Also, after some reading I've been doing, may I suggest getting a Buffista copyeditor? I am SO fed up with reading books that misuse words, use words to mean the exact opposite of what they mean, can't keep track of their characters' names. damn. (I mean, really - the book I began reading this weekend had a character change his name about three chapters in. And one I read when I was sick was referring to the "penile system" ... sigh.)

Allyson, I'd love to help beta whenever you need it. I already love Sam.

Todd, have you seen that Honda TV spot where the Mr. Opportunity cartoon character says "At savings that could be very *wink, wink* opportunistic." Opportunistic definition: "taking immediate advantage, often unethically, of any circumstance of possible benefit." That is the way I think of car dealers, but I didn't think they'd admit it in advertising.

There's also a Chevron ad in which they boast of drilling in "unchartered waters." Sigh.

It's not just in books, Toddson-- I read an AP article on Tom Daley yesterday and had to spit three times in response to not only the poor writing, but at the fact that the writer of the piece said something to the effect of "Daley, a Britain," as opposed to "Briton."

::headdesk::

The one misuse that makes me see red - using "descendent" to mean their grandparents, great-grandparents, etc. ... known to those of us who actually know English as "ancestors". snarl.

Yes! I hear that all the time. I don't understand the confusion.

Well, we are clearly on an upward trajectory, so the downward direction would be the past!

Burrell, you have e, way late.

known to those of us who actually know English as "ancestors". snarl.

Or at least antecedents, which is closer to descendents, if they really gotta be.

I honestly think a lot of it is newer generations losing touch with the phrases and what parts of daily life they came out of. Allowing someone "free rein" refers to horses, of course, as does "reining in" your expectations. To "reign over" is a different thing altogether, but younger people don't have that knowledge, and honestly, I think it's natural language creep.

Words really don't mean the same as they did 50 years ago. The meanings change as relevance changes. And of course, I can't think of any good examples right now.

I will throw my body over the line for "eyes rolling in the back of her head," instead of "eyes rolled back (or up) in her head," though. Competely different thing, really.

There was that one episode of Angel where Cordelia COULD have eyes rolling in the back of her head ... but I digress.

See, I'm down with the idea of language creep, but "rein" and "reign", to me, is incorrect, not lazy. Different words!

Um... I have Word Usage Issues.