Semantics (was: Grammar Error)

[Greg 'groggy' Lehey]

On Monday, 11 December 2006 at 16:56:07 -0800, Miles Raymond wrote:
> On
> http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/book-preface.html
>
> in the first paragraph:
>
> "...and the ability to take on board new concepts as they are introduced."
>
> should probably say "broad" instead of "board".

Well, firstly this is semantics, not grammar; but "take on board" is a
nautical metaphor, and completely correct.  "on broad" doesn't mean
anything to me.

On Monday, 11 December 2006 at 17:17:53 -0800, Chuck Swiger wrote:
> On Dec 11, 2006, at 4:56 PM, Miles Raymond wrote:
>> On http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/book-
>> preface.html
>>
>> in the first paragraph:
>>
>> "...and the ability to take on board new concepts as they are
>> introduced."
>>
>> should probably say "broad" instead of "board".
>
> It's at least possible they meant "...take onboard...";

I hope not.  That word doesn't appear in my dictionary, and it's
pretty clear from the context that it applies to the following (from
the OED):

  14e. to take on board (fig.), to drink or consume; to swallow; also,
       to accept (an idea, etc.), to grasp.

Greg
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