A phrase you'll hear
quite a bit today - uttered by some very important people - is that it's "too early to speculate".
Exactly when is the precise time to speculate?
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I'd suggest the time for speculation is three minutes after you've drunk your fourth quadlatte.
Quite what you speculate about is, of course, another matter.
The terrorists scored a total success and caused total devastation. Todays news has been ruined and the formation of the new Government forced into second place.
I think speculation is the bane of many news programmes; I prefer facts rather than what-ifs and maybes.
What did make me laugh was that several different new reports commented on the fact that one of the Royal cars had nearly been hit by a chunk of plaster falling from Bham Pally, only to follow up with the car was empty at the time. And???
Eddie,
Our culture likes to speculate and joke about heaven. One journalist said, "Las Vegas looks the way you'd imagine heaven might look at night." Ernest Hemingway said, "To me, heaven would be a big bullring with me holding two Barrera seats and a trout stream outside that no one else was allowed to fish in."
Mark Twain didn't have a high view of heaven: "Go to heaven for the climate," he said, "go to hell for the company." There's been a lot of thought, a lot of jokes, a lot of speculation, and a lot of wondering about heaven. As for me, I imagine it to be a little like Storrington in the summer. ;-)
I think speculation is the bane of many news programmes; I prefer facts rather than what-ifs and maybes.
What did make me laugh was that several different new reports commented on the fact that one of the Royal cars had nearly been hit by a chunk of plaster falling from Bham Pally, only to follow up with the car was empty at the time. And???
Lets be fair David (2), the terrorists didn't achieve a *total* success - a partial one maybe, with all the disruption. A total success in their terms would have been bodies strewn from one end of the Haymarket to the other, thank God that didn't happen. Although it's a bit alarming that they failed because they were incompetent rather than because they got sussed by the authorities. Or at least that's what it looks like - or am I speculating?
If it's too early to speculate, should we coin a new word?
Specuearly. Specuearly.
Specuearly, specunow, speculate.
P.S. Any chance of putting the lovely Welsh tones of Dot on a couple of minutes *after* I get home instead of a couple of minutes *before*?
...before anyone else.
Then, there's more (of everything) to be had...
Answer: When you wish to accumulate, I guess...
Premature speculation Eddie?
Speculate v.i. to consider the circumstances or possibilities regarding it, usually without any factual basis and without coming to a definite conclusion.
Aye, that'll suit the situation!
Or is it related to:
speculum noun ... 2 medicine a device that is used to enlarge the opening of a body cavity so that the interior may be inspected. ...
xx
ed
... as in the Chinese leader who was asked whether he thought the French Revolution had been a success and replied that it was too early to speculate?
Precision and speculation both together? Unlikely.
The right time must surely be "before you have all the relevant facts".
After that it is "analysis". Usually with an emphasis on the first four letters.
Adrie,
I thought it was Gandhi who was asked what he thought about Western Civilisation, and replied,"It would be a good idea!"
xx
ed
I had thought of something brilliant to say on "speculate" and, indeed 'speculation'. But having read all the comments, I've forgotten what it was!
"It's too early to speculate" - followed by reams of unsubstantiated speculation about what, why, how and particularly what *could* have happened (but didn't - and maybe couldn't have done anyway).
I predict also that lots of talking heads will witter on about "security" and "being on our guard" and maybe even shoehorn in a reference to ID cards, as if that would have made any difference.
Too much news time to fill. Breakfast news was on for some reason this a.m. I think SO wanted a weather forecast. Speculation was rife then.
Someone left a bomb and that someone needs catching. Let us all be more aware and let the folk who catch the terrorists do their job. ( And correctly we all know of past errors)
I've not seen any news today and only had a quick glance at the Beebs web site so I'm afraid I can not speculate any further.
The only speculation I want to hear is an estimate of when you might have some real information.
There is enough happening in the world that programs should not need to be padded out with pointless guff.
I do hope Kevin @19 isn't pointing a finger at you Eddie.
Incidentally, when is Paris Hilton "appearing" on PM?
SSCat (7), Specular? Speculee? Speculum?
Everyone is going to look pretty silly if it turns out that the Mercedes belonged to the owner of a rival night-club and the whole thing was nothing to do with what I think I'm going to call 'traditional terrorists' at all.
Anyone who cares about the state of this world in 2007 has to be fed up with the kind of bootless speculation, so prevalent today. You Brits should count yourselves lucky to not be living so close to the USA!
I live within 20 kilometres of the New York state border and the CNN's of this world pollute our cable-waves, with their trite speculation on all things to do with the rather limited "American interest". Larry King makes Dame Edna look like a serious journalist.
I also believe that Mika Brzenzincki should replace the ever-perky Katie Couric as newsreader for the CBS news as soon as possible!
Um, speculation, where would tabloid journalism be without it? In whatever medium?
Thanks to the froggers who came up with other specules, btw.
Enjoyable.
Oh, all right, they have found another one. It wasn't a rival night-club owner, as I frivolously suggested.
In a car pound!?!
Good grief.
My heart goes out to the tow-crew who dragged an illegally-parked car-bomb across town; they must be in severe shock. But did nobody check its interior for unconscious revellers before it was towed away? *When* did they tow it away -- before or after they realised what the one in the Haymarket was?
No, that isn't speculation: it's flabbergasted enquiry.