If you dream about correcting the office grammar Nazi
(“Actually, Mortimer, it’s ‘aha’ not ‘a-ha.’ ”), pick up Washington
Post copyeditor Bill Walsh’s witty book Yes, I Could Care Less:
How to Be a Language Snob Without Being a Jerk. Here are a few
playful entries:
“Anal-retentive: As a matter of fact, it does have a hyphen.
Thank you for your interest.”
“Armed gunmen: They’re the worst kind.”
“Shepard: To Shepard a plan is to take it on a fifteen minute
suborbital flight while sporting a jaunty crew cut. You probably mean
shepherd.”
“Without further ado: It’s a ridiculous cliché. Even when you
don’t make the mistake of spelling it adieu.”
This article appears in the June 2013 issue of The Washingtonian.
Publisher:
St. Martin’s Griffin
Price:
$14.99
