But we quite unselfconsciously say, "Have a nice day," "I had a wonderful
time."

Gene Hunn.

On Tue, 25 Apr 1995, Dennis Paulson wrote:

> A recent posting caught me in an iconoclastic mood (I only feel this way
> about 16 hours each day).
>
> It was written (no names, to protect the innocent), "Yesterday I had my
> first Vaux's Swift of the year." Is there anyone else out there who
> objects to the verb "to have" to describe an encounter with a bird? This
> has become so common, just another one of the many things about the English
> language that make us old purists flinch. Believe me, no offense meant to
> the perpetrator; just about everyone does it, and you just reminded me of
> it!
>
> Most people look at me blankly when they say something like "I had a flock
> of Pectoral Sandpipers yesterday," and I respond "That must have been
> difficult."
>
> I'm sure this tweaks me because of the hunting/gotcha aspect of it at least
> as much as the (perhaps) misuse of the verb. So much of birding nowadays
> seems to revolve around that aspect that some days, when I'm in a mellow
> mood, I sort of wish we still saw and heard birds, not got them.
>
> Really--this posting is about birds.
>
> Dennis Paulson, Director phone: (206) 756-3798
> Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
> University of Puget Sound e-mail: dpaulson at ups.edu
> Tacoma, WA 98416
>
>
>