[WikiEN-l] Language note (Was: We need a way to deal with AOL vandals THIS year)

[Toby Bartels]

Anthere wrote:

>what does that mean "ilk" ?

Short answer:  It means "type".

Long answer:  That's a good question.

The OED says that every usage of "ilk" is either
obsolete, Scottish, or erroneous (exactly 1).
The usage that I know, and that Zoe was using,
is the one labelled "erroneous" by the OED:
"that ilk: That family, class, set, or 'lot'.
Also, by further extension, = kind, sort."
Apparently, Zoe's usage of "their" instead of "that"
is too erroneous even to merit inclusion.
(Which is not a criticism of Zoe, but of the OED.)

Many American dictionaries don't mention this meaning at all,
while others give it as the only meaning;
"Type or kind" says one; "a kind of person", says another.
Among American dictionaries, only Merriam-Webster
seems to know about all 3 kinds of usage
(still only the OED calls the 3rd "erroneous").

None of these dictionaries mention what I think is most important
for understanding Zoe's comment -- it's *derogatory*.
Being of a certain ilk is to be a *bad* kind of thing.

I can't find any online English -> French translation dictionary
that's ever heard of the word.


-- Toby