I’ve got a hypothetical question. I’m building this boat. It’s getting bigger and bigger. At what point does it become a ship? –Jack Skiles, San Antonio, Texas
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Ah, but to be a sailor is to be a master of nuance. To the preceding we must add the following provisos: (1) “ship” is a term to be bestowed sparingly, like a title of nobility, whereas (2) “boat” can be applied to just about anything that floats, has sides to keep out the water, and is capable of propulsion. In addition, (3) a thing can be a ship or it can be a boat, but it can’t be both.
Now let’s turn to the hill/mountain dichotomy, which is a bit knottier. Looking again in our Random House unabridged (1969 edition), we learn that a hill is “a natural elevation of the earth’s surface, smaller than a mountain,” while a mountain is “a natural elevation of the earth’s surface rising more or less abruptly to a summit, and attaining an altitude greater than that of a hill.” In other words, a hill is smaller than a mountain and a mountain is taller (and steeper) than a hill. Big freaking help.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): illustration/Slug Signorino.
