In the first, and possibly second, edition of Fowler's Modern English Usage (I no longer possess either), he quoted another authority to the effect that, if you take hyphens seriously, you will surely go mad.
Here, if you care to, you can find an example of a man to whom it seems to have happened. (Link from Maud Newton.)
And, if we're picking nits, I don't like 'carburetor' much. It looks wrong, even if it is US practice.
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2 comments:
Oh, dear. I've always thought "carburetor" was something you Brits inflicted on us!
My apologies.
;-)
Personally, I'm quite fond of 'carburetor.' Just to irk you, I'm going to use it as often as I can. Maybe even add it to my signature line.
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