As soon as I posted the list of the top five words I hate, I knew I would have a sequel. Here are five more words/phrases:
In order to
Like “currently,” this is unnecessary. “To” works just as well by itself.
Incorrect: In order to get his yard work done, Eddie had to take off a day of work.
Correct: Eddie had to take a vacation day to finish the yard work.
Piqued
I don’t hate this word. I hate that people don’t know how to use it correctly. People often spell it “peaked” or “peeked.” But it is a French word derived from “piquer,” which means “to prick.”
Incorrect: A student peaked my interest in peopleofwalmart.com
Correct: A student also piqued my curiosity about textsfromlastnight.com.
Hors d’oeuvres
This is another French word that I like when used correctly. The trouble is that people want to use it, but don’t know how to spell. It means “out of the main work,” and refers to appetizers. People mangle the “oeuvre” in a variety of ways, including “ourve.” One enterprising student wrote it “orderves.” Either write “appetizers” or look it up.
Biweekly
Is it every two weeks or twice a week? “Biweekly” can mean either. I hate the ambiguity. AP Style uses “biweekly” to mean “every other week,” and “semiweekly” to mean “twice a week.” But not everyone uses it that way. So let’s be specific.
Incorrect: He updated his blog biweekly.
Correct: He only updated his blog every other week.
PIN number
“PIN” stands for “personal identification number,” so “PIN number” would mean “personal identification number number.” And that’s silly. Same with “VIN number” (vehicle identification number number) and “UPC code” (universal product code code).
Incorrect: Give me your PIN number so I can steal your money.
Correct: “Give me your PIN,” I said.
I’m probably not done yet with the “words I hate” topic. People subject English to so much butchering.
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Every time someone at the paper writes about the incident on Tybee, the editors use “Tazed” in the headline, but allow “Tased” in the body copy. (Here’s the link to today’s article.)
Better to say, “Tybee police used a Taser on an autistic teenager May 21.”
Observe and report 