beyond the pail or beyond the pale

A pale is originally a stake of the kind which might make up a palisade, or enclosure. The uncontrolled territory outside was then “beyond the pale.” The expression “beyond the pale” came to mean “bizarre,beyond proper limits”; but people who don’t understand the phrase oftenalter the last word to “pail.”The area of Ireland called “the Pale” inside the Dublin region formerly controlled by the British is often said to have been the inspiration for this expression, but many authorities challenge that explanation.

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• tripple vs triple
• extend vs extent
• as less as possible vs as little as possible
• phantom vs fathom
• seam vs seem
• benefactor vs beneficiary
• ninty vs ninety
• greatful vs grateful
• interment vs internment
• tragedy vs travesty

News & Articles

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• Why do we care if Syria uses chemical weapons?
  Obama is hardly alone in drawing a "red line" through the use of chemical weapons. The international community has long considered them to be beyond the pale of warfare. Here's why.
  June 14, 2013 - The News-Herald