# Shoveling against the tide, Part 3,497.6 **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 15, 2004, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoveling-against-the-tide-part-3-497-6/259983 "2004-08-15T19:48:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoveling-against-the-tide-part-3-497-6/259983/1 "2004-08-15T19:48:34Z")
All right, already! Can we all gather round and, all together, get some usage points altogether correct? All ready? Good. **All together** : in unison, as one, as a whole **Altogether** : utterly, completely, totally _It is altogether impossible to get the cats all together in one spot._ **All ready** : completely prepared, ready in every aspect **Already** : having happened beforehand; unexpectedly early _I’ve already done everything to get all ready for the trip._ **All right** : satisfactory; in good condition; unharmed **Alright** : ABOMINATION! NOT CORRECT! DEFILER OF THE LANGUAGE! _No, it is not all right to use “alright”._ Or, to put it in more Pitworthy terms: What the fuck, you crapulent morons – is it so hard to keep them straight?!? :: Proofreader demolishes yet another brick wall with her head :: ---
**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:** [August 15, 2004, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoveling-against-the-tide-part-3-497-6/259983/2 "2004-08-15T19:54:51Z")
Noone cares. ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoveling-against-the-tide-part-3-497-6/259983/3 "2004-08-15T19:58:17Z")
I see people do that alot. For all intensive purposes it mean’s the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![meara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@meara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meara)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoveling-against-the-tide-part-3-497-6/259983/4 "2004-08-15T20:00:38Z")
Altogether now… “Alright, all ready!” ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Joe\_Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Random)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoveling-against-the-tide-part-3-497-6/259983/5 "2004-08-15T20:02:43Z")
Your getting angry because people aren’t using English to yore specification like in days of you’re? There just doing they’re best in the hopes that you’ll understand what their saying. Do you worry to much about one or too mistakes in non-grammatical areas, two? ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoveling-against-the-tide-part-3-497-6/259983/6 "2004-08-15T20:03:32Z")
Hopefully this thread won’t be filled with bad grammer and spelling. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoveling-against-the-tide-part-3-497-6/259983/7 "2004-08-15T20:08:54Z")
My grammer is good lady, don’t say she’s bad. She’s alright. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoveling-against-the-tide-part-3-497-6/259983/8 "2004-08-15T20:25:07Z")
What’s you’re problem? ---
**Author:** ![Fiona\_Orange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7feea3/32.png) [@Fiona\_Orange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiona_Orange)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoveling-against-the-tide-part-3-497-6/259983/9 "2004-08-15T20:29:05Z")
I bet your the kind of a dickhead who thinks he has the right-a-way when you’re light is red, aren’t you? ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoveling-against-the-tide-part-3-497-6/259983/10 "2004-08-15T20:30:08Z")
**Apart** -the state of being separate, not together **A part** -something that belongs to, or is the member of something else. Just based on how the words look, it seems like the definitions should be reversed, right? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoveling-against-the-tide-part-3-497-6/259983/11 "2004-08-15T20:30:15Z")
Yeah. Don’t be such a pre-Madonna. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoveling-against-the-tide-part-3-497-6/259983/12 "2004-08-15T20:34:13Z")
Ain’t nothing wrong with “alright”. Besides, it’s a perfectly cromulent word. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoveling-against-the-tide-part-3-497-6/259983/13 "2004-08-15T20:38:24Z")
What truly amuses me is the thought of you all beavering away at ensuring your wise-ass replies were so carefully, completely incorrect. 😉😛 ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoveling-against-the-tide-part-3-497-6/259983/14 "2004-08-15T20:58:41Z")
By which lexicon were you guided in determining the word “alright” is incorrect? My dictionary is from 1985 and it’s got a _disputed_ entry for “alright”. I submit its usage is acceptable. In fact, I believe I have proof that there is pure necessity for this word. 😛 🙂 ---
**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:** [August 15, 2004, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoveling-against-the-tide-part-3-497-6/259983/15 "2004-08-15T21:25:48Z")
I agree with all of your points, **ETF** , except ‘alright’. As I understand it, ‘alright’ is perfectly acceptable American English as a synonym for “OK”. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoveling-against-the-tide-part-3-497-6/259983/16 "2004-08-15T21:44:39Z")
All right versus alright. One very good reason for preferring “all right” and disdaining “alright” is that, unlike the other pairs I mentioned in the OP, there is no difference in meaning, no distinction to be preserved by using “alright”. That word is called “nonstandard”, or ignored altogether, by the references I’ve checked. For example, see [Dictionary.com](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=all%20right). One might as well argue that “irregardless” should be accepted simply because so many folks use it when they mean “regardless”. Oh, and if anyone is wondering why I take such stuff to heart: I’m a proofreader. My search-and-destroy mission in life is to root out error in the printed word. ---
**Author:** ![Kantalooppi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a5b964/32.png) [@Kantalooppi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kantalooppi)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoveling-against-the-tide-part-3-497-6/259983/17 "2004-08-15T22:01:41Z")
**Kantaloopi** : A way to write my nick that shows that the non-Finnish mind is still, sadly, not developed enough to handle a double consonant. **Kantalooppi** : That’s better! ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoveling-against-the-tide-part-3-497-6/259983/18 "2004-08-15T22:09:53Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > One very good reason for preferring “all right” and disdaining “alright” is that, unlike the other pairs I mentioned in the OP, there is no difference in meaning, no distinction to be preserved by using “alright”. Maybe, but contractions of frequently paired words have a perfectly respectable history in the development of language, whereas the spurious addition of useless prefixes (as in “irregardless”) don’t. Plus, I think there is a semantic difference between “all right” and “alright”; the former (to me) suggests “Tommy got the questions all right,” while the latter is more a gesture of acquiescence: “Wanna go play some pool?” “Alright.” YMMV, of course, but I think in the latter context “all right” looks a little odd. All of what is right? ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoveling-against-the-tide-part-3-497-6/259983/19 "2004-08-15T22:19:37Z")
> [@fetus](#): > > … perfectly acceptable American English … Now _there’s_ an oxymoron for you! [sub]Kidding. Well, mostly kidding. Except for “alright”, that’s horrible.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoveling-against-the-tide-part-3-497-6/259983/20 "2004-08-15T23:06:41Z")
> [@](#): > > _by EddyTeddyFreddy_ > > One very good reason for preferring “all right” and disdaining “alright” is that, unlike the other pairs I mentioned in the OP, there is no difference in meaning, no distinction to be preserved by using “alright”. > [@](#): > > [Wait a minute!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=268641&page=1&pp=50&highlight=alright), originally posted by **gatopescado** > > > [@](#): > > > > You’re all right, Airman. > > Oops! That should be “alright”. Kinda changes the whole meaning the other way, actually. > > I mean you are an okay guy. Disregard that first post. … gatopescado used “alright” to eliminate ambiguity. Calling Airman Doors “all right” is factually incorrect. He was more moderate there than I’ve ever seen him. … [shuffles soft-shoe] 😃 :doffs imaginary top hat: [/shuffles soft-shoe] :bows deeply, at the waist: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoveling-against-the-tide-part-3-497-6/259983.md?page=2)