What are some common mistakes in grammar and brewing?

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The misuse of the term "au jus," which means "with juice" in French, is a significant point of frustration for many, particularly in cooking shows and menus. It is incorrectly used as a noun, with phrases like "roast beef with au jus" being deemed grammatically incorrect. The discussion also highlights other common grammatical errors, such as the confusion between "recur" and "reoccur." Participants express their annoyance with these mistakes, often sharing personal anecdotes about language misuse in professional settings. Overall, the conversation emphasizes the importance of proper grammar and the impact of language on communication.
  • #51
I think perhaps he meant to type "faster rate of speed". bleh.
 
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  • #52
I hate the "two choices" phrase in common usage. It should be "two alternatives" splitting from a "choice".

When someone says "you have two choices", I think that they are either uneducated morons, or they are morons by choice.
 
  • #53
turbo said:
I hate the "two choices" phrase in common usage. It should be "two alternatives" splitting from a "choice".

When someone says "you have two choices", I think that they are either uneducated morons, or they are morons by choice.
Really? I mean, I see your point. But is it not valid to say "one is a better choice than the other" thus, each is a "choice", thus there are two "choices"?
 
  • #54
I think the word "choice" can mean both "decision" and "option". I see no problem with that.

Now if someone talks about three alternatives, then I have a problem.
 
  • #55
Ben Niehoff said:
Now if someone talks about three alternatives, then I have a problem.
How about

"... That line of reasoning creates a false dilemma. There is a third alternative. ..."
Although I do agree that 'option' or 'choice' sounds better to me here.

"Yet another juror was dismissed in this highly publicized trial. This dismissal resulted in the seating of the third alternate juror."
Here there is no other viable choice. "Third alternate" is the correct legal term to use.Edit
My dictionary has a usage note on choice regarding the use of choice, alternative, option, and preference. "Alternative suggests that one has a choice between only two possibilities." It also offers an alternative usage. "No alternative" indicates a lack of options. The canonical example is the Ford Model T: "You can choose any color you want so long as the color you want is black."
 
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  • #56
My wife refuses to believe that a couple means two. When she says a couple, she means a few. The problem is that when she came to the states she already spoke Chinese and Japanese. We were never able to find a school that teaches English as a third language.
 
  • #57
Choice implies an either-or dichotomy. That is rarely the case in real life.
 
  • #58
Jimmy Snyder said:
My wife refuses to believe that a couple means two. When she says a couple, she means a few. The problem is that when she came to the states she already spoke Chinese and Japanese. We were never able to find a school that teaches English as a third language.

When people refer to you as "a lovely couple", does she get a worried look in her eye?
 
  • #59
turbo said:
Choice implies an either-or dichotomy.
That's "alternative", not "choice". Choice merely implies "the opportunity to choose".
 
  • #60
gneill said:
When people refer to you as "a lovely couple", does she get a worried look in her eye?
:smile:
 
  • #61
Here's another irritating mistake "once and a while".
 
  • #62
Evo said:
Here's another irritating mistake "once and a while".

That's OK, now in then.
 
  • #63
lisab said:
That's OK, now in then.
:smile:

I know you didn't half to post that, but if you hadn't of, I wouldn't of rofled.
 
  • #64
Jimmy Snyder said:
My wife refuses to believe that a couple means two. When she says a couple, she means a few. The problem is that when she came to the states she already spoke Chinese and Japanese. We were never able to find a school that teaches English as a third language.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/couple :
Usage note
The phrase a couple of, meaning “a small number of; a few; several,” has been in standard use for centuries, especially with measurements of time and distance and in referring to amounts of money: They walked a couple of miles in silence. Repairs will probably cost a couple of hundred dollars. The phrase is used in all but the most formal speech and writing.
 
  • #65
atyy said:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/couple :
Usage note
The phrase a couple of, meaning “a small number of; a few; several,” has been in standard use for centuries, especially with measurements of time and distance and in referring to amounts of money: They walked a couple of miles in silence. Repairs will probably cost a couple of hundred dollars. The phrase is used in all but the most formal speech and writing.
But if "couple" means "few or several", then what do "few or several" mean?

What you posted is listed as an idiom, not a definition.
 
  • #66
Evo said:
But if "couple" means "few or several", then what do "few or several" mean?

What you posted is listed as an idiom, not a definition.

A couple is a small few. A few is a bit more than a couple. Several is a few couples. Duh.
 
  • #67
Officer, I only had a couple of drinks. couple = 10 or more
 
  • #68
Evo said:
Officer, I only had a couple of drinks. couple = 10 or more

That's a drinkers dozen.
 
  • #69
Drakkith said:
That's a drinkers dozen.

See... I want to "like" this.

Anyway, If I wanted to say "two" I'd say two. If I want to use some vague sounding English word that sort of implies two, I'll say "a couple". But that doesn't necessarily mean two exactly...
 
  • #70
Evo said:
:smile:

I know you didn't half to post that, but if you hadn't of, I wouldn't of rofled.
I'd'ven't either.
 
  • #71
Evo said:
Officer, I only had a couple of drinks. couple = 10 or more

I can't get "couple" to equal anything but 2 in my brain.

"A couple walks into a bar" ...now how many of you pictured a crowd coming through the door?
 
  • #72
I cringe when I see the word "loose" substituted for "lose", mostly because I see it so often these days. Did you loose your wallet? You exited the casino a looser?
 
  • #73
"chai tea"
 
  • #74
There all kinds of colloquial redundancies in US English. One that gets me is "tuna fish". We already know that tuna is a fish. Are you going to make a salad with canned tuna for sandwiches or do we have tuna steaks that I can grill? "Fish" is not a logical modifier.
 
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  • #75
We say "tuna fish" to distinguish it from "tuna piano." :wink:
 
  • #76
turbo said:
There all kinds of colloquial redundancies in US English. One that gets me is "tuna fish". We already know that tuna is a fish. Are you going to make a salad with canned tuna for sandwiches or do we have tuna steaks that I can grill? "Fish" is not a logical modifier.

I had chicken bird enchiladas for lunch.
 
  • #77
And then there are those classics of financial lingo, "PIN number" and "ATM machine."

Or do they call bank tellers "ATM persons" nowadays? It's been a long time since I actually went inside a bank.
 
  • #78
'Reminds me of this:

Words for Small Sets
words_for_small_sets.png

[Source: http://xkcd.com/1070/]
 
  • #79
Evo said:
People constantly write and say reoccur when they mean recur. When something happens repeatedly it recurs, as in recurring rates.

Well, if it keeps happening then it certainly is a recurring problem.
 
  • #80
The word free in advertising is notorious. Free house with purchase of kitten.
 
  • #81
"Free gift" in ads really irks me.
 
  • #82
lisab said:
I had chicken bird enchiladas for lunch.

Ah, how is she? :rolleyes:
 
  • #83
I just experienced a new one, I think.

A news blurb talking about some local sampling of "Artesian Beer."

I'm fairly certain they meant "Artisan Beer" as in "Craft Beer." I don't think they meant that folks were going out of their way to make beer with waters from artesian aquifers. Or were they?
 
  • #84
Chi Meson said:
I just experienced a new one, I think.

A news blurb talking about some local sampling of "Artesian Beer."

I'm fairly certain they meant "Artisan Beer" as in "Craft Beer." I don't think they meant that folks were going out of their way to make beer with waters from artesian aquifers. Or were they?
Lol!
 
  • #85
Chi Meson said:
I don't think they meant that folks were going out of their way to make beer with waters from artesian aquifers. Or were they?

That's exactly the reason why Burton on Trent became the "Brewing Capital" of the UK. There is a continuous hiistorical record of brewing there for more than 1000 years. At its peak about 50% of the working population was employed in the industry and it produced about 25% of all the beer consumed in the UK.

Typical Burton water analysis, if you want to try reproducing it:
800 ppm sulphates
300 ppm calcium
200 ppm carbonates
35 ppm chlorides
25 ppm magnesium
25 ppm sodium
There should be some taste and smell of sulphur in the end product.
 

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