I’m new to the culture and don’t yet much know the ethos. Is it appropriate to quarrel with items as in the most often mispronounced words list? If so, where might one politely do do?

Thanks.

David

One may disagree by saying,” you’re wrong.”
That brings to mind the use of the passive verb to indicate something bad has been comitted.
Eg: The watch has been stolen
instead of
You have stolen the watch.
May I know, which culture are you from?

Jonathan(;-))

There are always nice people in all cultures and also some who are exceptionally annoying.
Don’t you allow the “flaunters” to get the better of you.

Hmm. What a gentle chiding you have given me for my use of culture. I used the word figurativelly, attempting to indicate that I am not familiar with the ethos of the group—English use of ethos and not Greek. From my profile one can see that I am from the US culture, and if subcultures are important, from the Jewish community, as well. I’m unafraid to say that one is wrong, and I am unlikely to weasel out using the passive voice. Thanks for the kindness of your scolding.

My quarrel is with the etymology of “spit ‘n’ image,” that appears in the list of mispronounced words and expressions. I wonder if it is authoritative; there are no references, nor did I expect any there. I do recall several years ago, maybe more than a decade, that William Safire had a piece in the NY Times Magazine that suggested that “spit ‘n’ image” might be a corruption of “spirit and image.” It makes sense to me, which is why, when I write the expression, I write “spi’t ‘n’ image.”

FWIW, I can’t seem to make the html tags work to italicize “culture” in its first use in this message.

Your astute observation that vulgar Amer. slang expression “spit ’n’ image” < older & more complete “spirit and image” has a very plausible appeal and could well be much nobler than either William Safire or the New York Times are willing to admit, certainly tendering far better explanation than one alternative version “spitting image” as if to confirm lingering pagan idolatry—how adash-to-bashedly apocryphal!