# GAH! "Breaks" do NOT stop a train! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 25, 2007, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-breaks-do-not-stop-a-train/393603 "2007-02-25T14:08:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pilot141](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e0b2c6/32.png) [@pilot141](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pilot141)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-breaks-do-not-stop-a-train/393603/1 "2007-02-25T14:08:43Z")
I’ve fucking had it. I’ve quietly steamed while average Joes who type comments transpose simple words. It always pisses me off to see someone type “He stands to loose a lot of money”, or some similar cock-up of the word “lose”. I figure, OK, one extra “O”, it can’t be all that bad. This person isn’t earning a living by writing, so cut them some slack. The next most common word that gets gooned up is “brakes”. As in “I slammed on my brakes to avoid hitting another car.” Most people who post on the internet believe that the proper word is “breaks”, which sounds exactly like the correct word but is in fact an evil alien plot to take over our minds. It’s like serving Baked Lay’s at your Super Bowl party: everyone will eat, but no one will be satisfied. So my anger has been simmering below the surface, but this morning it boiled over. News outlets, not amateurs, started screwing it up. [Fox News screws up brakes.](http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=4853872) [MSNBC gets in on the fun.](http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=4853876) Granted, MSNBC didn’t have it in the headline but it looks like anything NOT written by the AP stringer got the wrong word. So…the writers are idiots and don’t know the English language. But where are the editors? Does ANYONE know the difference between “brakes” and “breaks”? And how do you GET a job like this if you are so loose (heh) with words? For fuck’s sake, people, Spell check does NOT make your document perfect! OK, I’m done. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-breaks-do-not-stop-a-train/393603/2 "2007-02-25T14:17:18Z")
Things do seem to be gettin worser. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-breaks-do-not-stop-a-train/393603/3 "2007-02-25T14:29:01Z")
“Eye awl weighs ewes my spell checker.” -Ann Landers ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-breaks-do-not-stop-a-train/393603/4 "2007-02-25T15:05:31Z")
And if the brakes break then the train definitely won’t stop, unless the braking effect of breaking anything that gets in its way is sufficient to compensate for the broken brakes. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-breaks-do-not-stop-a-train/393603/5 "2007-02-25T15:50:50Z")
I felt that the relationship was going to end soon; my heart was braking. ---
**Author:** ![pilot141](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e0b2c6/32.png) [@pilot141](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pilot141)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-breaks-do-not-stop-a-train/393603/6 "2007-02-25T16:15:18Z")
Thank you all, you have restored my faith in humanity. Any chance you could get jobs as copy editors at some news sites? It would really cut down on my stress! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-breaks-do-not-stop-a-train/393603/7 "2007-02-25T16:16:43Z")
All I can tell you, pilot, is you have to bare with it. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-breaks-do-not-stop-a-train/393603/8 "2007-02-25T17:06:50Z")
[QUOTE=pilot141] Thank you all, you have restored my faith in humanity. Any chance you could get jobs as copy editors at some news sites? It would really cut down on my stress! [/QUOTE] Only if the news sites cite stories about when people sight gnus. ---
**Author:** ![According\_to\_Pliny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-breaks-do-not-stop-a-train/393603/9 "2007-02-25T17:20:24Z")
How does one stop a tarn then? ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-breaks-do-not-stop-a-train/393603/10 "2007-02-25T17:32:33Z")
If it makes you feel any better, **pilot141** , Fox News has fixed their headline. They must have heard your ranting. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-breaks-do-not-stop-a-train/393603/11 "2007-02-25T18:35:22Z")
Them’s the brakes. ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-breaks-do-not-stop-a-train/393603/12 "2007-02-25T19:16:52Z")
When you run across this sort of thing, you could always try linking them [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homophone) and let them know they are suffering from Homo-confusion 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-breaks-do-not-stop-a-train/393603/13 "2007-02-25T19:22:03Z")
Huh? And here I was thinking this rant was about our rail provider, Connex and a bunch of Siemens trains that have been overshooting station platforms of late. Those brakes were certainly broken. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-breaks-do-not-stop-a-train/393603/14 "2007-02-25T19:37:57Z")
I wouldn’t of said that myself. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-breaks-do-not-stop-a-train/393603/15 "2007-02-25T20:23:11Z")
Maybe he was literally going to set loose a lot of money. Much the same way one would the dogs of war. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-breaks-do-not-stop-a-train/393603/16 "2007-02-25T21:18:08Z")
I consider myself an excellent speller (c’mon, Gaudere, do your worst), but I’m starting to want to spell “independent” as “independant” now, because that is the only way I see it spelled. ARRRGGGHHHHH!!! (I might have to run out and get perscriptions alot because my husband and me aren’t feeling to good. Lord, I feel dirty having typed that, even as a joke.) ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-breaks-do-not-stop-a-train/393603/17 "2007-02-25T21:22:47Z")
The Washington Post last week described the police releasing a “Fuselage of bullets” at a group of gunmen. I wonder how they had time to hammer all those bullets into a fuselage? Tris ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-breaks-do-not-stop-a-train/393603/18 "2007-02-25T21:23:58Z")
Thank you! This one has been annoying me, too! ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-breaks-do-not-stop-a-train/393603/19 "2007-02-25T21:27:24Z")
[QUOTE=Last Year’s Joke] I have _had_ it with these motherfucking breaks on this motherfucking train! [/QUOTE] I’m sorry. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-breaks-do-not-stop-a-train/393603/20 "2007-02-25T21:33:15Z")
If the conductor takes a break couldn’t that stop the train? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-breaks-do-not-stop-a-train/393603.md?page=2)