Comments on: More Head-exploding Things

By: Amie

Amie — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 00:57:19 +0000

I once accidentally told somebody I was "strengthy" when I meant to say "strong." I still use that one because it makes me giggle. I think I mentioned "learnings" in a comment a few posts ago…so here's another one that raises my neck hairs: "incentify" (instead of "incentivize"). I hear that one a lot when I work on healthcare projects.

By: Anne Wayman

Anne Wayman — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 19:21:19 +0000

Tech hell is making my head explode… changed hosts and moving the sites was okay, and the email has been, well you don't want to know… just about through it I think.

Going to the circus tomorrow… should help.

By: Paula

Paula — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:15:45 +0000

I may be guilty of having said "a whole nother" but realized back in high school when I tried to write it out I realized it should be "a whole other."

It bugs me when smart people say "acrost the street." In college a fellow student asked me how to spell "acrost" and he wouldn't believe it wasn't a word even after I pulled out a dictionary to prove it.

Still, the biggest thing making my head explode is the ever-increasing mis-use and abuse of "gifted" and "gifting." I may be a gifted knitter, but I didn't gift my handmade items as gifts. I gave them as gifts. The recipients were no more "gifted" after opening the gifts than they were before I gave them. I wasn't gifting gifts - I was giving gifts.

Yeah. That one really makes me want to tear my hair out - while my head is exploding.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:58:18 +0000

"A whole nuther" is funny to me too. It would make sense to say "a whole other" and that's what they are actually saying, but are keeping the "an" intead of changing to "a" because of the word in the middle. It's not hard to understand when you break it down, but people don't normally think about all that detail like we writers do ;)

I'm with you on the rules that don't make sense too. I'm a much better rule-follower when I understand WHY.

And I still don't get why the weekend is only 2 days while the work week is 5 days. That REALLY doesn't make sense ;) Have a wonderful trip!

By: Wendy

Wendy — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:22:29 +0000

I don't mind made up words, but there's a time and a place for it.

Seeing Job ads with netspeak or whatever, drives me insane. "R U a writer?" I don't care what you state the pay rate is. It doesn't show that you can be trustworthy. At least make an effort to sound like a professional.

By: Alex G

Alex G — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:04:26 +0000

Haha – love it. How about 'irregardless'?

By: Colin Galbraith

Colin Galbraith — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 11:37:31 +0000

As of the other day, my mother is married to a 70 year old. Still trying to get my head around it 😉

By: Devon Ellington

Devon Ellington — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 11:19:58 +0000

I have a four month old kitten, Tessa, arrived yesterday, so the world is, once again, and beautiful and fascinating place as I watch the world through her eyes as she learns.