Paul Brians’ Common Errors in English Usage is on sale through the end of the year—just $15 with free domestic shipping (US). Looking for something a little different? Far from the Madding Gerund is also on sale through the year’s end.
Here are a couple of old favorites from Common Errors in English Usage:
tender hooks/tenterhooks A “tenter” is a canvas-stretcher, and to be “on tenterhooks” means to be as tense with anticipation as a canvas stretched on one.
dolly/handcart
A dolly is a flat platform with wheels on it, often used to make heavy objects mobile or by an auto mechanic lying on one under a car body. Many people mistakenly use this word to designate the vertically oriented, two-wheeled device with upright handles and horizontal lip. This latter device is more properly called a “handcart” or “hand truck.”
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Paul Brians’ most recent blog post takes a whack at “hack.”
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We bid farewell to the podcast some time ago, but we discussed today’s featured cartoons in Episode 114.
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