FM> Actually *I'm* interested to know whether the Macquarie
 FM> actually spells it out as 1. & 2. as you quoted.

  My Collins spells is out as 1. & 2. and Webster's combines it. I
think it's just a matter of layout style. Webster's and COD's style
is more prosaic.

 FM> The COD, while using almost exactly the same words, combines it
 FM> in one meaning which was also my "understanding" of the meaning
 FM> of the word before this got started - ie, writing in a
 FM> straightforward, matter-of-fact way in the style of prose,
 FM> rather than with the expression and possible deeper meaning in
 FM> the style of poetry.

  Prosaic also means dull, Frank... not just prose-like. In my
understanding (and all dictionaries agree), it has two separate
meanings, or at least two aspects of the one meaning: dull, and
prose-like. Dull is the more common usage, which is why dictionaries
put it first.

Regards,
Bob
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