Making the Curmudge cringe.....

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 8:35 am

Dean, your suggestion stretches the rules, and creates some confusion. There was only one "model", although there were three variations in door cuts and paint colors. Also, the word "models" could be interpreted to mean "model cars", when these were full-scale automobiles.

Sheena, nice solution. 8/10 because strictly speaking, it isn't a pluralization.

Mark, technically 100%. But confusing to the average reader. I think what I'm really getting at is, "How do we pluralize the word, 'Indy'?"

beatlefreak · Post by **beatlefreak** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 8:36 am

John wrote:
"How about affect and effect. I see that misused a lot."

Also insure and ensure.

charlyg · Post by **charlyg** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 8:40 am

By the rules Indys, I just don't like it. There are times when the apostrophe can help separate letters that can run together, or beg for a different pronunciation than what is warranted.

Here's one then. Is it the 70s, or 70's? Each year within the decade belongs to the group of years expressed by the decade, thus showing "ownership" by the decade? I know, picking nits again..........

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 8:47 am

By the rules, you have it 100%, Charlie, along with the solution I had in mind. And I do agree, this is a clumsy situation.

Your observation on the decade nomenclature is not nitpicking, because it's entirely without merit. It's simply specious. LOL, BTW.

Source of the term, "nitpicking", anyone? No fair using Google.

I should start giving out prizes.

lyle_from_minneapolis · Fri Sep 21, 2007 9:01 am

That's easy, Paul--I've had to do it to my daughters several times, and it's a slow, agonizing process picking out the nits that lice leave in one's hair.

But a great solution is to douse your hair with olive oil under a shower cap for 24 hours. Suffocates the lice...but you still need to pick the nits.

Wait a minute...did I say "your" hair? Sorry.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 9:07 am

Har! In Brasil, lice were a real kid problem and made no class distinction. But in my daughter's private school, NOBODY talked about it--it was considered a huge family shame, so though there were regular lice checks (Portuguese word is "piolio"), anytime they were found, there was a weird social interaction whenever parent notification was to happen--it was spoken about indirectly, but the parents got the message.

Here in No Cal, it still goes on, but at least it's upfront with no social stigma.

Anyone want to come up with two Portuguese words that have made it into English unchanged? Hint: both entered the English lexicon in the 17th century in colonial days.

charlyg · Post by **charlyg** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 9:10 am

Spacious? Oh specious!

nevermind.

If Gilda could say it as one word, so can I.......

paologregorio · Post by **paologregorio** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 9:12 am

Mark, you actually did use the correct "your":

Your-belonging to you
you're-you are

Here are a couple:

"Between you and I" instead of the correct "between you and me"

Oh, while we're on correct, how about the phrase "more correct"?!

Any plural that's mistakenly written with an apostrophe, which makes it a possessive.

Finally, the ever increasing confusion by some regarding the use of "there, their and they're".

elysrand · Post by **elysrand** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 9:34 am

The accepted (mis?)spelling for Independent media producers as a group, and in slang the movies they produce, has become in recent decades "indies" - a contractional abbreviation of "independents". That begs the question of whether a singular form of "independent" is "indy", or is it "indie"? I have heard the former most often...

wayang · Post by **wayang** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 9:39 am

How about the works of that linguistic genius, Jim Morisson?

"...'til the stars fall from the sky
for you and I..."

It just doen't get much 'less correct' than that...

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 9:40 am

Youse guys are all pretty sharp.

And what's this I hear about Soviet jewelry?

charlyg · Post by **charlyg** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 9:45 am

My BIGGEST peeve, the misuse of "myself"!

wayang · Post by **wayang** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 9:49 am

Don't worry, Charlie, it won't make you go blind...that's just a myth.

lyle_from_minneapolis · Fri Sep 21, 2007 9:55 am

You and me agree!

Paolo, I was joking about Paul's hair. He used to have it, but he was tragically unlocked.

sowhat · Post by **sowhat** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 10:25 am

Ehm... what about Soviet jewelry?