Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

MNHQ

...to get cross every time I see "10 items or less"

87 replies

Tech · 14/02/2007 20:13

It should be "fewer". I once wrote a long message to the CEO of M&S on this very subject, but didn't send it after one of my colleagues told me I was a "very sad individual indeed". Hmm. Still bugs me though.... maybe we should have "pedants corner" in addition to this topic...

OP posts:
MrsGordonRamsay · 14/02/2007 20:14

It drives me potty.

VeniVidiVickiQV · 14/02/2007 20:15

LOL. We should. But, with the option to "exclude Pedants corner"

It would give Twiglett and Hunker somewhere to skulk, and the rest of us folk could tick the box and not have to hear it .

mellowma · 14/02/2007 20:15

Message withdrawn

TeeCee · 14/02/2007 20:15

You are a very sad individual indeed, but then you already know that!

jajas · 14/02/2007 20:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ledodgy · 14/02/2007 20:18

It pisses me off too especially when I only have eleven!

Sobernow · 14/02/2007 20:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WanderingTrolley · 14/02/2007 20:20

For the purposes of revenge (in my mind) I have been known to

a) have more than 10 items in my basket - if they can't write I can't count so phthphthphthphth

b) have 10 items, but more than one of some of them. An apple is one item. A box of tissues is one item. 4 apples is four of one item. It's tenuous, but you should never argue with a pedant.

10 items or less.
They are all bastards.

mellowma · 14/02/2007 20:20

Message withdrawn

WanderingTrolley · 14/02/2007 20:21

Sobernow, round 'ere we say

"I'm eating your food"

ghosty · 14/02/2007 20:21

Tech ... you are spending far too much time in your shed

Posey · 14/02/2007 20:26

Was in Sainsburys with dh today (rare for us to be there together). Anyway it was really busy and an announcement came on...
"sorry you are experienceing long queues at the checkouts today. Please be reminded that if you have 10 items or less you can use the express checkout, and 5 items or less you can pay at the tobacco kiosk".
Dh and I simultaneously turned to each other with raised eyebrows and a kind of "should I tell them or you" look
I caught my pedantry off him.

VeniVidiVickiQV · 14/02/2007 20:32

Sobernow, its "one less mouth to feed".

Bekks · 14/02/2007 20:42

Our M&S seems to have got it right now.

Asda has "about 10 items", which grammatically and practically is so much better!

Numberjacks (CBeebies weird programme) had one of the characters saying "one less, one less" - how rubbish on an "educational" programme. Also Tikkabilla had "tallest" comparing two people!

Sobernow · 14/02/2007 21:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

VeniVidiVickiQV · 14/02/2007 21:39

Well, I thought fewer was used when you knew the definitive number you were referring to.

When it is not clear on quantities, then less should be used.

Sobernow · 14/02/2007 21:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Aloha · 14/02/2007 21:56

Totally reasonable...but I thought M&S had changed it to fewer after getting complaints?

VeniVidiVickiQV · 14/02/2007 21:57

Not to me it wasnt

Its less for me, and fewer for him

Aloha · 14/02/2007 21:58

It's not so much the exact number being know, it is the fact that the thing referred to can be devided into numbers - so you have 'less rain' but 'fewer raindrops'.

VeniVidiVickiQV · 14/02/2007 21:59

But if you dont know the starting number?

Sobernow · 14/02/2007 22:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Aloha · 14/02/2007 22:02

oh heck, I meant divided, of course. Pesky typos. Pesky wine.

VeniVidiVickiQV · 14/02/2007 22:47

So i was right then but had it back to front? LOL!

twelveyeargap · 14/02/2007 22:54

I don't think you would be able get me out of Pedants' Corner, should one be set up.

Obviously I wouldn't join unless they had the apostrophe correctly placed.