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---OFF TOPIC: WORD USAGE---

Do ad hock networks lead to fetlock-in?

A hock is a joint in the lower end of a quadruped's hind leg, between the knee and fetlock. It's in analogous position to the ankle in humans.

Of course 'hock' can also mean 'to sell, especially to a pawn broker'.

The word you want is 'hoc' which is Latin for 'this'. You may be familiar with the 'post hoc' fallacy: which is that if event A is followed by event B, event B must therefore be caused by event A. The full name of the fallacy is 'post hoc, ergo propter hoc', which means 'after this, therefore because this'.

The latin word 'ad' simply mean 'to' or 'for'. So 'ad astra' means 'to the stars', an 'ad hominem' argument is to literally direct your argument 'to the person' and their faults.

So finally we arrive at the combination 'ad hoc', which means 'to the purpose'. Ad hoc things are done in purely pragmatic manner, for a particular purpose. They are often short lived arrangements which end once their purpose has been meet or is made moot.

Oh, and you didn't make this mistake, but I'm going to blather about it anyway. 'etc.' is short for 'et cetera', it is not spelled 'ect.', nor 'excetera', nor is the usage 'and etc.' valid. 'et cetera' means literally 'and the rest'--meaning anything, not necessarily just the Professor and Maryanne.




ooh, TIL! Thanks!

The ad-hoc I was reffering was : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_ad_hoc_network

And I am aware of "etc." ;)




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