alexander koryagin wrote to Roy Witt:

 ak>>>>> "There is a man in the street."

 RW>>>> This would be correct for someone who is actually in the street.
 RW>>>> There is also a correct way to say 'the man on the street' as a
 RW>>>> general term as a news reporter doing remote radio or TV
 RW>>>> broadcasting.

 ak>>> I read in a dictionary that it is an American variant. The British
 ak>>> say "in the street."

 RW>> I forget who it was or which morning TV program it was, but they
 RW>> featured 'the man on the street' way back in the 1960s... he
 RW>> interviewed the people on the street on a daily basis. They were
 RW>> actually on the sidewalk, outside the TV studio where the show was
 RW>> being broadcast.

 ak>    As for me, I like "on the street." I think that when the Americans
 ak> modernized their English they understood that, in this case, the
 ak> preposition "on" is much logical than British "in." Although, the
 ak> tradition means much. For instance, IMO it is funny, that birds in
 ak> America are still IN the tree, not ON the tree, although it would be
 ak> quite logical. Even more logical than "on the street." ;-)

When I go out to the field and do some bird hunting, the birds are usually
in the trees, sitting on a limb. When I come along, self preservation
moves them to spread their wings and leave the trees, landing on the
ground. These birds are what we call Quail. They have a tendency to run
rather than fly to escape the hunter...and they usually run up hill and
fly down hill. Which frustrates a hunter even more than he already is.

 ak>    In Russia, our birds are ON trees, but mice are IN holes. Bark
 ak> beetles live IN trees.

Gophers live underground in their nests.

 ak>>> But look at the example at
 ak>>> http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/square_...
 ak>>> "She lives in Hanover Square." Can she live AT Hanover Square?

 RW>> Yes, she can live at 12 Hanover Square, which would be more
 RW>> specific than saying she lives in Hanover Square.

 ak>    Do you mean that I can't use "at" without mentioning her house
 ak> number?

Not at all. She lives on (or at) Hanover Square in (or at) #12...

 ak> I repeat the question: Can she live AT Hanover Square? Is it
 ak> a legitimate question?

Generally speaking, she can live at someplace.

 ak> <skipped>

 RW>>>>>> Russian rockets would be intercepted and destroyed by American
 RW>>>>>> satellites using rocket killer lasers from space.
 ak>>>>> Can we have in Russia laser killers for the American satellites?
 ak>>>>> 

 RW>>>> Probably... just as America has spy satelites looking in your
 RW>>>> bathroom window. 8^)
 ak>>> As Snowden would said "look who's talking!" ;-)
 RW>> Apparently he's a smart guy, but he's not very smart! Know what I
 RW>> mean? 8^)

 ak>    Well, as any person he can be smart in a specific area, but be
 ak> naive in some others. I think, he had hoped that he would stay in
 ak> Hong-Kong. It has some autonomy from China, but it is not a communist
 ak> country. From another side China provides the defense and controls
 ak> Hong-Kong's foreign policy. Snowden could not be extradited without
 ak> Chinese consent. Theoretically, Chinese Communist government must not
 ak> allow Hong-Kong to extradite Snowen to the US. They are not friends,
 ak> speaking mildly. He could hope on that, and that was the point that
 ak> he revealed his secrets there, and open some information that the US
 ak> spies widely in the Chinese cyberspace.

And vice versa...

 ak>    Hong-Kong's authority appeared to be between two fires. As a
 ak> Chinese territory it could not extradite Showden, but as a close the
 ak> US' partner it could not grant him an asylum.

We call that situation as 'being between a rock and a hard place'.

 RW>> Iceland has offered him a welcome there and there's no extradition
 RW>> treaty between them and the USA. In Iceland he'd be able to walk
 RW>> the streets without fear of being picked up and extradited. Now he
 RW>> just sits in a holding area while Putin thumbs his nose at Obama.

 ak>    In Russia, theoretically, Snowden would have the same freedom of
 ak> movement.

That Snowden is in a holding area, having been there for longer than it
should take to move on, says that he's now a political pawn. However,
Putin can't give him asylum because of the relationship between Russia and
the USA...right now we have a stalemate.

 ak> He is not the first spy nail between the US and Russia.

That's right.

 ak> There are many KGB traitors who have caused great damage to Russia
 ak> when they sold top secrets to CIA, and they were given an asylum in
 ak> the US.

Perhaps they were disgruntled spys with a bone to pick with the KGB...

 ak> The situation looks similar -- Russia has been wanting to
 ak> suit them as criminals, but the US is not in the mood to extradite
 ak> them. So, for Russia, Showden could be just a small revenge.

We've been there before. Most, if not all, former KGB agents re-patriated
to Russian seem to have disappeared.

 ak>    As for Putin's words, that "Snowden could stay in Russia on
 ak> condition that he stops to cause damage to the US" -- all politicians
 ak> are liars and hypocrites. IMHO, it was just a formal statement, and
 ak> after that Putin's spokesman had said that Snowden would no be
 ak> extradited in any case (because there is a death penalty in the US).

Snowden's own publically spoken words convicted him before he was charged
with any crimes. This is what I meant when I said he was a smart man, but
not a very smart man.

 ak>>> They say when he wants to swear at CIA he does it the Sheremetyevo
 ak>>> bathroom holding the douche as a telephone handset. ;=)

 RW>> There are douche' bags in Russian bathrooms for men?

 ak>    No, it is just a joking description of the late stage of insanity
 ak> when a person thinks he is been listened everywhere. ;=) Modern pop
 ak> stars have another syndrome -- they thought they are shot even they
 ak> are photographed even in their bathrooms. But they bothers not about
 ak> their nakedness, but about their face to be look good on the photos.
 ak> So they smile in their bathrooms. 

I would call that a 'skunk eating (feces)' grin...caught 'red handed' in
an embarrasing situation, what else can you do?

 ak>>>>>>> If you want your guests to be off, ask them for money. If you
 ak>>>>>>> want them to stay, ask for advice.
 RW>>>>>> If you want your guests to leave, ask them for money. If you
 RW>>>>>> want them to stay, ask them for advice.
 ak>>>>> I wonder, maybe "be off" is more rude, and therefore is more apt
 ak>>>>> when it applied to annoying guests? 
 RW>>>> No, I think 'be off' is a British way of saying 'leave' in
 RW>>>> American English.
 ak>>> I need something nasty. Maybe this: "If you want your guests to
 ak>>> buzz off ask them for money...." 

 RW>> How about: If you want your unwanted guests to flee the party, tell
 RW>> them one of the drunken party-goers pissed in the punch bowl. Those
 RW>> who have been drinking the punch will be out of there with a
 RW>> flash...

 ak>    Well, as a rule guests are not unwanted. We say about our guests
 ak> that stay very late, without thinking that the good time to leave had
 ak> passed long ago. I remember as Winnie-the-Pooh was Rabbit's guest and
 ak> got into a tight place. But all the Rabbit should have done was to
 ak> ask the bear for some honey. ;-)

I haven't read Winnie the Pooh, but having some kind of lubricant to help
release someone caught in a tight place seems logical...


         R\%/itt


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