On the Sunday Politics programme, a commentator has just said 'If the LibDems lose five or six seats out of 56 they won't be decimated'. Er...yes they will!
Why doesn't Starmer hold another referendum?
Gransnet forums
Pedants' corner
Ah yes Greatnan, but (one of) the modern meanings of 'decimate', according to the Oxford dictionary, is to 'drastically reduce the strength or effectiveness of (something)':
e.g., public transport has been decimated
To cut by one-tenth is a historical use.
oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/decimate
So the commentator was not wrong,if you accept that losing 5 or 6 seats woulkdn't drastically reduce the Lib Dems' strength.
But you were right too (in a sense).
Jen 
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