dabe

Another great article from one of my favorite writers. Thank you, DED.

However...

as asinine as being concerned about the potential of cancer risk from your nickel bracelet while laying in the sun smoking cigarettes

The Mislaying of Lay:

In the present tense, people can only lay something. Otherwise, they lie.

A chicken can only lay an egg. Otherwise, it lies.

So when you find a chicken that says otherwise, it's all lies!

22july2013 said:

dabe said:

In the present tense, people can only lay something. Otherwise, they lie.

When someone lies down aren't they laying themselves down? If so, DED could have said "while laying themselves down in the sun."

Exactly!

I don't know how it works on the west coast near Silicon Valley, but I do know that where I'm from in the Caribbean no self-respecting chicken would report that it lay itself down on the beach. Its brethren might be confused! Did it lay itself as an egg and then pop out, or did it simply lie down?