Gransnet forums

Pedants' corner

Meerkat or Market

(23 Posts)
Greatnan Thu 07-Feb-13 12:03:05

Flout and flaunt, mitigate and militate (much loved by politicians).

absent Thu 07-Feb-13 09:57:13

Naughty Nelliemoser but it's difficult to resist the temptation. grin

Nelliemoser Thu 07-Feb-13 09:35:01

Compliment and complement are commonly confused. There was a bathroom suite in B & Q with a sign about tiles "too compliment" the suite. I confess to using a marker pen to correct it.

Deedaa Wed 06-Feb-13 22:01:28

People saying May Have when it should be Might Have.

Lilygran Mon 04-Feb-13 15:14:11

And 'floundering' and 'foundering'. There really IS a difference!

Lilygran Thu 31-Jan-13 13:35:41

And another couple! Woman (possibly a laydee, she was ever-so-nicely-spoken) on Radio 4 this morning used 'reticent' a dozen times when she meant 'hesitant'. This is becoming very common now. People who misuse 'reticent' should be aware that it will have at least two bad effects. One is that pedants won't be able to hear what she or he is saying because they will be shouting so loudly at the radio. Two is that when someone describes an individual as 'reticent', no-one will know what they mean! I think this particular laydee actually also said 'effect' when she meant 'affect' but that might just have been me shouting.

Lilygran Thu 24-Jan-13 15:25:51

Not at all.

Ana Thu 24-Jan-13 15:11:33

Ah! Thanks - I never even thought about that before...smile

Lilygran Thu 24-Jan-13 14:31:56

Lots of people do! But it's a biographical picture. A bio pic. What would Byoppick mean?

Ana Thu 24-Jan-13 13:41:59

Isn't that how you pronounce it? confused

Lilygran Thu 24-Jan-13 13:34:43

Biopic? Pronounced Byoppick?

Stansgran Thu 24-Jan-13 09:31:01

Can't count

Stansgran Thu 24-Jan-13 09:30:43

Two pet hates disinterested and uninterested muddled especially in newspapers.phase and faze often to be found in the Times and dissect pronounced di- ssect often heard on Programmes with bodies in morgues.

absent Thu 24-Jan-13 09:16:44

My dictionaries are probably out of date Ariadne – like me.

Ariadne Thu 24-Jan-13 08:44:52

absent my Chambers online dictionary gives an alternative of "feeling or manifesting hate"; that's where I looked first.

Lilygran Thu 24-Jan-13 08:16:01

Yes! Absent quite maddening. And 'estimate' which is noun or verb depending on pronunciation. No, it isn't. The distinction has disappeared.

absent Thu 24-Jan-13 07:31:30

All of my dictionaries define hateful as arousing hatred; not a single one gives an alternative of being full of hate.

The two commonly confused words that annoy me are procrastinate and prevaricate. They may have vaguely similar meanings but they are not the same.

annodomini Wed 23-Jan-13 14:55:10

Apropos diffuse and defuse: when we were house hunting we had the particulars of a house with 'defused lighting' in the garage, which would have been a lot of use!
Often you see diffuse used as in 'to diffuse a situation' which should be 'defuse'.

Lilygran Wed 23-Jan-13 14:04:02

It can now! But is a 'hateful letter' a letter full of hate? Or could it be 'hateful' because it includes information you hate? Would have been clear at one time, now it isn't.

Ariadne Wed 23-Jan-13 14:02:38

I think it can, Ana, though I understand Lilygran's (where DO you put the apostrophe, before or after the *) question. I think it's another case of change of use over time.

What about "loth" and "loathe"?

Ana Wed 23-Jan-13 13:16:19

Surely 'hateful' can be used either way?

gillybob Wed 23-Jan-13 13:16:09

The work "Market" looks like "Marhet" to me as the "K" is not of the kicking variety ! smile

Lilygran Wed 23-Jan-13 13:11:01

They are spelt differently and pronounced differently, as Robert Webb says in the new commercial. So are 'diffuse' and 'defuse'. This is causing me a great deal of annoyance as it's quite often possible for either to be intended. And what about 'hateful' now used to mean someone/thing full of hate rather than something to be hated. confused