Comments on Keeping Up with the Cases: Keeping Up with the Cases: Saving the world one grammar faux pas (and one hot dog) at a time.

This is a perfect example of why I avoid such sill...

2009-04-19T16:08:00.000-05:00

This is a perfect example of why I avoid such silly sayings, regardless of their grammatical validity!

Here are others I "can't stand" to hear:

proof of the pudding
As pleased as Punch
Worth one's salt
Turn a blind eye
Speak of the devil

Finally, my personal favorite... Curiosity killed the cat. Where did that one come from?!

"I trust him about as far as I can throw him." Bu...

2009-04-15T22:39:00.000-05:00

"I trust him about as far as I can throw him."

But, when it comes down to it--and this comes from one grammarphile to another--I think *either* is acceptable, since *neither* is entirely correct. I believe that it comes down to preference, and I prefer to the sound of "I don't trust him any further than I can throw him."

But, personally, I would avoid such ambiguities. No good comes of them.

I prefer to avoid the question all together. "I ...

2009-04-14T16:53:00.000-05:00

I prefer to avoid the question all together.

"I don't trust him."

And Jaenicke's, definitely. I'm all for a post-Lent gorge.

Man, y'all are just hot dog haters. Too bad. Jaeni...

2009-04-14T15:54:00.000-05:00

Man, y'all are just hot dog haters. Too bad. Jaenicke's is the first place I'm heading once Lent is over. I'm also ordering a root beer float and onion rings. JUST TO MAKE THE INDIGESTION COMPLETE.

I'd have to say it's farther. This made me laugh b...

2009-04-14T15:51:00.000-05:00

I'd have to say it's farther. This made me laugh because I too am part of the grammar police as well as the spelling police!!! :D I seriously get so irritated when I read something on craigslist with a spelling error! Someone spelled drawers as droors the other day.

And I am with Gallo...I do NOT eat hot dogs. EVER! ;)

Hmm...I tend to agree with what Rebekah said...but...

2009-04-14T15:11:00.000-05:00

Hmm...I tend to agree with what Rebekah said...but I also can see how it is not "literal" since it is just a figure of speech. Oh boy...I can see how this had you stumped!

As far as hot dogs...they're on my list of food to avoid at all costs :) (By the way, I hate it when people misuse they're, their, and there as well!)

The correct answer to your dilemma can indeed only...

2009-04-14T10:41:00.000-05:00

The correct answer to your dilemma can indeed only be determined by your meaning. As author, you should decide: Do you mean a literal distance or a figurative distance? Then, and only then, can you settle your dispute. Or, you can leave it up to the reader's interpretation, which still leaves either choice as the correct choice.

(How's that for an editor's perspective? Sometimes I love my job; sometimes I don't. Sing the Almond Joy/Mounds jingle with that one, if you choose.)

Should you decide to get grammatically frisky, try solving the lay/lie crisis found all-too-frequently across the country.

I think I always say farther for that phrase. Tha...

2009-04-14T09:37:00.000-05:00

I think I always say farther for that phrase. That was the first thing that popped into my head. One of my biggest pet peeves is seeing their/there/they're misused. And (notice I began a sentence with and-I do it a lot) seeing people write alot or allot rather than a (insert space) lot. UGH! Maybe it's because my 8th grade English teacher took us to another class and wrote "a" on the board, and then took us back to our class to write "lot" on his board...too bad we figured it out and beat him to it!

I've never been to Boz's but I love Jaenicke's. I don't eat hotdogs though. I love their sauce buns and chili cheese fries!

Pretty sure it's farther, but I just learned somet...

2009-04-14T07:43:00.000-05:00

Pretty sure it's farther, but I just learned something so thanks. Now how about a lesson on bring and take?

My heart desperately wants to agree with you. Rebe...

2009-04-14T07:23:00.000-05:00

My heart desperately wants to agree with you. Rebekah, your explanation makes sense--until my brain starts shouting "But you can't trust FARTHER! Even though you can throw him farther, you can't trust him a measurable distance. The sentence is flawed at its very core."

Maybe I'm just ridiculous, no?

My grammar pet peeve is the apostrophe misuse; mos...

2009-04-14T07:21:00.000-05:00

My grammar pet peeve is the apostrophe misuse; most specifically "its" vs "it's," especially when seen in media like billboards!

And I've never heard of your hot dog choices. Since I can't eat hot dogs for another 6 months, I refuse to ponder it further (!!), because then I'll be hungry for one. :)

I think the phrase you chose to pick apart today s...

2009-04-13T22:47:00.000-05:00

I think the phrase you chose to pick apart today should use 'farther' and not 'further'. When I first read your post and that phrase, in my head I said 'that should be farther.'
Also, Jaenicke's for hot dogs all the way!!! Boz for mozarella beef sandwiches! yum

From one English nerd to another: It's definitely ...

2009-04-13T22:32:00.000-05:00

From one English nerd to another: It's definitely "farther." I think the idea is that you can't throw a person very far (literally/physically/measurably), and your trust of that person is equal to said distance--ie. very limited.

Now you can sleep tonight. Don't you feel better? =)