Sitting on the side of the highway waiting to catch speeding drivers, a State Police Officer see"s a car puttering along at 22 MPH.
He thinks to himself, "This driver is just as dangerous as a speeder!" So he turns on his lights and pulls the driver over. Approaching the car, he notices that there are five old ladies, two in the front seat and three in the back, wide eyed and white as ghosts. The driver, obviously confused, says to him, "Officer, I don"t understand, I was doing exactly the speed limit! What seems to be the problem?"
"Ma"am," the officer replies, "You weren"t speeding, but you should know that driving slower than the speed limit can also be a danger to other drivers."
"Slower than the speed limit? No sir, I was doing the speed limit exactly twenty-two miles an hour!" the old woman says a bit proudly.
The State Police officer, trying to contain a chuckle, explains to her that "22" was the route number, not the speed limit.
A bit embarrassed, the woman grinned and thanked the officer for pointing out her error.
"But before I let you go, Ma"am, I have to ask... Is everyone in this car OK? These women seem awfully shaken and they haven"t muttered a single peep this whole time," the officer asks.
"Oh, they"ll be all right in a minute officer. We just got off Route 142."
- principles of justice used to correct or supplement the law.
- a value of the shares issued by a company. B (in pl.) Stocks and shares not bearing fixed interest. [latin aequitas: related to *equal]
ERASER
n. Thing that erases, esp. A piece of rubber etc. For removing pencil etc. Marks.
ERBIUM
n. Metallic element of the lanthanide series. [ytterby in sweden]
ERMINE
n. (pl. Same or -s) 1 stoat, esp. When white in winter.
- its white fur, used to trim robes etc. [french]
EROTIC
adj. Of or causing sexual love, esp. Tending to arouse sexual desire or excitement. erotically adv. [greek eros sexual love]
ERRAND
n. - short journey, esp. On another's behalf, to take a message, collect goods, etc.
- object of such a journey. [old english]
- of mercy n. Journey to relieve suffering etc.
ERRANT
adj. - erring.
- literary or archaic travelling in search of adventure (knight errant). errantry n. (in sense 2). [from *err: sense 2 ultimately from latin iter journey]
ERSATZ
adj. & n. Substitute, imitation. [german]
ESCAPE
clause n. Law clause specifying conditions under which a contracting party is free from an obligation.
- velocity n. Minimum velocity needed to escape from the gravitational field of a body.
- —v. (-ping) 1 (often foll. By from) get free of restriction or control.
- (of gas etc.) Leak.
- succeed in avoiding punishment etc.
- get free of (a person, grasp, etc.).
- avoid (a commitment, danger, etc.).
- elude the notice or memory of (nothing escapes you; name escaped me).
- (of words etc.) Issue unawares from (a person etc.). —n. - act or instance of escaping.
- means of escaping (often attrib.: escape hatch).
- leakage of gas etc.
- temporary relief from unpleasant reality. [latin cappa cloak]
ESCHEW
v. Formal avoid; abstain from. eschewal n. [germanic: related to *shy1]
