The Language Perfectionist: A Potpourri of Problematic Words

Here’s a roundup of common misuses that have been accumulating in my files:

• “I am saddened by the news of Tim Russert’s untimely death.” Aside from the fact that this is a cliche, death is almost always untimely.

• “Coin-op laundry is for the hoi polloi at Super 8.” The expression hoi polloi, Greek for “the masses” or “the common people,” includes hoi, meaning the. Thus, the hoi polloi is technically redundant. Also remember that the phrase doesn’t mean its opposite, “the elite,” as some assume.

• “We know that trouble is brewing when an aging doctor tells his dinner companions that his nubile wife…” The word nubile is often used as a synonym for attractive or desirable. Strictly speaking, however, it means “ready for marriage.” Thus, nubile wife is a contradiction in terms.

• “When you prevent the people [from owning] arms to defend themselves… this essentially is giving criminals free reign.” This is a homonym error. The writer means free rein, a metaphor drawn from horsemanship

• Beware of the ambiguity of last. Does “I was at the last performance” refer to the final performance or the most recent one? To preclude confusion, avoid last in such contexts and substitute a word or expression that makes your meaning clear. Examples: “The final session was yesterday.” “Make this change in the previous paragraph.”

The above recommendations may strike some people as inconsequential. But it’s worth the extra time and effort to achieve clarity and precision in your written communications.

[Ed Note: For more than three decades, Don Hauptman was an award-winning independent direct-response copywriter and creative consultant. He is author of The Versatile Freelancer, an e-book forthcoming from AWAI, that shows writers and other creative professionals how to diversify their careers into speaking, consulting, training, and critiquing.]

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