Grammar that makes you cringe

[Mr Larrington]

6 modern artists we wouldn't have without Ella Fitzgerald

That bit is iffy (six/6: I'm not a stickler), but this grates:

Discover who's sound has been influenced by the wonderful Ella Fitzgerald

Yeah, the repetition of the full name in a short heading is pretty clunky, too.

So does the apostrophe abuse

[Cudzoziemiec]

The Bank of England is being criticised by some cringeworthy pedants called the National Literacy Trust for not using speech marks around the Churchill quote on the £5 note. It's pretty obvious it's a quote though, surely?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/27/new-5-note-has-major-grammar-blunderbut-have-spotted/

Ed: I disagree with the aesthetics argument though. I think it would actually look better in quotes.

[mattc]

...
is being criticised by some cringeworthy pedants
...

You do know what thread you posted this on, don't you?

[jsabine]

...
is being criticised by some cringeworthy pedants
...

You do know what thread you posted this on, don't you?

The distinction between cringeworthy and merely worthy is surely worth noting.

[Bledlow]

 Dammit I hate, loathe & despise the misuse of the word "optics" to mean appearance/appearances, etc.!

[hellymedic]

"optics" used to mean appearance/appearances, etc. Dammit I hate, loathe & despise that misuse of the word!

It used to mean lenses etc...

I'm afraid your posting is a tad ambiguous...   

[Bledlow]

Corrected . . .

[T42]

On slate.com, a gentleman by the name of Phil Plait discourses on the "multihued cacophony" of iridescent clouds.  They must bang together or summat, like saucepans.

[Cudzoziemiec]

That's rather a nice phrase, though it does imply he doesn't like these iridescent clouds.

[red marley]

On slate.com, a gentleman by the name of Phil Plait discourses on the "multihued cacophony" of iridescent clouds.  They must bang together or summat, like saucepans.

Perhaps start a new thread called "Ban all metaphor now!" ? Or perhaps "Send all metaphors to the gallows!".

[ian]

We can call it literal literalism.

[Mr Larrington]

We can literally call it literal literalism.

FTFY.  But Ogden Nash got there first with "Very Like A Whale" and one literally wouldn't wish to contradict him, in any sense of the word.

[T42]

On slate.com, a gentleman by the name of Phil Plait discourses on the "multihued cacophony" of iridescent clouds.  They must bang together or summat, like saucepans.

Perhaps start a new thread called "Ban all metaphor now!" ? Or perhaps "Send all metaphors to the gallows!".

Ah come on. It's closer to malapropism than metaphor - unless he suffers from synaesthesia, of course.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I'm not sure suffer is at all the right word for synaesthesia.

[clarion]

We can literally call it literal literalism.

FTFY.  But Ogden Nash got there first with "Very Like A Whale" and one literally wouldn't wish to contradict him, in any sense of the word.

And Shakespeare got there before him

POLONIUS
My lord, the queen would speak with you, and presently.


 HAMLET
Do you see yonder cloud that’s almost in shape of a camel?
 

POLONIUS
By th' mass, and ’tis like a camel indeed.

 HAMLET
Methinks it is like a weasel.
 

 POLONIUS
It is backed like a weasel.
 

 HAMLET
Or like a whale.
 

 POLONIUS
Very like a whale.
 

 HAMLET
Then I will come to my mother by and by. (aside) They fool me to the top of my bent.—I will come by and by.
 

 POLONIUS
I will say so.

 

 HAMLET
“By and by” is easily said.

[Nuncio]

On slate.com, a gentleman by the name of Phil Plait discourses on the "multihued cacophony" of iridescent clouds.  They must bang together or summat, like saucepans.

Perhaps start a new thread called "Ban all metaphor now!" ? Or perhaps "Send all metaphors to the gallows!".

Ah come on. It's closer to malapropism than metaphor - unless he suffers from synaesthesia, of course.

I haven't heard a squeak from my colleague's loud shirt this morning.

[T42]

On slate.com, a gentleman by the name of Phil Plait discourses on the "multihued cacophony" of iridescent clouds.  They must bang together or summat, like saucepans.

Perhaps start a new thread called "Ban all metaphor now!" ? Or perhaps "Send all metaphors to the gallows!".

Ah come on. It's closer to malapropism than metaphor - unless he suffers from synaesthesia, of course.

I haven't heard a squeak from my colleague's loud shirt this morning.

A cacophony is a disagreeable sound, so this wight is saying that the clouds he's so fond of are objectionable. I think he's indulging in cackophony, i.e. talking shit.

[Bledlow]

I think this one isn't just a spelling error, but from a misunderstanding of the origin & meaning of the term: shoe-in  instead of shoo-in, as if it had something to do with giving something a kicking, not waving it through.

[pcolbeck]

"This is so fun"

Missing adjective. Seems more prevalent in the US than here but it grates every time I see it.

[T42]

I think this one isn't just a spelling error, but from a misunderstanding of the origin & meaning of the term: shoe-in  instead of shoo-in, as if it had something to do with giving something a kicking, not waving it through.

Deserves to be shod out.

[Ham]

I think this one isn't just a spelling error, but from a misunderstanding of the origin & meaning of the term: shoe-in  instead of shoo-in, as if it had something to do with giving something a kicking, not waving it through.

That's in the same box as "Fine tooth-comb", which we have probably had before.

[Pickled Onion]

I think this one isn't just a spelling error, but from a misunderstanding of the origin & meaning of the term: shoe-in  instead of shoo-in, as if it had something to do with giving something a kicking, not waving it through.

That's in the same box as "Fine tooth-comb", which we have probably had before.

Raise to the ground

Tow the line

ect.

[Tim Hall]

I think this one isn't just a spelling error, but from a misunderstanding of the origin & meaning of the term: shoe-in  instead of shoo-in, as if it had something to do with giving something a kicking, not waving it through.

That's in the same box as "Fine tooth-comb", which we have probably had before.

Raise to the ground

Tow the line

ect.

As eny fule kno, "ect" has honourable origins, being a creation of n molesworth, the gorila of 3B and curse of st custards ect ect.

[Mr Larrington]

I have witnessed Robyn Hitchcock actually saying "ect ect" during one of his between-song spoken interludes.

[Pickled Onion]

As eny fule kno, "ect" has honourable origins, being a creation of n molesworth, the gorila of 3B and curse of st custards ect ect.

Oops. That was not supposed to be one of the examples in the list!  I can see that it looks like it was, now.