "deprived of practical significance; purely academic."
> 
> In other words, no teeth.



I know what "no teeth" means, dear.  I'm saying that the word "mute" does not mean no teeth, except perhaps in some far-fetched, abstract exercise of poetic license.


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## AllieBaba (Aug 25, 2008)

manifold said:


> I know what "no teeth" means, dear.  I'm saying that the word "mute" does not mean no teeth, except perhaps in some far-fetched, abstract exercise of poetic license.



I never said "mute" meant no teeth????

????????

Besides which, wasn't I responding to Ravi?
Are you guys trying to drive me insane?


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## Ravi (Aug 25, 2008)

AllieBaba said:


> I never said "mute" meant no teeth????
> 
> ????????
> 
> ...


Now THAT's a moot point.


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## manifold (Aug 25, 2008)

AllieBaba said:


> I never said "mute" meant no teeth????
> 
> ????????
> 
> ...



My bad.

I thought you were responding to me.

However, there is a way to be clear about that.


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## AllieBaba (Aug 25, 2008)

Toothless mute.


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## AllieBaba (Aug 25, 2008)

Whoops, that was for Ravi, though I can include you as well...


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## manifold (Aug 25, 2008)

Hey Abby Cadaby,

I have an idea for what you can name the new thread you create after you snip this side discussion:  Moot discussion of toothless moot mutes!


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## Ravi (Aug 25, 2008)

*main Entry:*  toothless *Part of Speech:* _adjective_ *Synonyms:*  edentate, futile, ineffectual, weak


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## AllieBaba (Aug 25, 2008)

It is my early new year's resolution to use the quote button more often.


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## AllieBaba (Aug 25, 2008)

_Snipped from another thread...
~Abelian Sea_



42Presidents said:


> RetiredGySgt said:
> 
> 
> > Yes you can if you are a natural US citizen, that means a parent is American. Hate to burst your bubble. But this is mute cause Hawaii has stated his birth certificate is real and valid.
> ...



And it's MOOT point, MOOT. Not MUTE. A MUTE is someone who has had his tongue cut out or otherwise cannot talk.

MOOT means of little or no practical value or meaning; purely academic. 

I don't usually care about occasional spelling flub ups, or people who can't spell at all...but if you're going to use a word continually when attempting to be rude to people, at least use the correct word to begin with.


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## manifold (Aug 25, 2008)

42Presidents said:


> I agree, mute point. I learned some things from this discussion.



Strictly for educational purposes, I feel obligated to once again point out that the correct word is "moot," not "mute."  (rhymes with boot).

If you know that the correct word is moot, and this is merely a spelling error, I apologize.  I don't want to be accused of being a lame-ass spelling hawk. But since I hear people use mute instead of moot quite often, I'm not making that assumption.  For example, Shannon Sharpe makes this mistake at least once a week on the NFL pre-game show and I can't believe nobody has corrected him yet.

Main Entry: moot 
Function: adjective 
Date: circa 1587 
1 a: open to question : debatable b: subjected to discussion : disputed
2: deprived of practical significance : made abstract or purely academic


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## AllieBaba (Aug 25, 2008)

The moot mute discussion got da boot.


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## Diuretic (Aug 26, 2008)

I'm a language nazi, I admit it.  In my country we have mangled certain phrases.  EG

"I was as drunk as a newt" - it's originally a British saying I think.  I suppose a newt being immersed in water, water being a liquid, booze being a liquid...get the connection?

But how do we say it?  "I was drunk as a mute".  

And that's not all.

In the British idiom to have a "bunfight" means to eat a rather large and sumptuous meal.  We use the word when we mean a verbal dispute, an argument, "we're going to have a real bunfight over that".

And "off my own bat" meaning to do it yourself, we say "off my own back".

Finally the number of journalists who confused "prevaricate" with "procrastinate" is disgusting.  They mean that someone is procrastinating but for some reason they want to accuse them of lying.  

There, I feel better.


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## editec (Aug 26, 2008)

double post


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## editec (Aug 26, 2008)

Moot? It means debateable...hence law students practice in moot courts.

People often think moot means it means dismissable, mostly because people dismiss somebody's point in the middle of a debate by saying that "_point is moot"._
i.e. that _point is debatable._

Hence, ironically what they mean is _that point is UNWORTHY of debate_, but acknowledging that point is worthy of debate.

There once was a gal from Beirut
Who though life not such a hoot
Her nausea existential
Was so elemental
That everything about her was moot.​ 






> *moot*
> *adj 1: open to debate [syn: disputed]*
> *2: capable of being disproved [syn: debatable, disputable]*
> *v : think about carefully; weigh; "They considered the*
> ...


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## jillian (Aug 26, 2008)

editec said:


> Moot? It means debateable...hence law students practice in moot courts.
> 
> People often think moot means it means dismissable, mostly because people dismiss somebody's point in the middle of a debate by saying that "_point is moot"._
> i.e. that _point is debatable._
> ...




actually, rather than being "debatable", it means that the point is purely academic and has no practical significance and of a hypothetical nature only. 

moot - Definitions from Dictionary.com


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## Ravi (Aug 26, 2008)

jillian said:


> actually, rather than being "debatable", it means that the point is purely academic and has no practical significance and of a hypothetical nature only.
> 
> moot - Definitions from Dictionary.com


Kind of like all the discussions on the forum?


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## Diuretic (Aug 26, 2008)

There was a young woman from Natchez,
Whose clothing was always in patches,
When she was asked why,
She was wont to reply,
"Cause when ah itches, ah scratches"

There should be more Ogden Nash here.


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## editec (Aug 26, 2008)

jillian said:


> actually, rather than being "debatable", it means that the point is purely academic and has no practical significance and of a hypothetical nature only.
> 
> moot - Definitions from Dictionary.com


 
That's moot.

It's a moot court because is isn't real, its purely academic and hypothetical in nature.

But it's also moot because it IS debateable.

If it's NOT debateable, it cannot be moot.

It's intent is all about context.


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## Diuretic (Aug 26, 2008)

In ordinary useage the term "moot" is a sort of negotiable instrument.  It very much depends on the context in which it's being used.  I've been in industrial negotiations where something has come up and the other side have suggested, "well that's moot".  And when it's been used in those contexts the meaning was, "that's hypothetical, phone us if it happens".  It's actually (in negotiation) a pretty good tool to use because it gets under your skin because of its dismissive nature.  So, my understanding of the word in comon useage is not that it's "debatable" as much as it's "irrelevant".

_Moot court _has a technical meaning in legal studies.  It's really a simulation that is run to assess the advocacy abilities of law students.


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## Ravi (Aug 26, 2008)

Diuretic said:


> I'm a language nazi, I admit it.  In my country we have mangled certain phrases.  EG



eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I've resisted for as along as I can.

It's e.g. not EG!!!

My grammar nazi moment of the day.


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## editec (Aug 26, 2008)

Diuretic said:


> In ordinary useage the term "moot" is a sort of negotiable instrument. It very much depends on the context in which it's being used. I've been in industrial negotiations where something has come up and the other side have suggested, "well that's moot". And when it's been used in those contexts the meaning was, "that's hypothetical, phone us if it happens". It's actually (in negotiation) a pretty good tool to use because it gets under your skin because of its dismissive nature. So, my understanding of the word in comon useage is not that it's "debatable" as much as it's "irrelevant".


 
I think that's spot on.  Used commonly, calling something moot IS dismissive.



> _Moot court _has a technical meaning in legal studies. It's really a simulation that is run to assess the advocacy abilities of law students.


 

And if you can't cut the mustard they bury your career on moot hill?


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## Diuretic (Aug 27, 2008)

Ravi said:


> eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
> 
> I've resisted for as along as I can.
> 
> ...



eg eg eg eg eg - 

I compromised


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## Diuretic (Aug 27, 2008)

editec said:


> I think that's spot on.  Used commonly, calling something moot IS dismissive.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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