SOME COMMON MISTAKES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2325, 4 June 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

SOME COMMON MISTAKES.

The exigencies of the telegraph have.led toithe.coining of very objectionable words, : some of which appear to have come to stay. "Cablegrams" is an instance. ''To burgle" and '-to suicide" may ; yet; take their place in the dictionaries. The national tendency to clip words, to which we owe " cab," "V bus," and " tram," hag a good deal to answer for. . "Perambulator "is -an inconveniently < long word, and so "pram" is. finding its way : into print. ■: . . : "Idyl" is nearly always spelt " idyll." It is said that the error was made by aftamanuensis; in transcribing Tennyson's grear poem for the press. Once having appeared in a standard work, it has become the fashionable-spelling. " Whiting," in accordance with vulgar usage, is often printed "whitening." But we do not remember to have ever seen the parallel word " blacking " similarly maltreated. ■■■■'. "Ribbon " is sometimes spelt "riband" and "ribband." • This error is now very rare,.thanks chiefly to Messrs Stephenson, Blake, and Co., who have, with their ribbon combination, disseminated the' correct spelling throughout the world. The word is not derived from "band," biit from the Latin rubens (red), through the French ruban and old English riban. ' Rib-band, on the other hand, a nautical term—a long narrow piece of timber bent and nailed on the outside of the ribs', so as to encompass the vessel lengthwise —is often wrongly spelt riband and ribbon. \'[ Ac'rated is. often spelt /Erated. This is enough to set one's teeth on edge. So' far from the dipthong beihg correct, the vowels represent two distinct syllables, and are properly marked by the diteresis,' on sign of separation. Some artist will' yet give us Michasl and Israjl. "' ' : The sign " lb" is often printed " lbs. ,. The plural of libra is librae, aud the ",s" should never be used. No one writes 'f £s 20" or 515." " Rs" is sometimes printed for "rupees." Here again the "s" is superfluous : —Exchange.