Macmillan Holdings, LLC. Grammar Girl, Grammar Girl's, QDnow, and Quick and Dirty Tips are all trademarks of Macmillan Holdings, LLC. Burn your bridges when you come to them? Sally grammar AnUnSi wrote "The word, 'quote,' is a verb, not a noun or an adjective!" Actually, "quote" is both a verb and a noun according to Merriam-Webster. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/mixed-metaphors.aspx?commentid=18559#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/mixed-metaphors.aspx?commentid=18559#Comments Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:52:19 GMT Ami grammar I once read what to me at the time was a hilarious mixed metaphor, though it will take a little explanation now for a wider audience. The UK satirical magazine "Private Eye" often reprints extracts from other publications which were unintentionally amusing: unfortunate typos and such like, usually sent in by their readers. One such extract concerned the then Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott. The snippet from a newspaper read: "There are fears that the Deputy Prime Minister will explode if any attempt is made to pin the blame on him." This was no doubt intended to be a reference to him being easily angered (for which he does indeed have a bit of a reputation). But it so happens that he is also rather fat, and the mixed metaphor created the unintended imagery of him bursting like a balloon. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/mixed-metaphors.aspx?commentid=16939#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/mixed-metaphors.aspx?commentid=16939#Comments Tue, 12 May 2009 13:04:48 GMT wildebeest grammar Though this pet peeve is not strictly limited to 2008, the improper use of "myself" seems to have become increasingly common over the last few years. In a way, I guess that makes 2008 the worst offender. I was shocked this year to hear a wide variety of very well educated people (including professors) using "myself" in the place of "me" or even "I". I tend to think of this error as one of the many common "hyper-literate" mistakes, but I've never seen any of the others become so widespread (with the possible exception of "good" vs. "well"). I think the mistake originated because people who didn't know whether they should be using "me" or "I" began substituting "myself" in order to cover up their ignorance. If you ask me, this is a very silly strategy because "myself" is far more likely to be incorrect than either "I" or "me", even if they don't know which one to use. I suppose they think it sounds more correct-ish than an obvious mistake would. These days, the prevalence of this usage has progressed so far that "myself" seems to have become the preferred choice among the three, having even gained an air of added formality or literacy over the other options. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/mixed-metaphors.aspx?commentid=15198#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/mixed-metaphors.aspx?commentid=15198#Comments Thu, 18 Dec 2008 08:01:50 GMT Laura grammar My pet peeve is gossip columnists who hyphenate every other word and make themselves even more ridiculous than the people they write about. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/mixed-metaphors.aspx?commentid=15197#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/mixed-metaphors.aspx?commentid=15197#Comments Thu, 18 Dec 2008 04:06:08 GMT Chris grammar My linquistic pet peeve has been around for some time: "you have 2 chances - slim & none". How did this come into common usage? The entire point of the original punchline ("slim & fat") is lost in this usage. It annoys me beyond reason. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/mixed-metaphors.aspx?commentid=15193#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/mixed-metaphors.aspx?commentid=15193#Comments Wed, 17 Dec 2008 23:41:01 GMT Craig grammar My pet peeve of the year is discovering that many online writers find it acceptable to convert "accommodation" into a countable noun. If I see a website offering to book "accommodations" for me, I find another site. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/mixed-metaphors.aspx?commentid=15169#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/mixed-metaphors.aspx?commentid=15169#Comments Sat, 13 Dec 2008 07:24:44 GMT Melissa grammar My pet peeve of this year is the phrase "team of rivals." I am so tired of hearing it on every newscast about Obama's cabinet. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/mixed-metaphors.aspx?commentid=15166#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/mixed-metaphors.aspx?commentid=15166#Comments Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:48:53 GMT Michelle grammar My pet peeve of the year would have to be the lack of comma in the newly famous expression "Yes we can." I do believe it should be, "Yes, we can." http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/mixed-metaphors.aspx?commentid=15164#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/mixed-metaphors.aspx?commentid=15164#Comments Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:15:19 GMT Lisa Arhart grammar I love the show and recommend it to my composition students. My pet peeve of the year is the misspelling of the word than as "then" in the writing of my students. They seem to hear then and spell it that way. It drives me crazy. Lisa Arhart Gillette College Gillette, Wyoming http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/mixed-metaphors.aspx?commentid=15162#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/mixed-metaphors.aspx?commentid=15162#Comments Thu, 11 Dec 2008 23:59:20 GMT Nick Rees grammar Well this phrase may not date from 2008 but I think it's eventual decline may be dated back to 2008. The infamous phrase is "you can put lipstick on a pig..." I think that puppy has had its dog days in the sun but I'm not going to count my chickens until they have come home to roost. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/mixed-metaphors.aspx?commentid=15154#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/mixed-metaphors.aspx?commentid=15154#Comments Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:24:34 GMT Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:52:19 GMT http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/mixed-metaphors.aspx feedback@quickanddirtytips.com (Managing Editor) feedback@quickanddirtytips.com (Webmaster) en-us