# Gross abuses of the English language **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 13, 2003, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gross-abuses-of-the-english-language/174991 "2003-05-13T17:11:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![godzillatemple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gross-abuses-of-the-english-language/174991/61 "2003-05-14T19:13:43Z")
Personally, I don’t get too upset over neologisms or the “verbification” of nouns. I just get upset when people use a word or phrase that means the exact opposite of what they think it means (“I could care less” or “nonplussed”), or when they use the wrong word entirely due to sheer ignorance (“loose” instead of “lose”). Heck – I’m all for English being a living, breathing entity. I’ve even coined a few words myself (I’m still waiting for “bumfuddled” to catch on…) Barry ---
**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 14, 2003, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gross-abuses-of-the-english-language/174991/62 "2003-05-14T22:52:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by godzillatemple \* > \*\*Personally, I don’t get too upset over neologisms or the “verbification” of nouns. I just get upset when people use a word or phrase that means the exact opposite of what they think it means (“I could care less” or “nonplussed”), or when they use the wrong word entirely due to sheer ignorance (“loose” instead of “lose”). \*\* Well, I can mostly agree with those gripes. On the other hand, when have you **ever** heard someone use the phrase, “I could care less” to mean, “I care”? Given that the phrase is **always** used to mean, “I don’t care,” I don’t think it’s legitimate to gripe about people using a phrase that means the exact opposite of what they think it means. They mean to say, “I don’t care,” everyone who hears them understands that that’s what they mean, and if a few people get annoyed by the phrase whose intended meaning they understand, too bad for them – I could care less about their gripe. “Nonplussed,” on the other hand, has a great meaning, and it’s a shame if that meaning leaves the language due to a lack of comprehension. So I’m with you on that one. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![godzillatemple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gross-abuses-of-the-english-language/174991/63 "2003-05-14T23:03:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\*If a few people get annoyed by the phrase whose intended meaning they understand, too bad for them – I could care less about their gripe. \*\* Ah, so what you’re saying is that you _do_ care, at least to some degree! Well, I’m glad we agree about this. Actually, I wonder whether people who say “I could care less” _really_ mean “I _could_ [conceivably] care less, but I don’t,” and “I could care less” is just an abbreviated form of the expression? Heck, if I consistently misused the phrase, that’s the excuse I would use… Barry ---
**Author:** ![plain\_jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@plain\_jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plain_jane)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gross-abuses-of-the-english-language/174991/64 "2003-05-15T02:40:50Z")
How about this error? “The sock’s are in the drawer.” Drives me batty. ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gross-abuses-of-the-english-language/174991/65 "2003-05-15T02:41:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Floater \* > \*\*Please tell me this is a joke. \*\* I’m sorry, I was maybe being too obscure, though I thought the last word would give you a hint. My _real_ pet peeve is the misspelling **athiest**. It shows up often enough that you can’t brush it off as a typo. Some people never seem to be able to get it right and yet they’d never misspell “communist” or “capitalist”. That’s all. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![sirkle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@sirkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sirkle)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gross-abuses-of-the-english-language/174991/66 "2003-05-15T05:17:17Z")
misuse of the word vice. I know way too many people who use it to mean their pet peeves. I want to strangle them. ---
**Author:** ![Eternal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@Eternal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eternal)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gross-abuses-of-the-english-language/174991/67 "2003-05-15T06:34:12Z")
I hate when people misuse the word “murderballs”. It’s like, grow up, man. ---
**Author:** ![Space\_Vampire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Space\_Vampire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Space_Vampire)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gross-abuses-of-the-english-language/174991/68 "2003-05-15T07:09:30Z")
I remember when my 4th grade teacher pronounced “intricate” “intriciat.” I think more people write “peaked my interest” or even “peek my interest” than “piqued.” ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gross-abuses-of-the-english-language/174991/69 "2003-05-15T08:10:26Z")
Since I often use the caption function when watching TV, I’ve noticed that no one spells _all right_ correctly anymore. It is commonnly misspelled _alright_. I guess they are confusing it with _all ready_ and _already_. How can you get a job writing captions if you can’t spell? Someone mentioned oxymorons earlier. Although I agree that “military intelligence” is not an oxymoron, it is the _claiming_ that it is an oxymoron that creates the joke. Sort of like “living in Buffalo.” 😉 BTW, I once heard President Gerald Ford say, “…to coin a cliche.” The horror! The horror! ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gross-abuses-of-the-english-language/174991/70 "2003-05-15T12:26:08Z")
Business involving real estate is “realty.” Two syllables. Not “reality.” Three syllables. That word is "re-al-i-ty."Four syllables. And “not un-” is meaningless. “I’m not unhappy.” Well, what are you? ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gross-abuses-of-the-english-language/174991/71 "2003-05-15T12:32:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Annie-Xmas \* > \*\* > And “not un-” is meaningless. “I’m not unhappy.” Well, what are you? \*\* Happy! That was an easy one. Actually, although I agree with you in principle, there’s this to consider. Sometimes using a “not un-” construction is meant to convey a meaning of “I’m not _happy_, exactly, but I’m not quite **un** happy, either.” So it’s more of a qualifier. Double negatives are generally frowned upon, of course, because the speaker often means the opposite of what he or she actually says. Unclear speaking and writing suck. But if the speaker actually **did** mean something like, e.g., “I am not unhappy,” then it’s okay. Here’s an example where it might be okay to use: “You look sad. Are you unhappy with our relationship?” “No … No, I’m not unhappy.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gross-abuses-of-the-english-language/174991/72 "2003-05-15T12:35:24Z")
?dlrow-otnadep no pu nekow tsuj I evaH ---
**Author:** ![godzillatemple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gross-abuses-of-the-english-language/174991/73 "2003-05-15T12:36:39Z")
Oh – and people who type entire phrases backwards, that REALLY bugs me! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gross-abuses-of-the-english-language/174991/74 "2003-05-15T12:37:00Z")
.seY ---
**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 15, 2003, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gross-abuses-of-the-english-language/174991/75 "2003-05-15T12:38:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by godzillatemple \* > \*\*Actually, I wonder whether people who say “I could care less” _really_ mean “I _could_ [conceivably] care less, but I don’t,” and “I could care less” is just an abbreviated form of the expression? Heck, if I consistently misused the phrase, that’s the excuse I would use… > \*\* Whatever floats your boat, man. The fact remains that if you use the phrase, “I could care less,” more people will understand what you’re saying than if you say, “I was nonplussed.” On an important level, the former phrase communicates more effectively than the latter phrase. Furthermore, if you used the phrase, “I could care less” to convey the fact that you DO care, then very few people would understand what you’re saying. THAT would be the case in which you were misusing the phrase. English isn’t C++. Trying to apply logic to idioms is like pissing in a violin. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![booklover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@booklover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booklover)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gross-abuses-of-the-english-language/174991/76 "2003-05-15T12:54:52Z")
I’ve heard this three times in the past few months: _agreeance_. You can agree to do something or you can exhibit compliance, but there’s no such word as _agreeance_. Also, _orientate_ for the verb _orient_ irks me no end. ---
**Author:** ![lovelyluka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f475e1/32.png) [@lovelyluka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lovelyluka)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gross-abuses-of-the-english-language/174991/77 "2003-05-15T13:45:18Z")
**booklover** : Maybe “orientate” comes from the noun orientation. Not an excuse, just an observation. I mentioned before on these boards that I had to break my boyfriend of saying “every since”, as in, “Every since we’ve known him…”. Apparently that’s common usage where he comes from. [anecdote] Several weeks ago, our campus was plastered with signs that proclaimed, “DON’T LOOSE YOUR SUMMER CLASSES! Pay fees by May 22nd.” I reeled from the fact that this error went through a lot of people, mostly higher-ups, before 500 copies were printed on neon paper and hung up all over campus. About a week later, the signs read: “Thank you. Now that we know you read our signs, DON’T LOSE YOUR SUMMER CLASSES!..” It was nice to know the education level of this university is high enough that I wasn’t the only one to notice. [/anecdote] ---
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gross-abuses-of-the-english-language/174991/78 "2003-05-15T15:40:07Z")
Two misspelling anecdotes: 1. A couple of years ago, I noticed a strange trend in students’ papers. They kept misusing the word “defiantly,” as in, “Michelangelo was defiantly one of the most important artists in the Renaissance.” I was baffled. “Defiantly” made no sense at all in any of the contexts where it was used. Finally, I realized they were trying to say “definitely,” but were misspelling it “definately.” Spellcheck would catch the misspelling, but would offer “defiantly” as the correct spelling. Many students would automatically accept any spelling or grammar “corrections” without questioning them. (I just checked a newer edition of Word, and I’m glad to say that now when you spell it “definately,” they will offer “definitely” in addition to “defiantly” as a suggested correction) 2. Part of my dissertation topic requires plowing through several English artists’ diaries from the turn of the twentieth century. While reading through a particular artist’s diary, I came across “loose” several times when the context clearly indicated that the word should have been “lose.” And this was from the hand of a reasonably intelligent artist, who also wrote quite a bit of art criticism for art journals. That’s when I realized people have been misspelling “lose” as “loose” for many, many years, and they’re not going to stop any time soon. :sigh: ---
**Author:** ![godzillatemple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gross-abuses-of-the-english-language/174991/79 "2003-05-15T15:50:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Skopo \* > \*\*2. Part of my dissertation topic requires plowing through several English artists’ diaries from the turn of the twentieth century. While reading through a particular artist’s diary, I came across “loose” several times when the context clearly indicated that the word should have been “lose.” And this was from the hand of a reasonably intelligent artist, who also wrote quite a bit of art criticism for art journals. > > That’s when I realized people have been misspelling “lose” as “loose” for many, many years, and they’re not going to stop any time soon. :sigh: \*\* And it also goes to show that it’s not “just a typo” (as many people have claimed) when you write it out incorrectly longhand. 😉 Barry ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Doubt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@Peter\_Doubt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Doubt)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gross-abuses-of-the-english-language/174991/80 "2003-05-15T15:53:13Z")
> [@](#): > > No moral turptitude, alas… Referring to a person selling bootleg videos. How’s that again? A complete misuse of the word and a spelling error thrown in for fun. An attempt at erudition that backfired maybe? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gross-abuses-of-the-english-language/174991.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gross-abuses-of-the-english-language/174991.md?page=5)