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aggregate to

English translation: take over / assimilate

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:aggregate to
Selected answer:take over / assimilate
Entered by: Carole Hognestad

15:34 Apr 6, 2014
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Social Sciences - History
English term or phrase: aggregate to
For many, the dilemma posed by a usurper who tried to aggregate to himself the patriotic cause was more clear-cut than that between independence and a foreign king demanding his feudal rights of homage.
Carole Hognestad
Local time: 08:09
take over / assimilate
Explanation:
Use a pre-existing movement for his own ends.

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Note added at 19 hrs (2014-04-07 10:40:27 GMT)
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This is from http://books.google.fr/books?id=uE4xX1sfW_EC&pg=PA123.

The author is Michael Lynch, FRHistS, FRSE, FSA Scot (born 15 June 1946) is a retired Scottish historian and a leading expert in the history of the Scottish Reformation and pre-modern urbanisation in the Scottish kingdom. In 2010, five years after his retirement, he was described by one reviewer as 'one of the most influential historians in Scotland of the last thirty years'.

I'm inclined to the view that if he said "aggregate" that's what he meant. Faulkner for example in Soldiers' Pay: "Only the ageing need conventions and laws to aggregate to themselves some of the beauty of this world."
Selected response from:

DLyons
Ireland
Local time: 07:09
Grading comment
Many thanks for all the input on this.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +4arrogate to (himself): lay claim to / appropriate (the patriotic cause) without justification,
Charles Davis
4 +1take over / assimilate
DLyons


  

Answers


4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
take over / assimilate


Explanation:
Use a pre-existing movement for his own ends.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 19 hrs (2014-04-07 10:40:27 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

This is from http://books.google.fr/books?id=uE4xX1sfW_EC&pg=PA123.

The author is Michael Lynch, FRHistS, FRSE, FSA Scot (born 15 June 1946) is a retired Scottish historian and a leading expert in the history of the Scottish Reformation and pre-modern urbanisation in the Scottish kingdom. In 2010, five years after his retirement, he was described by one reviewer as 'one of the most influential historians in Scotland of the last thirty years'.

I'm inclined to the view that if he said "aggregate" that's what he meant. Faulkner for example in Soldiers' Pay: "Only the ageing need conventions and laws to aggregate to themselves some of the beauty of this world."

DLyons
Ireland
Local time: 07:09
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Many thanks for all the input on this.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Yvonne Gallagher
3 hrs
  -> Thanks Gallagy.
neutral  B D Finch: That's what the author means, but it ignores the fact that they used the wrong word.
17 hrs
  -> Thanks Barbara. See note above.
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
arrogate to (himself): lay claim to / appropriate (the patriotic cause) without justification,


Explanation:
I don't really disagree with Donal's answer, but I think you may find an explanation welcome.

"Aggregate" is the wrong word. You can tell from the context what the writer must mean by it, but it's what's known as a malapropism: using a word that is not the one you mean but sounds similar to the one you mean. In this case, what the writer meant was "arrogate to himself", and arrogate means:

" (transitive) to claim or appropriate for oneself presumptuously or without justification"
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/arrogate

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Note added at 20 hrs (2014-04-07 12:01:32 GMT)
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In the light of Donal's discovery of the source, I have changed my mind. I agree that it is very unlikely that an author like this would have committed a malapropism, and if he wrote "aggregate", that is what he meant. If you do a Google search for the expressions "aggregated to himself" or "aggregate to themselves", and other variants, there are enough examples from respectable texts to make it clear that this expression does exist, though I don't find it in dictionaries. As far as I can see it always carries a negative implication of usurping or taking over something, particularly adopting powers. So the sense, I believe, is as I've said, but the explanation (aggregate for arrogate) is probably not right.

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 08:09
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 52

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  BrigitteHilgner: "Context would be useful, "aggregate" seems nonsensical in this sentence and "arrogate/appropriate" is the solution which does make sense. Maybe some scanning problem?
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Brigitte! It could be a scanning problem, but as I say, I think the likeliest explanation is a malapropism, a wrong word choice on the writer's part.
agree  Yvonne Gallagher
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, Gallagy!
agree  Tina Vonhof (X)
10 hrs
  -> Thanks, Tina :)
agree  B D Finch
16 hrs
  -> Thank you!
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