Category: Grammar Nazism

Speed Bump #856

Grammar Nazism

From Longtime Friend & Reader Weetabix:

This morning on the radio, the host called an idea “far-fletched” before describing the problems with the idea. The guest then said, “You hit it right on the nail.”

1) Is a “far-fletched” idea one that has better fletching so it can fly farther?

2) Did the guest believe the host was trying to hammer his thumb on purpose?

Good questions, both.  In mitigation:  radio is a live medium so people can misspeak while expressing an opinion — but that’s all the more reason to gather one’s thoughts before expressing them.

Speed Bump #3,564

Grammar Nazism

In an otherwise excellent post, Don Surber had me right up until the end, when he uttered this little summary:

“President Trump slayed the Bush dynasty. Trump slayed the Clinton dynasty. Now, Trump has slayed Obama…”

The past-perfect word for “slay” is “slew“.  It’s one of the oldest words in the English language, for obvious reasons, and should be treated with the deference it deserves.  As the slaves used to sing:

Lil’ David play on your harp, hallelu-hallelu
Lil’ David play on your harp, hallelu.
Lil’ David was a shepherd boy,
He slew Goliath and shouted for joy!
Lil’ David play on your harp, hallelu.

If uneducated slaves could get it right…

Speed Bump #5,406

Grammar Nazism

Once more into the breech, dear friends:

Robert Kiyosaki, the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, is known for making hyperbolic predictions about the US economy – and this time he has a grim prognosis for the most populous state in the nation.

‘The problem is California is going broke,’ he wrote on X. ‘California will begin raising taxes and cutting subsidies to the poor, to prisons, environmental problems, and teachers unions. That means crime will spread as police will be cut.’

He believes even Americans who don’t live in the Golden State should care about its prospects because it’s a bell weather for the rest of the country.

‘Since California is a Bell Weather state and is going broke, which states will follow?’ he asked. 

I think he means “bellwether” and not “bell weather”, which is meaningless.

The article was otherwise quite informative, hence why the above atrocity was such a speed bump — I stopped reading it to write this post as I usually do in these circumstances.

Poxy illiterates.

Read more

Speed Bump #7,694

Grammar Nazism

Here we go again:

I don’t care about the story’s content or subject — on my interest scale, the hobbies of little fegelehs who jump into water rank somewhere below the sex lives of tarantulas — but FFS.

The knitting term is “PURL” and not “pearl”, you illiterate fucking scum of the earth.

There will come a time when I go over to Britishland and pay a visit to the offices of the Daily Mail, carrying my trusty cricket bat.  It will not be a pleasant site*.

 

*I know.  I just thought I’d pass it on.  Or you can take it as a pun.  Whatever.

New Expression

Grammar Nazism

As Longtime Readers know, I am generally not in favor of “verbing” — turning a noun into a verb.  I do like using existing words or terms appropriately to create a fresh description of something altogether different.

Here’s a good example from Combat Controller:

I like it.

Nobody said it has to be over the ocean…