As I lay there in the gudder,

Thinking thoughts I cannot udder …

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“Mariah White says it takes about an hour of milking between the two cows to produce their combined 10 to 11 gallons a day. That doesn’t include the time they spend cleaning the cows’ utters and sterilizing milk jugs.”

“The pier was a joint venture between North Little Rock and the Game and Fish Commission, and is one of the few handicap-accessible places to fish on the river.”

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Is it handicap-accessible or handicapped-accessible? I’d say it’s the latter, meaning “accessible to people who are handicapped,” but handicap-accessible appears in print at least as often.

Garner’s Modern American Usage doesn’t like either. “The phrases handicapped-accessible and handicap-accessible are illogical,” Garner writes. “Although wheelchair-accessible makes sense (accessible by wheelchair), handicapped-accessible does not — unless we do some contortions to suggest that it means ‘accessible to the handicapped.’ “

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I don’t find the contortions difficult, and I’m not especially limber.

Don A. Eilbott writes: “Happened to see the restaurant review for Denton’s Trotline on page 39 of the August 1 issue. ‘Saline county-ites’? Why not Saline Countians?”

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Pine Bluffian and Forrest Cityian are correct for residents of those cities, Eilbott says. He’s not sure about Helenaites, but he thinks Harrisonite sounds better than Harrisonian. (I don’t.)

“Little Rockites or Little Rockians?” Eilbott writes. “Perhaps it should be Little Rockets.” (Or Little Rockettes, although some might see objectionable sexism there. On the other hand, “The City of the High Kick” would be a memorable slogan.)

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My memory is less than perfect — considerably less — but it seems to me that years ago I was part of a faction agitating for Little Rockers. I don’t think that was ever widely accepted.

Finally, Eilbott asks if there’s a rule for determining what to call people from various places. If there is, I don’t know it. I do know that the Beatles were Liverpudlians. I’m proud of that.

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