Your Letters
17:09 UK time, Tuesday, 18 November 2008
Has Gerry Adams now become a comedian with his ?
Suzanne, Bicester, Oxon
In response to Thomas of Maidstone, the OED has the earliest recorded use of 'to touch base' as 1918 - it was probably hated just as much then though.
Sarah Cornell, Bishop's Stortford, UK
According to Southpaws & Sunday Punches and other Sporting Expressions by Christine Ammer, "touch base" came into figurative use in the US in the 1950s. It's a baseball term. Sorry to say, Brits, we Yanks haven't latched onto any of your sports terms, being largely bereft of any notion of what a 'sticky wicket' is, for example, if we're even familiar with the term.
Nadja, north of Boston, USA
Re "Touching base". In an article from 1855 called "The Real Michigan", a chap called Bruce Catton writes that Michigan is "an earthly paradise for people from the hot cities [...] where they can have a chance and touch base with Mother Nature".
Rob Stanton, Kenilworth, UK
Re about the Sirius Star. Serious stuff (sorry). However, it has brought a new unit of measurement into force: The US aircraft carrier. What's that in Routemaster buses or tennis courts?
Chris W, Wales
Thanks for the Magazine front page link to which read 'Have you left the gas on?' I won't be able to relax all afternoon.
Ken, Chelmsford, UK
I don't want to re-open the grammar debate either but "pre-order" on Amazon? It doesn't even mean what they think it means, order in advance of general release. "Pre ordering" I flick through a catalogue, pick up a pen, find a cheque book...
David Mead, Seething, Norfolk
Regarding Paper Monitor's non-iron shirts comment - if you pull shirts out of the machine as soon as it finishes and hang them up you shouldn't need to iron them. The creasing happens when you leave wet washing scrunched up in the machine at the end of the cycle. Hope this helps :-)
Rebecca, London
The 
