Today's Lesson

[jackofallgeeks]

I'm such an english nazi. Which is funny, because I didn't used to be. (Now i'm concerned if "didn't used to be" is proper english...") When I was a kid, all the way up through highschool, I was always the Math/Sci sort. I liked reading a lot and such, but... I was horrible at spelling, you can ask anyone who knew me before, say, Junior Year in highschool. I'm still not grand, but I'm infinitely better. I was always pretty good with grammar, too, and when we did sentence diagramming in 7th grade I was the only one who had even done it before.

Or something. Anyways, a couple friends of mine have, uhm, misused a couple common sayings recently, and it seems to have bothered me. I didn't want to correct them then and there, making them look foolish and me look pedantic, but...

Firstly, it's "the whole sordid story," not 'sorted'. While 'sorted' may make a kind of sense, 'sordid' mean dirty, filthy, or vile, and it falls along the same lines as "all the gory details."

Secondly, contrary to common misconception, you "nip something in the bud," not the butt. As a contemporary colloquialism, 'butt' makes sense (though one might figure that that would imply sexual harassment, or at least flirtation), the phrase comes from gardening, where you would nip a bud of a plant before it had time to mature and flower.

I almost went into College for an English Major, and semantics and etymology were always what I was most interested in.
I'll shut up, now.

Comments

[tzohekiti.livejournal.com]

*giggles* Dear, you sound like my grade school english teacher.

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

See? That's exactly what I was saying - english nazi.

[tzohekiti.livejournal.com]

uhm... that last word... yeah.

[surichan.livejournal.com]

You sound like me! ::lives in thrall:: Oh, dearheart, you make this old soul proud.

Lately I've been pruning Mike of his speech fallacies, and one of the biggest he's been using lately is "flip the bill", as in, "Mom's flipping the bill for dinner tonight."

I, of course, have to calmly explain that one foots a bill, one does not flip it. I've had to do this three times this past two weeks. I think it's starting to annoy him. ::smiles:: But there really is no excuse for continued ignorance in these matters. To be able to use one's language properly is of the utmost importance.

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

Eee hee hee hee. I was anxious for you to respond to this, as I was afraid I would make a mistake somewhere in here which would be ironically humorous, and make me look really foolish.

But yes! -laughs- It's funny that we should share this fascination, in a way, being two who speak to Asians and computers, respectively. Or something.

I don't really understand 'footing' a bill -- what does that mean? That is, I know it means "to pay for," but where did that even come from?

[surichan.livejournal.com]

::puffs:: Well, I'm glad you asked that, Andrew, because I just happen to know the answer to that one.

The original meaning of "foot" in a financial sense originates back in the 15th century, when it was "to add up and set the total at the foot, or bottom, of a bill or account." So one could "foot up" a long sum in mathematics, or the like. By the early 19th century, however, "foot" somehow acquired the meaning "to pay up or settle a bill". Funny how words' meanings change over time, yes?

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

-laughs for days-
Quite.

[nif.livejournal.com]

Darling, I am an English nazi as well. It is good to see that other people are continuing the tradition of good grammar. The one thing that always gets me is when people say "He suicided himself". I'm like.. what? No! Terrible. And insure vs. ensure... oh man.

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

Ha. Yes. Actually, I feel really bad for it, but someone who doesn't speak well automatically makes a bad impression with me. You know? But aren't you an English Major, anyways? They're supposed to be nazis.

But actually, insure (http://webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=insure) and ensure (http://webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=ensure) are actually synonyms, though I agree that 'insure' is more commonly used with things like 'car insurance', whereas 'ensure' is more naturally used to "make certain," but...

Your Younger Brother

[whtepckupprncss.livejournal.com]

Would you be willing to share some of your English Naziness with your younger brother Timothy? It drives me up a wall his horrible spelling. I dont mean to sound critical I just cant stand the fact that he's going into eleventh grade at 16 years old and cant spell.

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

O.o
Yesh, Timmy needs major lingustical-type repair. You know why it is? It's hanging out with all thos AOLers, whith there "Is you is," and "my peeps be whack" and "OMGTCOLOL!!!!1!!!!one" and stuff. No one should ever spell 'stomach' s-t-u-m-i-c.

Hate to do this to you . . . well, actually, I don't ;p

[naughtjennifer.livejournal.com]

I think the word you're lookign for is "pedagogical," not pedantic. Pedagogical, coming from pedagogue, meaning overbearing, blowhardy, speaks to hear the sound of his own voice, or prove that he's smart, etc.(yes, I know this isn't a full sentence. I also don't care. ;p) Pedantic, however means having knowledge intellectually, but with no actual experience.

You know, it figures...

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

-laughs-
You're right, I meant 'pedagogical', not 'pedantic.'
I don't claim to be perfect myself, and it's rather fitting that you'd be the one to catch it.