I only use the word aggravate to mean “make worse.” When I hear people use it to mean “annoy,” I always, always, always, notice it and make a small mental translation. But, although this is true, I want you to know that I’m not “correcting.” I’m “translating.” That’s because I know that aggravate has been […]
Ecstasy and the UK
I listen to the very well-done and amusing Science Weekly podcast from the Guardian (and you should too: Subscribe here). Recently, they discussed the following: The UK will not reclassify the drug ecstasy from “class A” (heroin, crack) to “class B” (amphetamines and such), even though the government’s own Advisory Council on the Misuse of […]
Guilt-Inducing Sign
Seen on the train in Melbourne, Australia. They could have said “passengers” instead of “passenger.” The sign would have worked just fine that way, while avoiding the awkwardness of the verb-subject disagreement. But I don’t really mind. We don’t have a good way to say he-or-she, so I’m ok with “they.” I do present heorshe […]
Kayaking to Oz
A couple of friends from Australia visited for the weekend, and we all had a grand ol’ time. Today, out of idle curiosity, I asked my iPhone for directions from my house to theirs, in Brisbane, Australia. The directions send me to Seattle for some reason, then tell me to kayak across the Pacific to […]
Creationist Timing
Lying back in the chair, with a mouth full of dental equipment, I tried to read my book. The dental assistant asked what I was reading; showing her the cover, I said the name of the book as best as I could. “Why Evolution is True.” She laughed a little too loudly, then said to […]
The News
My aunt sent me this link to the Newseum, an interactive view of the latest newspaper front pages from around the world. Hover to see the image to the right (helpful, if you’re looking for a particular language), then click to see the full view. It’s only the front page, as I mentioned, but you […]
Comments are Fixed
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Get Rich Quick
I just read an article that said: “Get-rich-quick” schemes are usually just that – schemes. Are schemes a bad thing? My American Heritage Dictionary (Third Edition) defines a scheme as: “a systematic plan or action” So… a get-rich-quick scheme is a systematic plan or action to get rich quick. Doesn’t sound bad, really.
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weeklyrob is broken and won’t accept comments. My technical friends (JB) are working on it.
Another word that they changed
I’ve pointed out before that American English is as close to Shakespeare and Chaucer as is British English (much as some British like to think otherwise). In the same vein, I’ve also pointed out before that some words and spellings that we think of as strictly Americanisms are actually holdovers from the way English was […]