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Chris -- 2025-05-10

#1 2005-11-27 21:27:00

klakritz
Eggcornista
From: Winchester Massachusetts
Registered: 2005-10-25
Posts: 674

'cast dispersions' for 'cast aspersions'

This is fairly common- 800+ ghits. The meaning is unclear, although to disperse a group is, in some sense, to dismiss or diminish it. Examples:

They are prepared to cast dispersions on President Bush for the sake of casting
dispersions whether by calling him liar or comparing him to Hitler.
www.americandaily.com/article/5358

Great leaders look at their teams as a “we” effort and do not cast dispersions
on the team when things go awry because of their poor leadership.
seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/224367_apprentice16.html

Nobody has the right to force his or her religious beliefs on anyone, much less
cast dispersions.
www.tripso.com/archives/2005/05/how_does_your_r.html

But I think it would be a big mistake to try to cast dispersions on anyone because they are a Chinese American.
www.committee100.org/media/media_eng/051299.html

If your goal is to prove some hanky panky went on way back then so that you can
cast dispersions on bush, relax, you don’t have to go that far back.
www.opednews.com/patricia0204_bush_in_bird.htm

Now, I’m not here to cast dispersions on the honesty of Amazon, but the whole “List Price” schtick works much better when you’re selling books, ...
www.biggeworld.com/archive/tcdotcom/amazon.html

After all, it would be inappropriate to cast dispersions on a cult that breeds
violence, disrespects women, and condones beheading.
www.politicalvine.com/columnists/column … sp?c=17032

However, a former association with General Ludendorf cast dispersions on him and
he was forced to leave the post.
www.lib.duke.edu/lilly/artlibry/dah/willrichw.htm

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#2 2005-11-28 21:36:54

Ben Zimmer
Member
Registered: 2005-10-14
Posts: 15
Website

Re: 'cast dispersions' for 'cast aspersions'

This came up recently on the American Dialect Society mailing list:

http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bi … S-L&P=8131

Definitely worth an entry on the database.

Last edited by Ben Zimmer (2005-11-28 21:37:25)

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