BS: Language Pet Peeves part II

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 08 Nov 23 - 03:35 PM

‘Deplane’. Or, even worse, ‘debark’. WTF? It’s ‘disembark’.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Black belt caterpillar wrestler
Date: 09 Nov 23 - 04:53 AM

All those adverts that claim "Now 30% better" without stating what they are comparing the new product to.

I am usually there shouting "Than What!!"

Robin

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 18 Nov 23 - 02:35 AM

Desecrate - chop up all those pallets for firewood.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 12 Nov 23 - 11:27 PM

Despoil - stop behaving like children

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 12 Nov 23 - 04:43 AM

Denude, to put your clothes on.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 12 Nov 23 - 12:49 AM

Unavailable, like in France where they don't let girls wear Muslim scarves in school?

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 11 Nov 23 - 11:54 AM

Declare: to leave the Burren behind.
Deplore: give up imploring.
Desist: lance that boil.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 09 Nov 23 - 01:49 AM

Unbearable - it's hard to carry a bear.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 08 Nov 23 - 12:46 PM

It would be better as "They did as much work as their husbands, if not more", Doug, but it's the creeping use of 'than' that I'm after here.
But in fact in the rather clunky sentence, as second 'as' would be correct:
"They did as much, if not more, work as their husbands [did]."

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 08 Nov 23 - 12:18 AM

Ah yes, Steve, the old "Dead man was killed by brother" headline that makes chief subeditors foam at the mouth!

People were asking me for an example of the increasing use of "than" where "as" would be correct. Here's a beauty:

‘They did as much if not more work than their husbands or partners’ – calls to speed up end of exclusion of female farmers from pension rights

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Lighter
Date: 08 Nov 23 - 03:45 PM

Oxford has "debark," both transitive and in transitive, from as far back as the seventeenth century.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 18 Nov 23 - 04:25 AM

The didn't "drop" that toolbox in space. They let it go, yeah, but it didn't fall ...

Technically, anything in orbit is constantly falling but the curvature of the Earth means that the ground is falling away at the same rate. Astronauts have a 'sense' of weightlessness but their mass is being acted on by the Earth's gravity, so they still have weight.

I think that whoever let the toolbox go should have been made to go and get it.

DC

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 11 Nov 23 - 04:43 PM

Here in the States I've not heard debar, but disbar

Debar means to exclude or prohibit someone from participating in something (which, oddly enough, means the same as to bar someone), while disbar means to remove someone’s professional license or authority to practice a profession.

DC

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 11 Nov 23 - 02:24 PM

Demean: be kind

Delay: pick up off the floor

Decoy: become willing to talk about sensitive subjects

Decaf: leave the restaurant

Debar: leave the pub

Demob: part from the other gang members


Maybe we should be taking these to the joke thread, rather than polluting this thread which is, essentially, for grumpy people.

DC

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 08 Nov 23 - 03:48 PM

Does 'debunk' mean 'get out of bed' ?

DC

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 08 Nov 23 - 04:06 AM

Looking back at my post above, it would be better as:-

"They did as much work as, if not more than, their husbands ...."

DC

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 08 Nov 23 - 03:54 AM

They did as much if not more work than their husbands or partners

Taking the second part on its own:- "They did more work as their husbands ..." is incorrect.

"Than" cannot be replaced by "as". It's just that an "as" is missing.
It should be:- "They did as much as, if not more work than their husbands or partners".

It would better rewritten as:-
"They did at least as much work as their husbands ..."

DC

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Nov 23 - 11:59 AM

The old thread in pages of 50 from the start.

The old thread in pages of 50 from the most recent.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 11 Nov 23 - 05:33 PM

Seen on a poster describing a statue of William Wallace in the Scottish Borders - "the statue was unvailed"....
Where was the prufreeder?

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Mrrzy
Date: 18 Nov 23 - 09:23 PM

I guess it's falling ... eventuallu

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Mrrzy
Date: 15 Nov 23 - 05:50 PM

The didn't "drop" that toolbox in space. They let it go, yeah, but it didn't fall, so dropped is not the mot juste, to me.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Mrrzy
Date: 10 Nov 23 - 11:58 AM

Than before, I think. Gruntled, I am not.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Mrrzy
Date: 08 Nov 23 - 08:12 PM

I remain annoyed at people who think, when specifying their pronoun [singular], that they have to conjugate it, or decline it, or whatever.

If it's they, then it becomes them and their.

If she, her and hers.

If he, him and his.

Just specify the gender! The rest follows!