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More Bad Verbs From Nouns
We’ve already covered the awful reference when refer to is meant (but I seem to be losing the battle in getting people to use the latter).
Two new horrors crossed the radar recently. One is reference again, but used to mean checking a candidate’s references for employment purposes. Ugh.
The second is cascade.
This is unobjectionable when used to describe what water in the fountains at Versailles does (when the fountains are actually on).
But please don’t repeat this horror in relation to e-mail: Feel free to cascade this within your organization.
One coinage I do like, and which ultimately derives from a noun (volunteer), is voluntell/voluntold. It expresses so well how things get done in law firms!
Start the discussion!