<sigh> It got eaten.
Here’s the original post:
Silent but deadly?
(My post was funnier when the OP was missing, damn you!)
This is one of the best Pedant rants I’ve read.
My 4-year-old son defined a “toot” as “when your butt coughs”.
Right up there with toot sweet is “Walla” - at first I thought people who used it were trying to be funny - then I realized they hadn’t a clue…
People who say “walla” or “wah-lah” - well, let’s say I’ve not met one yet who’s familiar with the concept of “French borrowings.” However, I’ve been known to say “toot sweet”, in jest - and I don’t think I could be accused of being inculte when it comes to the langue de Molière.
Besides, the Master did it in his column on sparking Life Savers.
Incorrect. Toot Sweets are candy whistles made by the Dick Van Dyke character is ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’.
Guilty as charged of using Toot Sweet.
I think I started using it after hearing Ira on Mad About You say it. It just sounded funny to me.
I know what it really should be. I took 4 years of French that I don’t remember. But it’s funny, so there!
But since I have my own nitpicky things, too, I see where you’re coming from.
Re the OP: ::applause::
Now can we talk about another term that gets mangled regularly?
It’s AD NAUSEAM. Not “ad nauseum,” like “museum.”
Tenkyouveddymuch.
I never use it, but then I had no idea. Is ignorance a good excuse?
Yes Sir!
I’ll stop saying “Toot sweet” toot sweet.
For all intents and purposes. Not for all intensive purposes. Not intensive porpoises either, leave the deep thinking dolphins out of it.
And this post is a non sequitur. Not a non sequitor.
Although, strictly speaking, it’s neither of them. Although this post is, rather.
Integral part. Not “intricate”. “Integral”. Don’t make me say it again.
You’re taking it for granite that people know the phrase is French.
They must not have a rock solid grasp of the eglish language. Or French, for that matter.
Now I WAS going to pit you Scarlett for the sheer stupidity of correcting those who use ‘ad nauseum’ when it is IN FACT the accurate spelling.
Then I decided to check the dictionary, and…
I ever-so-humbly apologise for my mis-placed arrogance! All these years I have smugly thought I was pretty-bloody-shit hot when it came to spelling and language skills, and dammit, I’M NOT.
That’s what I love about this board. You learn something new every day. 
When my younger brother was a toddler and in his “learning and inventing words” phase, he called them “butt whistles.”
AMEN!!! And the word is not “inTREgal” either! 