# Those things that stop your car are not BREAKS, you moron! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 23, 2009, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719 "2009-06-23T14:46:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/41 "2009-06-23T20:20:15Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Sure it is. It should be capitalized, though, and accompanied by Herman’s Hermits. Or be part of a username on SDMB… (not that I had 'ol Pete in mind when I chose this handle, mind you :smack: :o) ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/42 "2009-06-23T20:20:40Z")
There’s **Noone Special** here at the Dope, too! ETA: Hey - how’d you sneak in there??? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/43 "2009-06-23T20:22:32Z")
> [@myskepticsight](#): > > Do people not read? Anything? It’s how I picked up the right way to spell common words. I’m not perfect but come on. Even if you read signs while you drive but never books or anything, you should see plenty of car repair places advertising BRAKES that you think you’d pick it up eventually. Nope, most people do not read. Not even signs. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/44 "2009-06-23T21:20:30Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > The internet gaffe I tend to hate is “noone”. That is not a word! “Hires textures.” WHO does the hiring, come again? Poor little lost hyphen… ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/45 "2009-06-23T21:45:42Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > After hating the “your”/“you’re” transposition for my entire life, I’m almost at peace with it, although I am on blood pressure medication… Hee. I manage the email account for our reporting system and once we got someone writing in to let us know about a typo on a report. gigi, ever grateful for people who care about such things\*: Thanks so much for letting us know! user: Your welcome. \*and ashamed she didn’t catch the typo ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/46 "2009-06-23T22:13:00Z")
It’s not always just a typo, either. I have seen people say that they “broke” for a red light. They’re not aware that break and brake are different words with different past tenses. ---
**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/47 "2009-06-23T22:33:09Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > Since when does reading have anything to do with knowing or caring how words are spelled? I don’t look at letters when I read. I look at words. Clusters of them. Just like most people who can read without sounding out each word aloud as they struggle through a sentence. If anyone wants to feel all big and smart every time he or she notices someone else’s misspelling, go for it. Me? I’ve got better things to do. If I need to make sure something is mistake-free, that’s what our editors get paid (poorly) to do. > > Gotta run. More drug candidates to isolate. Umm…because when you read, you SEE WORDS? And if you are reading a mass publication, advertisement, cereal box, etc you will likely see all the words spelled correctly and therefore eventually see them enough that you recognize them when they are misspelled? If I have never seen a word I won’t know how it’s spelled, but if I see words like BRAKE all the time I eventually remember. And you’re being just as snobby as us who notice and are annoyed or saddened by misspellings by acting like we’re assholes for noticing. And yeah I feel smarter than someone who either doesn’t know or can’t be bothered to spell common words correctly or use common words correctly. Failing to do so shows a lack of education or laziness. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/48 "2009-06-23T22:38:57Z")
(reads thread) Can anyone out there clarify for me whether or not “rate of speed” is redundant? It’s always driven me nuts when you have someone who is (I think) desperate to make themselves feel smarter by needlessly extending their sentences, and so they say, “I done seened that vehicle moving at a high rate of speed through the crosswalk.” Really? Because I’m pretty sure “speed” is dx/dt or distance/time or to put it in a way that’s right on your speed-o-meter, miles/hour. Speed is already a rate, right? So “high rate of speed” is completely redundant, right? -Joe ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/49 "2009-06-23T23:05:50Z")
I have a problem with misspelling words, and I swap same sounding word’s as well. As annoying as it is for everyone else, it’s much more frustrating for me. They don’t have to deal with it all the time for a lifetime. People assume you’re an idiot, and in this E-mail and Texting age, it’s effects reach to heights where it cripples my means to communicate with others. I often forget how to spell my own middle name. So, yeah, I’m a moron. Oh, but my reading comprehension is good though. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Woo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dr.Woo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Woo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/50 "2009-06-23T23:24:34Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > Since when does reading have anything to do with knowing or caring how words are spelled? I don’t look at letters when I read. I look at words. Clusters of them. Just like most people who can read without sounding out each word aloud as they struggle through a sentence. If anyone wants to feel all big and smart every time he or she notices someone else’s misspelling, go for it. Me? I’ve got better things to do. If I need to make sure something is mistake-free, that’s what our editors get paid (poorly) to do. > > Gotta run. More drug candidates to isolate. But how else do you learn how to spell? I don’t look up every word in the dictionary. Heck, 99% of spelling and word usage comes from reading. Or maybe I just read differently than other people. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/51 "2009-06-23T23:39:33Z")
Reading HELPS me, but I have difficulty with ‘symbols’. I can’t see the trees from the forest, so to speak. It’s due to a learning disability. BTW; so there’s no confusion when I said; “So, yeah, I’m a moron.” I didn’t mean it as hyperbole. It’s just wry humor. I had to google “wry” so I was sure it wasn’t the same spelling as the bread, “rye”. It takes me FOREVER to post here, and my posts are still chalk-full of mistakes. ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/52 "2009-06-24T02:32:04Z")
What did Kurtis Blow say to his son when he was teaching him how to drive? These are the BRAKES. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/53 "2009-06-24T05:49:56Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > (reads thread) > > Can anyone out there clarify for me whether or not “rate of speed” is redundant? It’s always driven me nuts when you have someone who is (I think) desperate to make themselves feel smarter by needlessly extending their sentences, and so they say, “I done seened that vehicle moving at a high rate of speed through the crosswalk.” > > Really? Because I’m pretty sure “speed” is dx/dt or distance/time or to put it in a way that’s right on your speed-o-meter, miles/hour. > > Speed is already a rate, right? So “high rate of speed” is completely redundant, right? > > -Joe You’re talking about _acceleration_, right? 😃 (the rate at which the speed changes…) ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/54 "2009-06-24T07:01:55Z")
“He’s a very insulate person” No he’s not, he’s insular you dum fuck ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/55 "2009-06-24T07:15:00Z")
Freddy Quimby: “It’s ‘chowder’. Say it right!” “Come back here. I’m not threw demeaning you.” ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/56 "2009-06-24T08:24:22Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Are you sure you’re hearing them correctly? “Pots” is often used as a shorthand for potions, but I’ve never heard anyone say “Drots”. I heard that in a _movie_ once! I wish I could remember what it was called - I saw it on a late show about 30 years ago. The villain describes how he got hold of some magic elixir and “took a long healthy drot”. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/57 "2009-06-24T09:41:20Z")
Almost everyone I know of my parents’ generation does not know how to spell properly. It seems to have something to do with how they were taught to read. They seem to have the same problem sounding out words they are unfamiliar with. (The exceptions are people that Dopers would probably consider nerds.) ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/58 "2009-06-24T09:57:36Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > Freddy Quimby: “It’s ‘chowder’. Say it right!” > “Come back here. I’m not threw demeaning you.” You called? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/59 "2009-06-24T12:13:52Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > “He’s a very insulate person” > > No he’s not, he’s insular you dum fuck My guess there is that they’re mixing insular with isolated. ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/60 "2009-06-24T13:07:09Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > “He’s a very insulate person” > > No he’s not, he’s insular you dum fuck Don’t be so insolent, you pillock [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719.md?page=4)