OUTFRONT
The War
ON WORDS By Bob Yearick
A monthly column in which we attempt, however futilely, to correct some of the most common mistakes Americans make in both the written and spoken word.
The very best—or not Let’s examine three words that are often mistakenly used to mean “the best,” or “excellent”: penultimate, erstwhile, and hoi polloi. We’ve discussed penultimate before, but it bears repeating because people continue to use it to mean ultimate or, even, greater than ultimate. In fact, it means next to last. Similarly, erstwhile does not mean excellent or outstanding, as some people think. It simply means “former,” as in “Larry Bowa, erstwhile Phillies manager.” Hoi polloi, on the other hand, describes an entire group—i.e., the common people, the masses. Greek in origin, it’s an old-fashioned term that’s not used much today, but many folks who do mistakenly think it describes the upper class, or the elite. It’s usually preceded by the.
Beckoned, we respond Joy Smoker, O&A art director and queen of zumba at the Brandywine YMCA, says she has seen “beck and call” and “beckon call” used interchangeably, and wants to know if this is correct. Answer: no. “Beck and call” is a phrase describing a state of servitude or at the ready, as in, “The National Guard is at the governor’s beck and call.” “Beckon” is a verb meaning to summon, as in, “He beckoned to the crowd to follow him.” Bottom line: never use the phrase “beckon call.”
Those contrary contractions Our candidate for the most misused contraction is it’s, which is short for “it is” but is often used instead of the possessive, its. Conversely, we regularly see their—the possessive—used where what is needed is the
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WORD OF THE MONTH
mufti
Pronounced muhf-tee, it’s a noun meaning civilian clothes, in contrast to military or other uniforms, or as worn by a person who usually wears a uniform.
contraction they’re (they are). We also frequently discover that your—the possessive—is used in place of the contraction you’re (you are).
Media Watch Dr. Jane Buck, retired professor of psychology at Delaware State University and immediate past president of the American Association of University Professors, says O&A committed one of her pet peeves by using the phrase “more unique” in a column. As she points out, unique means “one of a kind.” There are no degrees of uniqueness, so no person or thing is more or less unique than another. (Note: It was our trusty editor. See opposite page.) As part of a program sponsored by Mighty Writers, a South Philly nonprofit, The Philadelphia Inquirer recently published letters from students defending Eagles quarterback and erstwhile dog killer Michael Vick. A Wilmington student wrote that fans had changed “360 degrees” in their opinions of Vick, turning from hatred to love. Apparently these letters weren’t edited. A 360-degree change is no change at all: it’s a full circle. What was meant was 180 degrees. “I graciously accept this award,” said K. C. Keeler, UD football coach, on being named Championship Division national coach of the year. He may indeed have accepted it graciously, but it really is for others to decide if he reacted “warmly, courteously.” In fact, saying you are accepting something graciously is in itself somewhat ungracious. We suspect he meant to say “gratefully.” Tom Jackson, ESPN pro football analyst, recently talked about a coach who used several “explicatives.” Close, Tom, but what you meant was expletives.
BONUS
WORD OF THE MONTH aesthete or esthete Pronounced es-theet, it’s a noun meaning someone who has or exhibits high sensitivity to beauty, especially in art.
Heard or seen a good
(bad) one lately? Drop us a line at allwriter@ comcast.net.
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