From Donald Pritchard
Wokingham, Berkshire
The main heading in This Week (15 February, p 4) contains a grammatical error
which is inexcusable even for a Scientist, whether New or Old.
“Chernobyl refuses to lay down” can only mean that it does not want to
deposit a bird’s underplumage. The verb “to lay” is transitive and needs an
object. A bird might lay some down in its nest when it is about to lay an egg.
You and I could possibly lay a blanket on the ground before we lie on it and
Chernobyl could refuse to lie down and die.
