• Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    You’ll notice the great majority of that definition talks about laws, with one minor exception for games.

    • mozz@mbin.grits.dev
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      2 months ago

      Lemmy is such a bizarre place. Honestly, I’m a little surprised I am still having this conversation. But sure!

      illegal

      [ ih-lee-guhl ]

      adjective

      1. forbidden by law or statute. Synonyms: unlicensed, illicit, illegitimate, unlawful
      2. contrary to or forbidden by official rules, regulations, etc.: The referee ruled that it was an illegal forward pass.

      -Dictionary.com

      The great majority of the definition, comprising a full 64% of the words, talks about meaning 2. So! By your own standards, definition 1 doesn’t count anymore, and I get to complain if you try to use it. How dare you say the word means definition 1, and not definition 2, which is clearly the only real definition and the only one that actually counts. How dare you. How DARE you.

      • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        I defy you to find a single usage of illegal in contemporary writing that refers to neither laws nor games.

        • mozz@mbin.grits.dev
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          2 months ago

          I’m not your citation monkey

          I actually found one, because I was wondering if me and the dictionary were the wrong ones, but I refuse to send it because what I already sent is accurate + sufficient. You can accept or not; it’s up to you.

          • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            Well I can’t really cite the whole of the English language to prove my point, can I? Trying to prove a negative is very difficult.