<bq href="https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!msg/rec.arts.sf-lovers/5tQFnNbvN80/1pfKcGbEYckJ" source="Google Groups" author="James D. Nicoll" date="May 1990" caption="The King's English">The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and riffle their pockets for new vocabulary.</bq> <hr> <n>Hat tip to <a href="http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=4276#more-4276" source="Language Log" author="Mark Liberman">"English is a little bit like a child"</a> for the reference.</n>