excerpts from former
postings:
Stan Kelly-Bootle:... A
usage worthy of comment: the driver says of the road “It
abuts at the forest.” Pedants would normally say (transitively!)
“It abuts the forest,” since the “at” is already embedded in the prefix “a-”
(via Latin “ad”) of “a-but.” Since “it abuts” is uncommonly posh (compared with
“it borders”), one is left wondering why the driver’s grammar is rather peccably
colloquial?
Jansy Mello: ...The wiktionary, on "abut,"
...suggests a subreptitious French influence :"...From Middle English
abutten, from Old French abouter, aboter (“to border on”); compare French
aboutir, and also abuter; a (Latin ad) + Old French boter, buter (“to push”).
Compare French bout (“end”), and but (“end, purpose”)." Perhaps, like
Homais, a driver also nods.
Alexey Sklyarenko:
[ ] When Van, leaving Ardis in a family motorcar, asks Bouteillan to
move from his seat at the steering wheel, the butler (whose name comes from
bouteille, "bottle") bids Van to drive carefully [...]"Bouteillan put on a captain's cap, too big for him, and grape-blue
goggles; 'remouvez votre bottom, I will drive,' said Van - and the summer of
1884 was over.[ ].."'Non, Monsieur,' answered Bouteillan, holding on
to his cap. 'Non. Tout simplement j'aime bien Monsieur et sa
demoiselle'."
A
commentary:
Jansy Mello: What a series
of coincidences (they don't seem to have been deliberately planted by
VN) !
1.SKB selects a quote about the driver's
use of "abut";
2. JM "hears" something French in
it and suggests "abouter/aboutir"
3.AS discusses corkscrews
and butler-driver Bouteillan's ease with the French.
However, it's worth reconsidering SKB's
warning note about the driver's "posh" use of "it abuts," when other words
might have fit in as well.