# Less semen, Fewer sperm, bloody hell! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 11, 2003, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-semen-fewer-sperm-bloody-hell/147854 "2003-01-11T00:06:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Pablito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@Pablito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pablito)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-semen-fewer-sperm-bloody-hell/147854/41 "2003-01-14T20:10:28Z")
“Irregardless”!!! ouch. I hate that one. But back to the less/fewer thing: if you can count it, then use ‘fewer’; if it’s uncountable, use ‘less’. “less butter, fewer guns” is the classic distinction people use to keep it straight. And since this is the pit: I can’t stand those fuckin’ dimwit idiotic stupid no-nothing ignoramouses who don’t bother to learn **they’re write grammer and spellin**. Jerks. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-semen-fewer-sperm-bloody-hell/147854/42 "2003-01-14T20:18:12Z")
That was just evel, **Beepelbronx**. ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-semen-fewer-sperm-bloody-hell/147854/43 "2003-01-14T20:38:30Z")
Les Paul, fewer guitars? F\_X ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-semen-fewer-sperm-bloody-hell/147854/44 "2003-01-14T20:58:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Homebrew \* > \*\*That was just evel, **Beepelbronx**. \*\* Agreed! Anti-semantic. Ban him at once. No, wait, flog him first. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-semen-fewer-sperm-bloody-hell/147854/45 "2003-01-14T21:00:20Z")
Less Hitlers, fewer Fuerhers? (Oh, God, what have I done! Wait, all I have to do is not hit the…AAAAAaaaarrrrgh!) ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-semen-fewer-sperm-bloody-hell/147854/46 "2003-01-14T22:06:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Beeblebrox \* > \*\*Irregardless of you’re opinion on these topic, **Stoid** , these mistakes don’t effect you many, or words to that affect. Basically, I think it’s complicated. Me and you know language is hard for peoples who don’t know as much as I and you, so their is no reason to have a temper greatly more inflammible as a dry kindling. \*\* You been hangin’ out with **Henry B**? Just thought the cadence was familiar… ---
**Author:** ![stofsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@stofsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stofsky)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-semen-fewer-sperm-bloody-hell/147854/47 "2003-01-15T00:02:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Mock Suds \* Anyone want to play the anagram game? ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-semen-fewer-sperm-bloody-hell/147854/48 "2003-01-15T16:55:03Z")
“Anti-Semantic”. Genius. That’s the funniest pun I’ve seen in weeks, **elucidator**. **Early Out** , I hadn’t as yet had the pleasure of conversing with **Henry B** , so I didn’t get your reference. Then I did a search. Great googly moogly, that is some tortured syntax. However, as funny as sentences such as: “In the thread is very many statistical numbers.” are, I can’t make fun of the guy. English is his second language (his first is Finnish). He doesn’t live in an English speaking country, either, so I figure if I can understand him, he’s not doing too bad. English seems to be hard enough for the people who grew up with it. _Those_ are the people I’ll make fun of. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Yumanite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b487fb/32.png) [@Yumanite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumanite)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-semen-fewer-sperm-bloody-hell/147854/49 "2003-01-15T17:27:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BlackKnight \* > \*\*Damn right, Stoid! This always bothers me. I know of only one grocery store that describes their Express Lane as “X items or fewer”. All the others I’ve been in incorrectly say, “X items or less”. With that wording, the customer should expect to pay less if they have an amount of items not equal to X. \*\* Hah! We have a store that has all of the espress aisles labeled “X items or Less” but ONE. There is ONE “X Items or Fewer” line – an island of civilization in a sea of barbarianism. Guess which one I always stand in? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-semen-fewer-sperm-bloody-hell/147854/50 "2003-01-15T17:46:00Z")
“Genius” may be a bit strong, but I am inclined to be forgiving. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-semen-fewer-sperm-bloody-hell/147854/51 "2003-01-15T17:52:47Z")
While I’m about it, I want to offer props to accepting **Hank B** ’s (rather charming) difficulties with English. People born in Finland often have difficulty learning thier native tongue, what with being clotted with umlauts and utterly unnatural fricatives. This alone may account for the high rate of depression among its citizens. Any of us who imagines he can learn Finnish with the skill that **Hank** has learned English is welcome to try. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-semen-fewer-sperm-bloody-hell/147854/52 "2003-01-15T22:47:40Z")
It’s certainly true that **Henry B’s** English is better than my Finnish. In fact, it’s six times better. Or maybe seven times. Tough to say, since my knowledge of Finnish is limited to “Helsinki,” “Karelia,” and the fact that it’s in a weird language group, shared only by Hungarian, IIRC. Of course, once you understand what **Henry B** is driving at, you realize that he’s also a loon! It ain’t just a language barrier. This board wouldn’t be nearly as much fun without our resident loonies - and I count a majority of the frequent posters in that category. And I’m not automatically excluding myself, though I’ll leave that determination to others. [Off-topic] I’m always astonished at how many ordinary people in the street in other countries speak at least passable English, even in places we would consider isolated (like Baghdad!). English must be a bitch to learn as a second or third language, yet learn it, they do. [/Off-topic] ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-semen-fewer-sperm-bloody-hell/147854/53 "2003-01-20T23:32:19Z")
less mess, fewer sewers? OR, if you’re out in the country: less mess, fewer moo’ers? ---
**Author:** ![Blornx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@Blornx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blornx)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-semen-fewer-sperm-bloody-hell/147854/54 "2003-01-21T13:51:43Z")
Fewer Miserables :dubious: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-semen-fewer-sperm-bloody-hell/147854.md?page=2)