G - Infer: An Unhappy argument

'Infer,' which is used to mean 'conclude,'
is also used to mean 'imply.'
This meaning is ardently contested
by would-be disciples and guardians of English
despite its dating back to the 14th Century.
Even then, speaking was a pig.

As English is by nature democratic
(The 'rules' are reported, not dictated
by your books, and constantly change,)
'Infer' correctly means 'imply' as much
as it means 'conclude,' however angrily
one professes that to be 'wrong.'

If you should encounter resistance
or belittlement at your use of 'infer'
to mean 'imply,' pretend to submit.
It does people good to think they are 'right.'
Not so much their friends.

Remember how you and I scorned
the idea that poetry was no more
than an assembly of shapes
that looked like a poem?

Idiots.