ArcaMax

Q: Can you verify the theory that the computer "HAL" in the movie "2001 -- A Space Odyssey" is so named because each of its letters comes alphabetically just before a letter in "IBM"; that is, H/I, A/B, L/M? -- Joanne Watson via email

A: As HAL itself might have said, "I'm sorry, Joanne, but I'm afraid I can't do that." Sir Arthur Clarke, who wrote the short stories that inspired the movie, made it clear that "HAL" stands for "Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer."

Q: I keep hearing the word 'vetted.' I know what it means, but what is its origin? -- Marty Berg, Saratoga, California

A: I'm more than happy to vet "vet," which means "to examine, scrutinize," as in, "Boeing carefully vets each plane as it comes off the production line." Well, maybe not all that carefully.

"Vet," short for "veterinarian," was first used as a verb in the late 1800s. It initially meant "to examine an animal," but soon expanded to refer to medical checkups of humans and then to any examination of a person's background, character or suitability.

In 1904, poet Rudyard Kipling wrote, "These are our crowd ... They've been vetted, an' we're putting 'em through their paces," which makes me rather glad I wasn't in Kipling's crowd.

Today, of course, "vet" can refer to the scrutiny of ideas or policies, as in, "Let's vet Dinkleworthy's proposal to cut Social Security benefits."

Q: Words ending in "-ly" are almost always adverbs, but I can think of one word -- "kindly" -- that can be used as either an adverb or adjective, e.g., "She treated him kindly," and "He had a kindly disposition." Are there any other "-ly" words that play this dual role? -- Frank Wilson, Anoka, Minnesota

A: Hmm ... There are certainly many adjectives ending in "-ly," e.g., costly, deadly, friendly, timely, but only a few that can be both an adjective and adverb.

One group that comes to mind are words related to time: hourly, daily, nightly, weekly, monthly, early, e.g., hourly schedule; check the patient hourly; early bird; come early.

Others include "only," e.g., only option, press button only once; "leisurely" (leisurely pace; do it leisurely); and "bodily" (bodily fluids, checked him bodily). And, as my pal Rand Cooper reminds me, "gingerly" means both "very careful" (a gingerly examination) and "very carefully" (examine it gingerly).

If, after a gingerly search, you discover other "-ly" double-dippers, please message me, gingerly.

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Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Connecticut, invites your language sightings. His book, "Mark My Words," is available for $9.99 on Amazon.com. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via email to WordGuy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

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