www.alphadictionary.com

... I imagine that even we wordaholics wouldn't go so far as to boycott an enterprise becasue it has made a grammatical error.

A million years ago I was on the air at a public radio station pitching for money late at night, and the phones were dead-- then we got a call from an English teacher who let us know she was not going to pledge any money until "that guy on the air" (not me- the other guy) stopped using the phrase "like I said" and change it to "as I said".

Since then I think of her every time I'm on the verge of saying "like I said", or like vs, as generally.

I worked as a marketing and PR director for a large engineering firm once. We had vice presidents who said pacific instead on specific and nucular instead of nuclear.

They still got bonuses as long as they made a profit.

I don't think anyone has died because of a grammatical error.

Unless, of course, they were trying unsuccessfully to say "don't kill me" in an unfamiliar language while walking alone at night in the barrios of Bogota.

I worked for a large engineering firm once. We had vice presidents who said pacific instead on specific and nucular instead of nuclear.

Heck, we've had a couple of presidents - from both sides of the aisle, no less - who said "nucular." I might be inclined to say that if you can't pronounce the darned thing, you shouldn't have access to the button and the codes.

But then again, the interest that we posters share in language is not universal. There are people interested in and even passionate about bottle caps and Barbie dolls - things most people could care less about (sorry if I offended any of my cyber friends with these examples.) Most people are the same way about language. It's a tool to them, no different than a hammer, and used with comparable finesse.

- things most people could care less about (sorry if I offended any of my cyber friends with these examples.)

Not the examples anyway...

OUCH! Hoist upon my own petard.

I will write "couldn't care less about" on the blackboard 100 times for penance.

I don't think anyone has died because of a grammatical error.

While not exactly a grammatical error, perhaps we could dig up some of the folks who couldn't say shibboleth correctly.

OUCH! Hoist upon my own petard.

I will write "couldn't care less about" on the blackboard 100 times for penance.

You'll have to look into the petard reference, too. "By" or "with" seem to be the usual suspects.

"For tis the sport to haue the enginer Hoist with his owne petar" ("Hamlet" III.iv.207).

I wasn't quoting. I consider it acceptable to use the concept without the original wording, otherwise we'd all speak and write in the style of Shakespeare and the King James Bible.

Forsooth! Thou hast ad-libbed!

Fortooth! An petard has blown away my dentures and has caused me to speak with a shibbolisp!

Fortooth! An petard has blown away my dentures and has caused me to speak with a shibbolisp!

Nice one, saparris.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Your undentured servant.

Petard: a dull-witted companion animal.

Petard: a dull-witted companion animal.

I'm not acquainted with this definition. Could you provide some background?

It's a little pun game we used to play on another site.

Pet + retard= petard.

I've seen better, beck. Actually, I haven't seen one this bad in a long time.