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07 April 2007
"Across" isn't a word...→[More:] ...According to MeCha's spellcheck, that is.
Miko: Same goes for Rhode Island, actually. My dad says "acrost."
(Rhode Island accents are essentially New York and Boston accents combined. We're so annoying.)
TheDonF: A pet peeve of mine as well.
Although the point was that "across" really is a word, whereas "alot" should be.
I actually love regional linguistic variations, with one exception: people who say "beaut-ee-ful." Do that and I automaticall ratchet my estimation of your IQ down about 20 points.
Me too, jonmc. "Beauty-ful" is such a wild aberration. I've heard it only from people of Italian-American background in New Jersey. Often accompanied by "Stunning." As in "Did you see the new pool Tony and Angela and put in? Stunning. Absolutely beauty-ful."
I don't hate it anymore, though. Since I've moved to another region it's become one of those New Jerseyisms that I used to hate, but now makes me homesick.
Argh. There are people who say that with the assurance that it is more proper. It's the equivalent of saying 'It's so bright I need a sunglass' or 'When I swim I wear a goggle.'
Ooh, can I rant about fashion journalism?
Pair, the noun, means "a set of two", yes? Pair, the verb, means "to create a set of two", yes?
You do not pair "a cute drapy shirt" with "a kicky pleated skirt" AND "a nicely fitted jacket" AND "slouchy boots" AND "swingy earrings" AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT BRINGS YOUR TOTAL NUMBER OF ITEMS (OR MATCHED SETS OF ITEMS IN CASE OF EARRINGS OR SHOES) TO MORE THAN TWO.
Coupla things— I once argued with a girl who was well beyond my income bracket that there was such a word as "acrossed," you know, like "acrossed the street," because that was the way my mother said it. Dictionary proved I was wrong, and she mocked me mercilessly. Later, she became hot but would not sleep with me.
The words that should be compounded are "all right." It should be "alright." Goddamnit.