Talk:whiles

RFV discussion: January–March 2022

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whiles

Can while as in a long while really be pluralized? No way in my speech is #two whiles or #several whiles possible. Benwing2 (talk) 03:56, 15 January 2022 (UTC)

OK, I see there is a cite for this, although I don't understand the sentence being cited and it's from 1857. If we are going to include this, we need to add a qualifier to the plural. Benwing2 (talk) 04:03, 15 January 2022 (UTC)

It's probably citable, but it's telling that the top result is a book talking about how the construction is generally not acceptable. 70.172.194.25 06:27, 15 January 2022 (UTC)

The OED contains a number of examples of the plural use of the word, but it’s probably safe to label it as archaic. One example is Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped (1886): “There are whiles […] when ye are altogether too canny and Whiggish to be company for a gentleman like me.” There are also the constructions at whiles and between whiles. — SGconlaw (talk) 19:38, 15 January 2022 (UTC)

Thanks. I marked it as archaic or jocular, as there are modern citations, but clearly facetious. Benwing2 (talk) 04:56, 16 January 2022 (UTC)

RFV-passed. Kiwima (talk) 02:39, 30 March 2022 (UTC)