# Battles you know are lost but still won't stop fighting **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 15, 2006, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battles-you-know-are-lost-but-still-wont-stop-fighting/348404 "2006-03-15T02:13:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battles-you-know-are-lost-but-still-wont-stop-fighting/348404/161 "2006-03-23T05:29:12Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Otherwise, what is the first thing? There is no thing, so the thing that’s coming won’t be another thing, it’ll just be… a thing. If that’s what you think, you’ve got a thing coming. Well, yeah, okay, but it’s hardly a snappy phrase. The think is the first thing, of course. Like I said, the way I’ve interpreted the saying–and again let me reiterate that I’ve _never_ heard or read it with two thinks–is that there is no second “think”, that is, that your subsequent change in opinion is a side effect of the thing coming, rather than the main dish–and it may not be related at all. The quintessential example in my mind is a mother saying “If you think you can eat dessert without finishing your vegetables, you’ve got another thing coming”. There is no implication that the child will change his or her opinion that he/she should or will get food. There’s no second think coming–how the child opines is in fact entirely irrelevant to the main point, which is that a big thing–lack of frozen sugary goodness, in this case–is coming that will suck for the child. Optimally the child will change his or her opinion–but the mother isn’t forcing an opinion change, she’s just giving the kid a choice: eat greens, or miss out on dessert. You’ve made a convincing case for the double-think method being more legit, though. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2006, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battles-you-know-are-lost-but-still-wont-stop-fighting/348404/162 "2006-03-27T15:10:32Z")
Another of my pet peeves reared its ugly head again… “at your convience” You know, if you’re going to have to use this word often, just post a slip of paper with the correct spelling and copy from it. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2006, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battles-you-know-are-lost-but-still-wont-stop-fighting/348404/163 "2006-04-03T14:08:16Z")
its = belongs to it’s = it is I hate modifiers for “unique.” Something can’t be “truly unique,” “very unique,” “most unique.” It’s either unique - one of a kind - or it’s not. “Anymore” does not mean “nowadays,” but I hear it used that way more and more: “Seems like gasoline is really expensive anymore.” “Alot” and “alright” are becoming more common, too, but they still make me grind my teeth. I’m afraid they’ll soon become acceptable, much as “already” and “altogether” long have been. And, my all-time law-related pet peeve: John Roberts is “Chief Justice of the United States,” not “Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.” See 28 U.S.C. 1. People get it wrong all the time. ---
**Author:** ![ChordedZither](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9c0ed/32.png) [@ChordedZither](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChordedZither)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2006, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battles-you-know-are-lost-but-still-wont-stop-fighting/348404/164 "2006-04-03T14:27:10Z")
> [@Elendil's Heir](#): > > its = belongs to > I hate modifiers for “unique.” Something can’t be “truly unique,” “very unique,” “most unique.” It’s either unique - one of a kind - or it’s not. See **Excalibre** ’s earlier quote (post #24) from the American Heritage Dictionary for a fairly well-reasoned counter-argument. > [@](#): > > “Anymore” does not mean “nowadays,” but I hear it used that way more and more: “Seems like gasoline is really expensive anymore.” The AHD [recognizes this](http://www.thefreedictionary.com/anymore) as a regional usage that appears to be spreading. I grew up (in the MidWest) hearing this usage of the word all the time, but my New Englander spouse was appalled every time I used it. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2006, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battles-you-know-are-lost-but-still-wont-stop-fighting/348404/165 "2006-04-03T16:12:05Z")
> [@ChordedZither](#): > > The AHD [recognizes this](http://www.thefreedictionary.com/anymore) as a regional usage that appears to be spreading. I grew up (in the MidWest) hearing this usage of the word all the time, but my New Englander spouse was appalled every time I used it. An acquaintance from an extremely small town in Washington state uses “anymore” this way, too; however, I’m pretty sure it’s just him being an uneducated hick. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2006, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battles-you-know-are-lost-but-still-wont-stop-fighting/348404/166 "2006-04-03T17:05:49Z")
> [@Elendil's Heir](#): > > “Anymore” does not mean “nowadays,” but I hear it used that way more and more: “Seems like gasoline is really expensive anymore.” Considering “The Breakup Song” is from what, the early 80s? I don’t think this is a new thing. ---
**Author:** ![Chance\_the\_Gardener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@Chance\_the\_Gardener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chance_the_Gardener)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2006, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battles-you-know-are-lost-but-still-wont-stop-fighting/348404/167 "2006-04-03T22:06:57Z")
I realize that one of these days, the official definition of **presently** will be “something that’s happening right now.” Regardless, I hold out that **presently** and **currently** mean more or less the same thing, and I still use the word in the traditional sense. These things change, I know, I know; “awful” used to mean “fantastic,” and I’m sure there were people like me fighting that, too, and it’s hopeless but I don’t care. **presently** means **soon** , and I’ll keep tilting at that windmill. In other quixotic news, I still don’t patronize Exxon (or Esso, or Mobil) stations, and I haven’t since that business with the _Exxon Valdez_ in 1989. I’m still not quitting. One night I was driving through a remote section of West Virginia, almost out of gas, and when I happened upon an Exxon station, I drove right past, dreading the need to call Triple A in a place where I wouldn’t know where to look for a phone. A couple exits later, running on fumes, I found a BP station. Deus veult! ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2006, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battles-you-know-are-lost-but-still-wont-stop-fighting/348404/168 "2006-04-03T23:48:33Z")
Niggardly is a perfectly good word that means exactly what it’s supposed to and should be used more often. The book Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman has nothing to do with Africa or Africans. Switching our clocks twice a year for daylight savings time is a pain in the neck. Can we just pick a time and stick to it? ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battles-you-know-are-lost-but-still-wont-stop-fighting/348404/169 "2006-04-04T02:38:36Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > :smack: > > I believe you, but could you explain? Here is the quote to which **gigi** was responding: > [@](#): > > Heck, I probubly have\* spelling and grammer errors in this very post! You misspelled _probably_ and _grammar_ in that sentence. Also, you wrote: > [@](#): > > “Well, I’ll just take your $400 credit and minus it from the $500 dollars you owe.” Either “$500 you owe” or “five hundred dollars you owe” is correct here – “500 dollars" would literally be read "500 dollars dollars". (Although, to your credit, you didn't make the all-too-common error of typing "500”!) **bluethree** : I agree with the point of your statement. After living in Ohio since I was born, I moved to Indiana, and relished the fact that I no longer had to “spring forward” and “fall back”. Then Governor Daniels decided we Hoosiers had to make the leap into the twenty-first century, and so I had to move my clocks ahead a couple of days ago. However, that abomination of which you speak is properly written [**Daylight Saving Time**](http://www.infoplease.com/spot/daylight1.html). The second word is singular, and each word of the phrase is capitalized (cf. **Eastern Standard Time** ). Currently bugging me is Maryland women’s basketball coach Brenda Frese, who repeatedly praises the fact that her Terrapins just [_grinded_ it out](http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:hhrv7ihfjw4J:rssfeeds.usatoday.com/UsatodaycomCollegeWomensBasketball-TopStories%3Fm%3D283+Brenda+Frese+grinded&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3&ie=UTF-8) en route to victory. Um, Brenda, the past tense of _grind_ is _ground_! ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battles-you-know-are-lost-but-still-wont-stop-fighting/348404/170 "2006-04-04T11:40:30Z")
> [@Sternvogel](#): > > Here is the quote to which **gigi** was responding: > > You misspelled _probably_ and _grammar_ in that sentence. > > Also, you wrote: > > Either “$500 you owe” or “five hundred dollars you owe” is correct here – “500 dollars" would literally be read "500 dollars dollars". (Although, to your credit, you didn't make the all-too-common error of typing "500”!) Thanks! Being corrected is a blessing. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battles-you-know-are-lost-but-still-wont-stop-fighting/348404/171 "2006-04-04T16:01:59Z")
> [@Chance the Gardener](#): > > **presently** means **soon** , and I’ll keep tilting at that windmill. Thank you for the reminder! I think I have slipped into using it like “currently” and that’s not OK. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battles-you-know-are-lost-but-still-wont-stop-fighting/348404/172 "2006-04-04T17:30:41Z")
> [@Sternvogel](#): > > Either “$500 you owe” or “five hundred dollars you owe” is correct here – “500 dollars" would literally be read "500 dollars dollars". (Although, to your credit, you didn't make the all-too-common error of typing "500”!) Not to mention that he made the critical mistake of identifying _minus_ as a verb, rather than what it really is: a signal for me to start killing everyone in my field of vision. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battles-you-know-are-lost-but-still-wont-stop-fighting/348404/173 "2006-04-04T17:47:56Z")
> [@Sierra Indigo](#): > > But what really busts my hump is people who will spell it ‘que’ when they’re copying directly from something where the word is spelt correctly. That fills me with grrrr. I had a history teacher in college who said one of his pet peeves is when people misspell historical names. Now, he it wasn’t normally a big deal, but if the persons name is in the question and then they misspell it in the first line of the essay…well (according to him) that’s like going to brush your teeth but brushing your nose instead, just dumb. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battles-you-know-are-lost-but-still-wont-stop-fighting/348404/174 "2006-04-04T19:12:09Z")
My biggest gripe isn’t a specific grammatical issue, it’s people who correct me _when I’m not wrong._ If you want to use “criteria” as a singular, go ahead. I’ll just cringe and ignore you. But don’t correct me when I say, “what was your main criterion?” That said, I absolutely detest newscasters on television who don’t understand present vs. past tense. Sometimes they switch inappropriately between tenses within a story. Sometimes their use of present tense is just silly: “John Doe dying today…” No. He _died_. He’s not still dying six hours later. It’s over. He’s dead now. I understand the use of present tense in newspaper headlines to make news seem more current, and even shorten the headline (“Bush signs bill” is shorter than “Bush signed bill”), but we don’t need this silliness on television. > [@kelly5078](#): > > But go ahead and verb things if it makes you happy. One of the beautiful things about English is that you can verb any noun…even “verb.” 😃 > [@Kyla](#): > > D’oh. That’ll teach me to be a smartass. There’s one of my pet peeves. Don’t you mean, “That’ll teach me _not_ to be a smartass”? Think about it! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battles-you-know-are-lost-but-still-wont-stop-fighting/348404/175 "2006-04-04T19:19:20Z")
Mine is “Sentient.” You’ll often hear people argue thatthe difference betwene man and the other animals is that man is “Sentient,” or argue whether dolphins are “sentient” or if we will ever find “sentient” life on other planets. “Sentient” means “having senses.” All animals are sentient. A tuna fish is sentient. I think Star Trek started this nonsense of it meaning “intelligent.” ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battles-you-know-are-lost-but-still-wont-stop-fighting/348404/176 "2006-04-04T21:16:53Z")
Perscription, as in “I need to get my perscription filled”. It’s PREscription! ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battles-you-know-are-lost-but-still-wont-stop-fighting/348404/177 "2006-04-04T21:23:45Z")
> [@MLS](#): > > Fewer vs. Less. The former refers to countable things; the latter to quantity. > > You have fewer cookies, but less oatmeal. My kids never got this wrong, even as elementary school students. The explanation I gave them was that it’s exactly like boogers and snot. If you can count them, it’s boogers, if you have to weigh it, it’s snot. No more confusion. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battles-you-know-are-lost-but-still-wont-stop-fighting/348404/178 "2006-04-04T23:20:07Z")
**Bill Door** , eh? I presume you’re a Terry Pratchett fan? Another thing that drives me nuts is rampant misunderstanding of units of measurement. “My ship did the Kessel run in seven parsecs\*” or “that happened many light-years ago” or “the lot is about two square acres.” Argh! - Yeah, I’ve heard the lame justifications for this one. Sorry. Lucas just got it wrong. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battles-you-know-are-lost-but-still-wont-stop-fighting/348404.md?page=8)