# Tiny errors that drive you insane **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 29, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557 "2016-02-29T19:58:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/281 "2016-03-14T23:25:26Z")
_Fewer_ should indeed be used specifically with countable things. It does not follow that therefore _less_ can only be used with uncountable things. That’s not how language works. _Less_ has been used with countable objects for as long as English has been a language. [Here’s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fewer_vs._less) Wikipedia’s take on it. And a [grammar blog](https://motivatedgrammar.wordpress.com/2008/09/30/10-items-or-less-is-just-fine/). Basically some guy in the 18th century said “I prefer using ‘fewer’ for countable things and ‘less’ for uncountable things” and a bunch of people decided it must be a rule. But it’s not. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/282 "2016-03-14T23:50:30Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > . . . Learn the difference between, and correct usage of, _staunch_ and _stanch_ ! . . . Takes me back to a lovely old Pogo comic strip by Walt Kelly, where someone was asked to “stench the flow of invective.” > [@Irishman](#): > > . . . Mathematical use is a special case? Sure! Math uses a bunch of words differently from ordinary speech. Our imaginary numbers are not imaginary, even though they aren’t real. 2 is a complex number, but 1.999~ is a simple one. We commute in closed groups, and distribute in open ones. We can recite “Analytic and Algebraic Topology of Locally Euclidean Metrization of Infinitely Differentiable Riemannian Manifold” and laugh! ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/283 "2016-03-15T00:05:24Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > At least they don’t call their shortest cup on the menu a “tall”. Supposedly, they also had/have a [“short” size](http://www.businessinsider.com/short-size-at-starbucks-2014-4) but it’s not normally on the menu. I’ve never tried ordering one to test. > [@](#): > > I can’t say I’ve noticed this one, but I have noticed plenty of Protestant ministers/pastors/preachers on TV shows/in movies wearing “the collar”. I’m not saying no denomination uses such thing, as honestly I don’t know what absolutely every denomination may or may not do, but I do know that no Protestant I’ve seen preach in real life has ever worn one. Some might wear robes, most just wear suits. Episopalian/Anglican and some Lutherans, yes. But even the Catholic orders vary on attire, and many Catholic priests dress plainclothes or in various robe-type garments during services, no collar. > [@doreen](#): > > I’m certain Episcopalian priests wear it (although strictly speaking they aren’t Protestant.) That’s an interesting case, and yeah, sometimes they aren’t counted among Protestants, being post-Reformation. Which is kind of odd as Methodists are considered Protestant and they’re a newer offshoot of Anglicanism (although the Wesleys initially weren’t intending to form their own religion). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/284 "2016-03-15T00:22:22Z")
I’ve seen Catholic priests wearing Roman-collar shirts in colors other than black, too. Some priests when they’re “off-duty” prefer to wear the same sort of clothes as anyone else, while others prefer to wear clothes that are more casual than vestments but which still identify them as priests. > [@](#): > > Quoth **Irishman** : > > Well, I have actually had someone say it to me speaking, not writing. How could you tell? The incorrect “should of” sounds exactly the same as the correct “should’ve”, when spoken. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/285 "2016-03-15T00:45:54Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > I can’t say I’ve noticed this one, but I have noticed plenty of Protestant ministers/pastors/preachers on TV shows/in movies wearing “the collar”. I’m not saying no denomination uses such thing, as honestly I don’t know what absolutely every denomination may or may not do, but I do know that no Protestant I’ve seen preach in real life has ever worn one. Some might wear robes, most just wear suits. Lutherans do, or at least the pastor at the only Lutheran church I’ve been to did. I remember seeing an ad for a romantic comedy starring Kate Hudson (Google tells me it must have been _Raising Helen_) in which Hudson was very surprised that a Catholic priest (in a black shirt and white collar) had asked her out. It turns out he was actually a Lutheran pastor, and thus had not been required to take a vow of celibacy. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/286 "2016-03-15T00:57:23Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > At least they don’t call their shortest cup on the menu a “tall”. Starbucks has short cups. They aren’t on the menu, but you can ask for them. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/287 "2016-03-15T01:16:17Z")
More an error on my part - in my old truck it takes forever to hear that final fucking “click” of the seatbelt locking into place. I can spend a good minute trying to re-jam the stupid fucking belt, over and over, sometimes trying to ease it in, other times just bashing away at the bloody thing. Meanwhile I’ve pulled onto a busy street. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/288 "2016-03-15T02:38:39Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Sure! Math uses a bunch of words differently from ordinary speech. Our imaginary numbers are not imaginary, even though they aren’t real. 2 is a complex number, but 1.999~ is a simple one. We commute in closed groups, and distribute in open ones. We can recite “Analytic and Algebraic Topology of Locally Euclidean Metrization > of Infinitely Differentiable Riemannian Manifold” and laugh! In English we generally use the plural verb for multiple subjects, e.g., “The dog and cat are fighting.” But we commonly say such things as “One plus two is three.” It’s as though it’s understood that a mathematical operator is a conjunction that forms a singular noun out of multiple nouns. I’ve been reading books about mathematics in Latin, and there you get a plural verb, e.g., “Ūnus plūs duo sunt trēs.” ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/289 "2016-03-15T02:52:03Z")
It highlights the “loss of identity” of the addends. One plus two no longer exist as “one” and “two” but are melted and congealed into “three.” There isn’t any “are” left, only an “is.” (Hm… “Flour plus eggs plus water plus milk is dough…”) ??? ---
**Author:** ![Haldurson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/51bf81/32.png) [@Haldurson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haldurson)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/290 "2016-03-15T04:03:59Z")
> [@MacLir](#): > > On that note, I’ll mention the pronunciation of the common tan ice cream topping as _kar’-mel_. The word has three syllables: _ **kare’-a-mel** _! > > Carmel is a mountain in Israel. :dubious: Actually, both pronunciations are correct, according to Merriam Webster’s online dictionary – [Caramel Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caramel) ---
**Author:** ![Haldurson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/51bf81/32.png) [@Haldurson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haldurson)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/291 "2016-03-15T04:20:52Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If one takes the word as absolute, then all macroscopic objects are unique. The tree outside my window is unique, because it’s the only one in the world with that exact pattern of branches. Your car is unique, because it’s the only one in the world with that particular serial number engraved in the frame. A mass-produced piece of plastic is unique, because it’s the only one with that particular set of cross-links between the polymer strands, and so on. What’s the use of an adjective that applies to every noun? > > But in practice, we don’t say that every mass-produced bit of plastic is unique, because even though there are differences between them, those differences aren’t significant compared to the similarities. They’re unique in some sense, but not unique enough. Unique is absolutely one of a kind, and thus, nothing can be more unique than anything else. But, of course, context is everything. It’s bad form to switch context in the middle of a concept. If I claim that my car is unique because of its serial number, that is strictly true. It’s pointing out a difference between your car and every other car. You then can’t switch context and say that your car is less unique than any other car because it’s red and red is a common color. Two things are only the same if you define the context such that that statement is true. Once you change context, it’s like changing the channel – you are starting with a clean slate with completely different rules of comparison. All comparisons work like that – you have to stick within a specific context, or they can fall apart. If I say, for example, that an old book I have is rarer than another, am I talking about a specific printing, am I talking about the title as a whole, or am I talking about the fact that it is a signed by the author? Without the context, there are too many ways to interpret it. And once that context is set, you can only dispute it within the confines of that specific context, because by changing context, you are no longer disagreeing with what the original statement, you are disagreeing with an incorrect interpretation of that statement. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/292 "2016-03-15T12:00:07Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, illiteracy has many defenders but no defense. 🆒 Yes, because only you way of speaking is correct. Never mind that those Other People talk differently. They’re poor. And they look weird. And they have different-colored (darker, usually) skin. They don’t count as literate, and barely count as human. Nope. You’re right, they’re wrong. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/293 "2016-03-15T12:30:54Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > … > Never mind that those Other People talk differently. They’re poor. And they look weird. And they have different-colored (darker, usually) skin. They don’t count as literate, and barely count as human. > … Damn, but that is patronizing. I think everyone, no matter their income level or pigmentation, is quite capable of learning standard usage, and using it when appropriate. We all have our casual and personal language, but there is a standard that those in power will judge us to, and we do no one any favor if we decide they need not learn it. “Never mind that those Other People have fewer educational opportunities. They’re poor. They don’t need to be able to communicate effectively outside their immediate environment. They are not the cultural standard, so why should they ape it with their speech?” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/294 "2016-03-15T15:02:35Z")
Everyone can and does learn standard usage. The problem is, we all use different standards. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/295 "2016-03-15T15:22:41Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Yes, because only you way of speaking is correct. > > Never mind that those Other People talk differently. They’re poor. And they look weird. And they have different-colored (darker, usually) skin. They don’t count as literate, and barely count as human. > > Nope. You’re right, they’re wrong. Such an simple world you live in. Never needing to think critically about your thoughts and opinions since only racists would ever disagree with you. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/296 "2016-03-15T15:47:16Z")
I just finished reading a rather scholarly book, full of difficult science. Repeatedly throughout, the word “fair” was used when it should have been “fare.” “This species did not \*fair \*well during the ecological crisis.” Worse, the author (or his editor) used “loose” for “lose.” Come on! Why should I trust your words on the difficult things when you can’t (or can’t be bothered to) get the easy things right? ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/297 "2016-03-16T00:03:02Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > How could you tell? The incorrect “should of” sounds exactly the same as the correct “should’ve”, when spoken. Because I was the one saying “should’ve”. _They_ were “correcting” _me_. > [@Trinopus](#): > > Sure! Math uses a bunch of words differently from ordinary speech. Here’s from a source wikipedia cites: > [@](#): > > Secondly, in sentences and phrases with ‘than’, you should use _less_ with numbers when they are on their own: > > √ His weight fell from 18 stone to **less than 12**. > √ A person with a score of **less than 100** will have difficulty obtaining credit. > > and when talking about distance, time, ages, and sums of money: > > √ Companies **less than** five **years** old are the ones bringing us new job creation. > √ Per capita income is reckoned to be _less than_ 50 _dollars_ per year. > √ Heath Square is **less than** four **miles** away from Dublin city centre. > > But hold on, I hear you say – the measurements (years, miles, dollars, etc.) are in the plural, so why isn’t fewer the correct choice? Not so! We use less in such cases because we’re actually still referring to total amounts (of time, money, distance, etc.) rather than individual units. > [@j666](#): > > I think everyone, no matter their income level or pigmentation, is quite capable of learning standard usage, and using it when appropriate. Standards differ, or else we would all be speaking The Queen’s English. Dialects differ on pronunciation and usage. ---
**Author:** ![heckofva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7ab992/32.png) [@heckofva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heckofva)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/298 "2016-03-16T00:33:15Z")
Most recently on the Walking Dead… But in just about every movie/TV show with semi auto hand gun has the character rack the slide back before doing something with the gun. Even policeman and military personnel in uniform will take the weapon from their holster and rack the slide before going into a situation. So in other words they are walking around all day with a empty barrel and then have to rack a round in to get the gun working. Thank goodness nothing bad happens to them and they have to respond immediately or they would be shot or eaten by zombies trying to charge their weapon! ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/299 "2016-03-16T00:34:02Z")
I never watched King of Queens when it was on CBS. But I have been watching Reruns on TVland and TBS. The outside of the house does not matchup with the interior of the living room The living room has windows on both sides of the front door. The outdoor shot of the house has the front door on the extreme right side of the house. tiny error, but it shows up in nearly every episode. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/300 "2016-03-16T01:30:01Z")
There’s no way the inside of the Brady Bunch house had the number of rooms it looked like from the outside. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557.md?page=16)