The hoi polloi

[Jux]

hoi means 'the'
polloi means 'people'

The hoi polloi means 'the the people'. It is tautological. You don't need the extra 'the'.

Sorry, but it grates on me. Yes, I do have more important things to do, but I am desperately trying to avoid doing them

No, this is not aimed at anyone in particular, either here on in RL, but I have just heard yet another person using the phrase so I thought I'd disseminate the info as widely as poss.

Hound me, I probably deserve it

It is annoying I know. Right up there with people who post in the wrong section.

And there should only be one L in Philip. And people who hate horses should not be called Philip.

i have learned (learnt??? aarrrrgggh) something new today, thank you!

I didn't actually know that Jux, thanks. I don't think I have ever heard it used correctly, in that case.

Sounds a bit like "myriad". You don't need to say "A myriad of things" but just "myriad things".

It's a bit like 'PAT testing'... it doesn't sound right as 'PA testing' but the extra 'T' is unnecessary.

Well I don't have anything more important to do so I'll just add I feel the same when people say "My DCs"

That means their talking about their 'childrens' instead of children doesn't it?

And PIN number always winds me up.
Personal Indentification Number number ????
aaagh!

My DCs dog eats cat poo.

"My DCs dog eats cat poo."

non sequitur of the month, congrats!

A phone call recently~

Haitch as in hotel?

No. Aitch as in acorn.

Thanks Chen

He's not my dog when he's being nasty!

Pagwatch, I know, but only pedants look at pedants corner and they would all already know so it'd be pointless there. Here, there's a chance more people will see it and I'll have to reply to posts like yours, thus continuing avoidance of task I am avoiding (very successfully as it happens) and giving many other people the opportunity to tell me off, which will force me to continue to avoid said task. It's a self-perpetuating circle, do you see?. Besides which, it would seem I'm being unreasonable by being in Am I Being Unreasonable, which rather appeals to me.

Bast, my dd worships you and has a gold effigy of you in her room. I shall pass on the information about your dc's dog and his predilection for cat poo. She will be thrilled.

And I thought responding to pedantry with a touch of pedantry was a good way to go. We could get stuck in a smallish circle of hell. Except my topic pedantry is single layered.
So that's it really.

But I tried to enter the spirit of the thing.

And is has been useful in that it has confirmed my fear that if I don't everyone takes me very seriously.

Jux, I'm humbled! I've taken her name in vain but do have a love of cats and several of them (so the dog is somewhat useful, if gruesome).

Well that succeeded dismally! I have just finished said task, and it was even more horrible than I knew it was going to be.

Has anyone ever tried typing pages and pages of equations, intermingled with explanation and interpretation? It is vile, I tell you, vile.

Pag, sorry you are an Empress to me, and I have to treat you with due deference

Bast, dd was wondering if you would like to come and live with us......

The T in MOT stands for Transport (Ministry Of)

Oh, pish tosh. I come charging in to scream NO, NO, one does not say the hoi polloi as hoi already means the. And now I can't since the OP already did.

Sigh.

Demonstrate in a sentence please.

A correct sentence and an incorrect sentence.

And can we please open a till for FEWER than 10 items not LESS?

I would like to add that that nothing can be really unique.

It is unique, or it isn't.

A colleague announced she was 'positively neutral' about something the other day

What's wrong with saying less than 10 items instead of fewer?