[Duo2400] farther off topic jargon

[KKarstens]

re: Decimate
>Isn't that from the old Roman practice of rounding up
>100 of the enemy of the moment, tying them to posts
>arranged in a circle then slitting the throat of
>every 10th man until only one survivor was left to
>send back to tell the tale?

So much imagination and detail, this definition is lifted from Zena.
Decimate in Latin means simply 'a tenth killed' and was used on mutinous 
Roman legions, leaving 90% forgiven and back in the army. The Roman army 
never slaughtered conquered people, they were taxed, annexed into the 
joys of being part of the empire, bringing order and straight roads to 
Greater Europe and beyond.  Less astute marauding armies would pillage 
and run, as long as they were in the area that season, and carry the 
treasury away.  The Assyrians and Babylonians would, on occassan, when 
visiting outlying farming towns, kill every male in a community just to 
show they meant real buisness.  Loyalists from other areas would be given 
the farmland and the women.  Ten percent is rather small by today's 
standards so decimate has come to mean killing a large significant 
portion of a group.

KenK