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What's wrong with this sentence?

(12 Posts)
lizzypopbottle Sat 06-Jul-19 20:26:00

I considered Pedants' Corner for this but decided I'm definitely not being pedantic when I ask: What's wrong with this sentence, written by a chef, in a cookery book?

Lightly crush the peppercorns in a pestle with a mortar.

lizzypopbottle Sat 06-Jul-19 20:28:11

Nobody seems to bother with a proof reader these days. That's for sure!

Pantglas1 Sat 06-Jul-19 20:30:43

A bit Star Trek? ‘ to boldly go’. Good English is ‘to go boldly’ I think, so ‘Crush the peppercorns lightly

kittylester Sat 06-Jul-19 20:32:02

Was the recipe any good otherwise? grin

JoyBloggs Sat 06-Jul-19 20:34:30

Ought to be...
'Lightly crush the peppercorns in a mortar with a pestle'.

JoyBloggs Sat 06-Jul-19 20:35:41

Oops! Just seen the photos!

Bathsheba Sat 06-Jul-19 20:47:52

Hahaha!

lizzypopbottle Sat 06-Jul-19 21:33:39

Chemistry lessons at school taught me mortar and pestle. Loads of people say pestle and mortar (*the wrong way round!*) so I suppose that's how the confusion arises. I live in the North East (but don't originate from here) where people eat jam and bread. It surely has to be bread and jam? You can't have the jam before the bread or you'd get very sticky! Same principle with mortar and pestle.

MrsEggy Sat 06-Jul-19 21:36:28

You have a "vessel with a pestle" from a Danny Kaye film?

Greyduster Sat 06-Jul-19 22:02:30

If you didn’t have a mortar, could you use the chalice from the palace instead?

GabriellaG54 Wed 10-Jul-19 21:02:47

The pestle is the hand held bit, the mortar is the bowl.
Whoever actually transcribed it should have known better.
It would have made better sense to write, 'Using a pestle and mortar, lightly crush....' blah blah.

GabriellaG54 Wed 10-Jul-19 21:05:17

The bread looks good lizzypopbottle ??