Date:  Mon, 10 Nov 1997 15:40:12 EST
From:  Larry Horn <LHORN[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]YALEVM.CIS.YALE.EDU>
Subject: Re: Folk Etymology: "intensive"

Yes, the "all intensive purposes" has been around for some time. It's never
clear whether such mishearing-based folk etymologies are re-invented anew over
and over or are learned that way--in other words, whether the invention is
at the level of parole or of langue.   --Larry