Miscellaneous Misuses, Part 2
Countless
If this word appears in your bio, please remove it immediately. (Search the website of a major Canadian law firm for the word and you’ll probably come across a silly example.)
It’s unlikely that Bob has authored countless case comments and articles. We could count them (if we wanted to).
And, while we’re at it, let’s change authored to written and admit that articling students did most of the work.
Grab
This is frequently used in more casual e-mail correspondence (and in speech): Let’s grab lunch/drinks/coffee.
Isn’t it impolite to be grabby? Have or meet for would be nicer.
And I get very annoyed when the barista asks me, Can I grab your name? No, but you may have it.
Me thinks
One sees this occasionally as a jocular archaism.
Those familiar with Hamlet will know it should be one word, not two: Methinks the lady doth protest too much.
It would be nice to see the past tense methought now and then (Methought I was done for!)
No-one
This is seen, but it’s better to write no one, in part to prevent the inevitable drift from no-one to noone (which looks like an Elizabethan spelling of noon).
Start the discussion!