# There's no A in definitely, there's no D in privilege... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 31, 2006, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-a-in-definitely-theres-no-d-in-privilege/358858 "2006-05-31T11:44:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-a-in-definitely-theres-no-d-in-privilege/358858/41 "2006-05-31T16:16:51Z")
Oh, yea. There’s no ‘A’ in ‘Cemetery’. And the express check-out is for 10 items or FEWER, dammit. (But I’ve noticed they’re getting better. ‘Less’ shows up a lot.) ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-a-in-definitely-theres-no-d-in-privilege/358858/42 "2006-05-31T16:33:50Z")
> [@velvetjones](#): > > And the one that I can never remember is seperately or is it separately? Separately. Ten Items or Less drives me nuts as well. As do those commercials for prescription drugs that announce “Side effects are low.” What exactly is that one meant to assume from that? Side effects will hit you near to the ground? Perhaps weak ankles are a side effect of that particular drug? Which brings me to… [affect](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=affect) [effect](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=effect) ---
**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:** [May 31, 2006, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-a-in-definitely-theres-no-d-in-privilege/358858/43 "2006-05-31T16:47:33Z")
> [@postcards](#): > > And I’ve seen a raft of ‘Stationary’ stores lately…I mean, unless it’s a pushcart or an ice-cream truck, aren’t ALL stores stationary? And all the general stores I’ve seen only allow you to buy specific things. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-a-in-definitely-theres-no-d-in-privilege/358858/44 "2006-05-31T16:56:06Z")
There’s no P in hamster. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-a-in-definitely-theres-no-d-in-privilege/358858/45 "2006-05-31T16:59:47Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > Seize hold of that and remember it well. Think of it as a reinforcement exercise. However, expect atheists to peddle their point of view scientifically. > > 😃 Now you’re just being weird. I must admit to the r **e** diculous _faux-pas_. Old habits die hard. Impost **e** r is another one that bugs me. And some of the usual commons like “vary” where “very” is intended and suchlike. Those just chafe my weiner… ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-a-in-definitely-theres-no-d-in-privilege/358858/46 "2006-05-31T17:01:43Z")
> [@silver1](#): > > A certain well-known, large department store has, as do many stores, “Employees Only” signs posted on the doors leading to store areas where only employees are permitted. > > However, this particular store’s signs read as follows: > > “Employes Only” You must not be in Wisconsin. “Employe” was the official state spelling of the word for years/decades because, and I kid you not, of all the money the state would save from not printing that extra “e” on all the state paperwork. Confused the hell out of me when I first moved here; I thought the entire state was illiterate. They changed the law effective in 2000 so that either “employe” or “employee” is acceptable for state business. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-a-in-definitely-theres-no-d-in-privilege/358858/47 "2006-05-31T17:06:05Z")
My missus pointed out a printed sign in a gas station near us the other day: **Sale’s asistant’s reqired.** ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-a-in-definitely-theres-no-d-in-privilege/358858/48 "2006-05-31T17:11:41Z")
> [@Mindfield](#): > > Those just chafe my weiner… Ooh, now there’s one that bothers me. It’s “wiener,” people. **Wiener!** Named after Wien (German for “Vienna”). As a general rule, in German, “ie” is pronounced with a long e, and “ei” is pronounced with a long i. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-a-in-definitely-theres-no-d-in-privilege/358858/49 "2006-05-31T17:23:39Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > Ooh, now there’s one that bothers me. It’s “wiener,” people. **Wiener!** Named after Wien (German for “Vienna”). > > As a general rule, in German, “ie” is pronounced with a long e, and “ei” is pronounced with a long i. I know. It was an “ie/ei” joke played off the first sentence of the post just to exemplify the, um … _weirdness_ of the I before E rule. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-a-in-definitely-theres-no-d-in-privilege/358858/50 "2006-05-31T17:24:04Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > I hope you dei. Their’s a rool agaynst vat. It is strange, that I a terrible speller (with certified dyslexia) still get bothered by some misspellings dispite my own common failures. I will easily missuse their and there if I don’t check very carefully, yet if I see and notice such a missuse it can be jarring to me. I find I’m a spelling hypocrit, but then again I never berate someone for their spelling except perhap-se in forming a joke from it. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-a-in-definitely-theres-no-d-in-privilege/358858/51 "2006-05-31T17:30:59Z")
> [@Mindfield](#): > > I know. It was an “ie/ei” joke played off the first sentence of the post just to exemplify the, um … _weirdness_ of the I before E rule. 😃 Yeah, given the context I was pretty sure you knew it was wrong. You just reminded me of one of my spelling peeves, and gave me an opportunity to be pedantic. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-a-in-definitely-theres-no-d-in-privilege/358858/52 "2006-05-31T17:43:57Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > My missus pointed out a printed sign in a gas station near us the other day: > > **Sale’s asistant’s reqired.** I’ve seen signs that advertise “New Condo’s”. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-a-in-definitely-theres-no-d-in-privilege/358858/53 "2006-05-31T17:48:08Z")
A place that I eat at frequently has a professionaly-painted sign that has, among other errors, “Cheeze Pizza” and “food-bourne illness” (the latter on a mandated health warning about undercooked food). They didn’t notice them until I pointed them out. ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-a-in-definitely-theres-no-d-in-privilege/358858/54 "2006-05-31T17:49:52Z")
> [@velvetjones](#): > > …the card reader said “waiting on signature” he insists it should have read “waiting for signature”. I’m just not sure. That could be one of those pesky trans-Atlantic differences. I heard the “waiting on” a lot in England. The one that kills me is _i.e._ and _e.g._ Constantly misused by otherwise intelligent people. Makes me very angry. Please remember, folks: **i** d **e** st (“that is”) and **e** xample **g** iven. More [here](http://www.epinions.com/user-review-7959-581C4E7-39207196-prod2). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-a-in-definitely-theres-no-d-in-privilege/358858/55 "2006-05-31T17:53:43Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > I’ve seen signs that advertise “New Condo’s”. That one could be defended, on the grounds that apostrophes are also used to indicate when letters have been left out in a contraction. Here, the apostrophe could represent the missing “minium.” ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-a-in-definitely-theres-no-d-in-privilege/358858/56 "2006-05-31T17:54:02Z")
There is no “I” in team. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-a-in-definitely-theres-no-d-in-privilege/358858/57 "2006-05-31T17:54:18Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > No, they’re all in motion relative to something else. 😃 Sounds like a myth that needs busting…oh, if only we had someone…SOMEONE to do such a thing… …wheeeeeeere would we find such a person… …Truth-Seekers? Fact Peoples? Weasels That Monger for Fun? it’s on the tip of my tongue… ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-a-in-definitely-theres-no-d-in-privilege/358858/58 "2006-05-31T18:14:38Z")
Gah. Plural/possessive blunders probably annoy me most. For some reason it seems to be the least observed rule among the unwashed, yet it strikes me as one of the easiest to remember. (I can understand forgetting about plural possessive form, or ending-with-S possessives or ending-with-vowel plurals, since these aren’t used quite as often, but the plain ol’ plural/possessive should at least be easy enough) I shouldn’t get so worked up, but I do anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-a-in-definitely-theres-no-d-in-privilege/358858/59 "2006-05-31T18:21:02Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > That one could be defended, on the grounds that apostrophes are also used to indicate when letters have been left out in a contraction. Here, the apostrophe could represent the missing “minium.” Except “condo” and its plural are perfectly good words. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-a-in-definitely-theres-no-d-in-privilege/358858/60 "2006-05-31T18:24:01Z")
> [@vetbridge](#): > > There is no “I” in team. But, there is a “me”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-a-in-definitely-theres-no-d-in-privilege/358858.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-a-in-definitely-theres-no-d-in-privilege/358858.md?page=4)