Your chaise longue seems to have had a run in with your autocorrect (though mine seems to opt for chaise “long yes,” which has a certain je ne sais quoi).
I was focused on whether chaise should take an -s in the plural, not whether lounge is an okay alternative for longue, which I’ve never heard or seen. To be fair, chaises anything don’t come up very often.
Ah. Yes indeed, the plural of chaise longue is chaises longues, which really feels to me like painting the lily. And "chaise lounge" is increasingly popular. I may pop back into the piece and post an illustration.
There is always a story. Shakespeare wrote, in King John, "To gild refined gold, to paint the lily." Sometime in the nineteenth century that got mashed into "gilding the lily," and it stuck. And lots of people say it, so you can't say, really, that it's an error—unless you're actually trying to quote Shakespeare, in which case it is.
We mashed up Shakespeare? I hate it when that happens! Thank you for the story. I am glad my mom was not wrong, not being one to quote Shakespeare that much. That would be me. SHE would have continued to say it anyway, though, because she was ornery like that. Right, Mom?
I thought "T Shirt" had its origins in the US Military in WW2, where the term was a Quartermasters' abbreviation for a piece of exercise clothing called the "Training Shirt."
Here’s one tiny example of why I enjoy you: “I suppose it’s something to be borne in mind,” the good joke (in context) of *not* simply saying “bear in mind” there but left unsaid. You treat readers as fellow smart people!
Also: unsurprised to discover you were so fond of Edmund Morris, who I got to know the last few years of his life and adored.
Hello from a fellow copy editor! I like these copyediting tidbits (and I also loved your book). The only thing I've never encountered before in my 25 years of copyediting is the one about odd numbers for improbable amounts. I'd be more inclined to use a round number to get across the idea of improbability ("I've watched this movie 500 times"). If I saw either "442 times" or "431 times" I'd be equally likely to wonder whether it's actually true or not. Fascinating that that is clearly not the case for everyone!
It rather is, isn’t it.
A midpredicate comma: more than a little something, it’s heaven.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Oy. This Jew won’t turn colors, but it makes me cringe. My grandmother might have added, “Cringing, she was!”
As a character says in a novel I was just reading:
"I could make a comment."
Sorry, just checked, the accurate version is funnier: "I could make a remark."
Would you recommend said novel?
If so, please share the title.
I can't quite yet, but I will as soon as it's good to go (and to name).
Oh, right, you’re an editor.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who chooses words so very carefully when replying here.
I look forward to the reveal.
(It's really good.)
Luftpause comma. My friend, I am relieved to have a name for you other than an exasperated “but, I need you there!”
The term derives, to be sure, from music, which was one of Edmund's great passions.
Treasures. Muita obrigada.
Your chaise longue seems to have had a run in with your autocorrect (though mine seems to opt for chaise “long yes,” which has a certain je ne sais quoi).
I'm either not seeing what you're seeing or not getting what you're getting at, and either could easily be the case.
Do you want to take another run at it?
I was focused on whether chaise should take an -s in the plural, not whether lounge is an okay alternative for longue, which I’ve never heard or seen. To be fair, chaises anything don’t come up very often.
Ah. Yes indeed, the plural of chaise longue is chaises longues, which really feels to me like painting the lily. And "chaise lounge" is increasingly popular. I may pop back into the piece and post an illustration.
My mother always said "gilding the lily." Uh oh. Dueling idioms. I'm sure there is a story there.
There is always a story. Shakespeare wrote, in King John, "To gild refined gold, to paint the lily." Sometime in the nineteenth century that got mashed into "gilding the lily," and it stuck. And lots of people say it, so you can't say, really, that it's an error—unless you're actually trying to quote Shakespeare, in which case it is.
We mashed up Shakespeare? I hate it when that happens! Thank you for the story. I am glad my mom was not wrong, not being one to quote Shakespeare that much. That would be me. SHE would have continued to say it anyway, though, because she was ornery like that. Right, Mom?
“a certain great metropolitan newspaper discourages the use of ‘former’ and ‘latter,’ believing that they confuse readers”
Sigh. This Old wishes this wasn’t true…
It resists googling, but I do note that my attempts to find "latter" in that newspaper are leading me only to stories about Mormons.
I thought "T Shirt" had its origins in the US Military in WW2, where the term was a Quartermasters' abbreviation for a piece of exercise clothing called the "Training Shirt."
The term T-shirt has been around since the 1920s. Scott Fitzgerald may have been the first to put it in print, in This Side of Paradise.
And according to all sources I can trace, the name derives from the shape.
Here’s one tiny example of why I enjoy you: “I suppose it’s something to be borne in mind,” the good joke (in context) of *not* simply saying “bear in mind” there but left unsaid. You treat readers as fellow smart people!
Also: unsurprised to discover you were so fond of Edmund Morris, who I got to know the last few years of his life and adored.
He was a lovely man. He came to mean so much to me.
Hello from a fellow copy editor! I like these copyediting tidbits (and I also loved your book). The only thing I've never encountered before in my 25 years of copyediting is the one about odd numbers for improbable amounts. I'd be more inclined to use a round number to get across the idea of improbability ("I've watched this movie 500 times"). If I saw either "442 times" or "431 times" I'd be equally likely to wonder whether it's actually true or not. Fascinating that that is clearly not the case for everyone!
This is useful. Thank you.