Sic

This is a Latin word originally meaning "thus", "so", "as such", or "just as that".

Nowadays, it is used primarily in square brackets [sic] to indicate something of interest, and also when a word or expression is quoted verbatim - this is usually done when there is a spelling or grammatical error, or unusual usage of language.

The US constitution for instance states: The House of Representatives shall chuse [sic] their Speaker.

This store sums up its appeal as "styley [sic], confident, sexy"....

That Is To Say . . .

In the past few days I have seen "i.e." and "e.g." used incorrectly; or, rather, I've seen "i.e." used when the writer obviously meant to use "e.g."  So I thought I'd write a bit of a refresher here.

First of all, what does each abbreviation mean?

"i.e." stands for id est, which is Latin for "that is" or "that is to say".  

"e.g." is the abbreviation for exempli gratia, which is Latin and is literally translated "for the sake of example", and which we shorten to "for example".

So how should we use them correctly?

i.e. is used to clarify something.  I would use it if I were going to say, "I went shopping with my two eldest sisters, i.e. Dennice and Maxine."  I have five sisters, so this clarifies which two are going shopping with me.

e.g.is used to introduce an example or a list of examples.  I might say, "I always have fun when I go shopping with a couple of my sisters, e.g. Dennice and Maxine."  Since I have five sisters, I chose two of them to use as examples of being fun to have along while shopping.

Another set of examples might be these:

"I enjoy an eclectic mix of music genres, e.g. bluegrass and alternative rock."  I listed only two examples of the many genres of music that I like.  "There is one type of music that I do not like at all; i.e. gangster rap!"  In the second sentence I clarified which type of music I do not like at all.

I have taught my kids a couple of memory tricks to use if they find themselves getting confused about which abbreviation to use.  The simplest way to remember is that "i.e.", starting with "i", means "in other words", which also starts with "i".  And remember that "e.g.", starting with "e", means "for example", also with an "e".

One big peeve I have is when a writer over-uses i.e. or e.g.  It really is okay to just say "for example", or "that is".  And please don't put a space between the letters, capitalize them, or italicize them when you do use them in a sentence.  They should be in lower case with no space between the periods and letters.

Tags: i.e., e.g., id est, exempli gratia, that is, for example

Huh??

I saw this AOL News headline:

Bush Blaming Congress On The Foreclosure Crisis?

A quick scan of the headline had me doing a double-take.  Then I had to read it a few more times.  Is it just me, or does the wording in that headline mean that "the foreclosure crisis" is responsible for Congress.  I'm pretty sure the headline writer meant it the other way 'round.

Shouldn't it have read "Bush Blaming Foreclosure Crisis On Congress?"  or "Bush Blaming Congress For Foreclosure Crisis?"

Could one of the many, many definitions for the word "on" actually support the headline being written that way?  If so, I just can't wrap my mind around it.  But if you can wrap yours around it, then please email me and explain it, because things like this just drive me nuts!

I know.  It's just a headline. 

But it's a stupidly written headline!!

Cut short

One of my pet hates is the use of abbreviations without using an explanation. There are some fairly common ones about, such as e.g. (for instance, for example). However, if you can get away without using the abbreviation, please do. I worked in the supplies division of the army for 6 years, and they are terrible for abbreviations and strange shortcuts. CSM e.g. means company sergeant major, the terror of all troops. I found guidelines for the use of abbreviations in the U.S..

Allied to that is textspeak, or should I type txtspk. When I first came to AOL, now 4 years ago, I didn't have a clue what somebody meant when they typed CUL8R. Of course, I now know it stands for "see you later". And I also appreciate that not every internet user is a 70 wpm fast typist like myself (coughs). Moreover, you can't type fast on a mobile phone keypad, and I see the need for shortcuts. However, textspeak is beginning to intrude into everyday language, and it's a degradation in my book. It's the answer to a lazy man's prayer.

En Garde!

A few weeks ago I was listening to a heated discussion on talk radio.  I no longer recall what the debate was about, but something that was said caught my ear and I listened intently for several minutes.  There were two "experts", a man and a woman, with contrasting views.  At one point there was a caller who agreed with the points expert #1 was making.  The caller made several statements to which expert #1 would agree.  After the caller made his last statement, expert #1  replied "touché".  From the context of the conversation and the statement being made by the caller, expert #1 had to have meant "touché" as a word meaning agreement.  Since then I have heard someone on television do the same thing.  And of course, I was very irritated both times.

So, just in case there is anyone out there who isn't sure what touché means or when it should be used, here's the scoop:

The word "touché" is french for "touched", but according to the American Journal of Etymology it is not of French origin.  It is believed that it was probably imported to France from the original Norse language of Norman settlers.

"Touché" is an interjection used in fencing to acknowledge a hit, and it is said by the fencer who receives the hit.  In the 1800s first blood duels were relatively common.  Drawing "first blood", or touching an opponent with the sword tip, was enough to win, and the loser would acknowledge defeat by calling out "touched", or "touché".

 

The word is used in language today to acknowledge a verbal "hit".  During a debate or argument, one person may acknowledge the other's witty or appropriate response by saying "touché".  But the word is never, ever used to express agreement.

 

Tags: Touché

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Toboggin and Boggin

      Our recent snowfall and watching the kiddies wrapping up and getting out their sleds made me remember a pet peeve I have.  I hate it when people use the word "toboggin" for the knitted, wool cap they wear.  A toboggin is a light sled used for transport over snow.  According to my OED the word was Canadian French, "tabaganne", taken from an Algonquin word.  There are closely similar variations found in other Native American words. 

I have not found (or haven't so far) the origin of the word "boggin" for a knitted, wool cap.  I'm going to have to dig a little deeper, unless someone out there has a reference source for it.  I am aware of the word as Scottish slang for messy or smelly, and other similar adjectives.  But when did it become a name for a knitted cap?

Tags: toboggin, boggin

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To Be Or Not To Be -- Silent?

Yasmin asked a question in a previous comment regarding the word "herbal".  She observed, "... this always irritates me when I hear it, in Britain we always say "Herbal" and when I hear people from the US it always sounds like "Erbal or Erbs why is the H silent but in spelling the H is always used, or is it just a slang that's used?"

Good question.  First of all I looked up the word "herb" in my Oxford English Dictionary of Etymology, 1966.  On page 437 it says, in part, "The sp. [spelling] with h is recorded from the earliest times, but the pronounc. [pronunciation] without initial aspirate was regular till early XVI."  So at least as early as the 16th century the silent "h" was common.

Why is the "h" silent?  The American Standard Dictionary of the English Language Fourth Edition, 2000, makes this interesting usage note: "The word herb, which can be pronounced with or without the (h), is one of a number of words borrowed into English from French. The (h) sound had been lost in Latin and was not pronounced in French or the other Romance languages, which are descended from Latin, although it was retained in the spelling of some words. In both Old and Middle English, however, h was generally pronounced, as in the native English words happy and hot. Through the influence of spelling, then, the h came to be pronounced in most words borrowed from French, such as haste and hostel. In a few other words borrowed from French the h has remained silent, as in honor, honest, hour, and heir. And in another small group of French loan words, including herb, humble, human, and humor, the h may or may not be pronounced depending on the dialect of English. In British English, herb and its derivatives, such as herbaceous, herbal, herbicide, and herbivore, are pronounced with h. In American English, herb and herbal are more often pronounced without the h, while the opposite is true of herbaceous, herbicide, and herbivore, which are more often pronounced with the h."

So apparently either is as acceptable as the other.   It always sounds strange to me to hear the "h" pronounced in herb (unless the Herb being pronounced is short for Herbert).   On the other hand, my mother has always pronounced the word "humble" as "'humble" with a silent "h", and that used to bug me no end!  But according to that usage note, it is acceptable either way!  I also found a reference that said it was more common in the South for the "h" to be silent in the word "humble", so perhaps that was something my mother got from her Virginia grandparents.

I hope this answers the question.

Tags: Silent H, herb, humble