[Sca-cooks] OT OOP English was (Re: Drive up ATM's OT, OOP)

[Susan Fox-Davis]

"Decker, Terry D." wrote:

> > >As for the, for the "flammable" "inflammable" business, the
> >
> > I am aware of this (once was a grad grunt in English), however, I was
> > speaking of general usage. It would appear that those who
> > _should_ know,
> > such as journalists and editors, either don't know, or don't
> > care. I think
> > it has something to do the with lowest common denominator. :-/
>
> But it was such a lovely place to practice my pedantry in the pursuit of
> obnoxiousness.
>
> Journalistic writing is usually fast hack work against a deadline, so I'm
> willing to make greater allowance.  Editors on the otherhand seem to be
> singularly lacking in language skills.  An editor who understands language,
> construction and flow is a jewel beyond price these days as the ones who
> could bring out the best in a writer are being replaced by "editors" who
> (maybe) understand marketing product but have no grasp of the language.

Not ALL editors [says the editor of Hollywood News Calendar for these 15
years].  I've learnt to reduce my verbiage to the bare minimum in order to get
my point across.  This practice has spoilt me for long pedantic rants and
writing the Great American Novel;  however, I do aspire to write the Great
American Paragraph someday.  ;-)

>
> > Actually, I was not confusing it at all- I was making a
> > reference to the
> > old joke about-
> >
> > "You know the difference between 'pro-' and 'con-', right?"
> > "Yeah..."
> > "Well, if 'progress' means 'moving forward' or 'becoming
> > better', then what
> > does that say about 'congress'?"
> >
> > 'Lainie
>
> My wife can tell you I tease people with a straight face and fastidious
> precision.  It works better in person than online.  Unfortunately, when I
> first heard the joke, it was too close to reality to be funny.
>
> Bear

Wasn't this a line from the Broadway musical "1776"?  Certainly this basic
truth goes back that far.

Selene, Caid