Language & Grammar discussion

Whilst driving down the 10 through the desert last weekend we came upon a sign which said "Palm Springs City Limits."

"Limits?" said my husband. "Why do they always use the plural? Isn't a limit just a limit?"

R

hmm
geographical limit
governance limit
liability limit
psychological limit?
could be limits
but limit would make sense because i'm not sure the sign designators were concerned with anything but the geographical

so metes means limits?
as in metes and bounds
metes is size/area?
bounds is limits
nice topic
i agree with the water rights, mineral rights, air space rights, in california near the coast there are rights to the view etc etc
still think for the purpose of the sign
they were talking geo not politico social civil

Granted an area can have many limits, each in a different place. But a sign can only be in one place at a time, marking the limit of the city in that one place. So why say city limits.

R

Oh I know they usually say limits. But it doesn't make sense to me. OTOH, it doesn't have to make sense. When confronted by a similar question, my Italian teacher sighed and said about language, "It ees what it ees."

R

Being un-American, my first thought was...."Palm Springs City Limits what?" Fun....?

how about this one?
in maine
we have unorganized territory (100 acre grids i beleive) and the areas are known by the words township and a number corresponding to the grid
for example:
i once lived in Unorganized Territory Township 31
i loved how wild and independent it sounded

I was always taught to say disorganised......I live in disorganised cottage 134!!!!

and we had all sorts of cordial agreements with the snowplow guy, the emergency road service guy, the knitting and cooking ladies, the fishermen, the hunters, the farmers and the homesteaders
not to mention the store keeps, the game wardens, the state police and the dept. of transportation boys
(everyone with a state job paid for the morning coffee at the general store-all other locals including the vietnam vets, the reclusive writers, the greenhouse couple and the dog lady had theirs for free)

hmmm waxin nostalgic

I like nostalgia. Keep the wax burning.

I just returned from No Cal (like I wish all the food I eat was ... and as opposed to So Cal)-- going to the airport I passed a "Sacramento City Limit" sign. Limit, singular-- yea! I knew I had to report to the group :)

Aha!

We all have our limit(s).