# Dear everyone: **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 21, 2015, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-everyone/720470 "2015-05-21T02:39:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2015, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-everyone/720470/101 "2015-05-23T16:57:20Z")
> [@eclectic\_wench](#): > > Being pretentious and language-mangling aren’t mutually exclusive. That’s what the famous character of Mrs Malaprop is based on: there have always been people who try to use language in a way that will make them sound socially/intellectually/educationally superior, and make a total bollox of it. > > Also, seeing as we’re in this thread: it’s just ‘hoi polloi’. Not ‘the hoi polloi’. 😃 There are myriad reasons I love this post. (Not a myriad of reasons, though.) ---
**Author:** ![Apollon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47774/32.png) [@Apollon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollon)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2015, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-everyone/720470/102 "2015-05-23T17:23:23Z")
People who use Greek gods as their nickname. Oh, wait… ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2015, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-everyone/720470/103 "2015-05-23T17:48:27Z")
> [@eclectic\_wench](#): > > Being pretentious and language-mangling aren’t mutually exclusive. That’s what the famous character of Mrs Malaprop is based on: there have always been people who try to use language in a way that will make them sound socially/intellectually/educationally superior, and make a total bollox of it. > > Also, seeing as we’re in this thread: it’s just ‘hoi polloi’. Not ‘the hoi polloi’. 😃 Sure. Except it’s not totally uncommon for English to repeat the article since, well, the article is not English and it sounds dumb without it. For maximum redundancy, see the phrase “the La Brea Tar Pits.” ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2015, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-everyone/720470/104 "2015-05-23T18:03:52Z")
Does the prime rib come with _au jus_? ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2015, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-everyone/720470/105 "2015-05-23T20:29:04Z")
This definition seems apropos to post here > [@](#): > > ap·ro·pos > ˌaprəˈpō/Submit > > 1. > > very appropriate to a particular situation. > “the composer’s reference to child’s play is apropos” > synonyms: appropriate, pertinent, relevant, apposite, apt, applicable, suitable, germane, fitting, befitting, material; right on > “the word “conglomerate” was decidedly apropos” ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2015, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-everyone/720470/106 "2015-05-23T20:53:33Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Sure. Except it’s not totally uncommon for English to repeat the article since, well, the article is not English and it sounds dumb without it. For maximum redundancy, see the phrase “the La Brea Tar Pits.” Hee! My Spanish isn’t great, but I can guess what ‘brea’ means 😃 I’m not really bothered by ‘the hoi polloi’, just couldn’t resist pointing it out given the thread subject! I do think it’s slightly different from ‘the La Brea Tar Pits’, though. ‘La Brea’ is being used as a place name in that context, not as a phrase with a meaning - so it makes sense to have an article in front of it, even if you know what it means. ‘Hoi polloi’ is being used to mean something, and you can’t really stick ‘the’ in front of it unless you don’t know what it means. ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2015, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-everyone/720470/107 "2015-05-23T20:57:16Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > There are myriad reasons I love this post. > > (Not a myriad of reasons, though.) ‘Myriad’ is one of my favourite words and I never use it because I’m not positive I’ll get it right. I’ve seen ‘myriad reasons’ (which I originally thought was the right one, as well as being the nicest), ‘a myriad of reasons’ and ‘a myriad reasons’, but every time I think I’ve got a handle on which one it’s supposed to be, I read something about how that’s all wrong and it’s actually another one. ---
**Author:** ![jerseymule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jerseymule/32/3155_2.png) [@jerseymule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerseymule)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2015, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-everyone/720470/108 "2015-05-23T21:35:26Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Does the prime rib come with _au jus_? I want mine with eau juice. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2015, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-everyone/720470/109 "2015-05-23T22:00:25Z")
> [@eclectic\_wench](#): > > ‘Myriad’ is one of my favourite words and I never use it because I’m not positive I’ll get it right. I’ve seen ‘myriad reasons’ (which I originally thought was the right one, as well as being the nicest), ‘a myriad of reasons’ and ‘a myriad reasons’, but every time I think I’ve got a handle on which one it’s supposed to be, I read something about how that’s all wrong and it’s actually another one. Well, the truth is, you can use it either way. Its use as a noun (therefore requiring “a” and “of” or similar linking words) actually predates its more modern usage as an adjective (which can stand alone in front of the noun it’s modifying, like other adjectives such as “red” or “many”.) But the pedants don’t like the noun form these days. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2015, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-everyone/720470/110 "2015-05-23T23:24:57Z")
Just be safe and form a construction where its usage is undefinably noun _or_ adjective, as in “the reasons were myriad”. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-everyone/720470/111 "2015-05-24T02:01:10Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I have an EpiPen. Where can I get an epitome? You use your EpiPen to write it yourself. It might take a while. > [@lissener](#): > > [http://wordbutchers.tumblr.com/post/23612770018/the-epitome-of-misusing-the-word-epitome](http://wordbutchers.tumblr.com/post/23612770018/the-epitome-of-misusing-the-word-epitome) And yet that post is incorrect in labelling that usage as incorrect [as per Merriam Webster](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epitome). Yes it can be “a typical” example but it also means an “ideal example: embodiment”. [Synonyms](http://www.thesaurus.com/browse/epitome)include: exemplar; archetype; quintessence; and ultimate. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-everyone/720470/112 "2015-05-24T02:17:52Z")
What’s all this I keep hearing about a national erection next year? ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-everyone/720470/113 "2015-05-24T07:00:12Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > What’s all this I keep hearing about a national erection next year? Oh. Nevermind. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-everyone/720470/114 "2015-05-24T16:00:41Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > What’s all this I keep hearing about a national erection next year? Ask Boehner. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-everyone/720470/115 "2015-05-24T16:50:40Z")
> [@eclectic\_wench](#): > > Being pretentious and language-mangling aren’t mutually exclusive. That’s what the famous character of Mrs Malaprop is based on: there have always been people who try to use language in a way that will make them sound socially/intellectually/educationally superior, and make a total bollox of it. > > Also, seeing as we’re in this thread: it’s just ‘hoi polloi’. Not ‘the hoi polloi’. 😃 I think the alcohol you’ve been drinking is clouding your judgment. Oops, sorry, clearly you’re about to correct me on that. I think [alcohol](http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=alcohol) you’re drinking is clouding your judgment. This is the sort of insane linguistic prescriptivism that drives me up the wall. Unless you think English is a Javascript extension, it’s absurd to analyze it in this manner. My point in the post you quoted is that the post starting all this is the epitome of pretension, using a meager knowledge of a few definitions to heap undeserved scorn on people using language effectively. It’s chock full of errors, errors lissener has tried to wave away by pretending he’s just criticizing pretentious speakers. I don’t buy it. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-everyone/720470/116 "2015-05-24T18:36:14Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > My point in the post you quoted is that the post starting all this is the epitome of pretension … Is it an epitome or the paragon? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-everyone/720470/117 "2015-05-24T20:10:48Z")
> [@eclectic\_wench](#): > > I’m not really bothered by ‘the hoi polloi’, just couldn’t resist pointing it out given the thread subject! FWIW, I caught that immediately, too. But “hoi polloi” without “the” sounds weird to my ears. It’s not like “hoi” carries any meaning to English speakers, unless they have some education in classical languages. Folks do similar things with pluralized words, moreso if they’re from unfamiliar languages. For example, the papparazo/papparazi distinction seems to have held more-or-less in English, but a word like “pierogi” (which is already plural in Polish) just gets treated like a singular, so you’ll hear stuff like “are you going to eat your last pierogi?” or “That restaurant has great pierogis!” which would be incorrect if you’re trying to follow the rules of the language the word is borrowed from. (It should be–were one to follow Polish grammar-- “your last pierog” and “that restaurant has great pierogi.” I do hear the latter often enough, but I’ve never heard the former from a non-Polish English speaker.) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-everyone/720470/118 "2015-05-25T00:47:15Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Is it an epitome or the paragon? The shizzle. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-everyone/720470/119 "2015-05-31T16:24:01Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I think the alcohol you’ve been drinking is clouding your judgment. > > Oops, sorry, clearly you’re about to correct me on that. I think [alcohol](http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=alcohol) you’re drinking is clouding your judgment. > > This is the sort of insane linguistic prescriptivism that drives me up the wall. Unless you think English is a Javascript extension, it’s absurd to analyze it in this manner. > > My point in the post you quoted is that the post starting all this is the epitome of pretension, using a meager knowledge of a few definitions to heap undeserved scorn on people using language effectively. It’s chock full of errors, errors lissener has tried to wave away by pretending he’s just criticizing pretentious speakers. I don’t buy it. In this context, LHoD, I’m using the word “pretentious” to describe someone who uses a word they’re not fully familiar with in order to sound smart. That’s pretty much the definition of pretentious. I’m also aware that, perhaps paradoxically, descriptive grammar is factual (it describes the way words are actually used) while prescriptive grammar is ultimately an opinion (the way words SHOULD be used). ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-everyone/720470/120 "2015-06-01T05:36:07Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > So then, a voilà wallah would be a magician? Yep. The one from eastern Washington is a Walla Walla Voilà Wallah. I can’t imagine what his name must be. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-everyone/720470.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-everyone/720470.md?page=7)