Newsgroups: alt.usage.english, alt.flame
Followup-To: alt.flame
From: hoey@aic.nrl.navy.mil (Dan Hoey)
Date: 28 Dec 1994 17:09:48 GMT
Subject: cUNNINGHAM pUBLICLY sELF-aBUSED

Young Bobby Cunningham awoke one morning to discover that he had
been transformed into a wailing infant with a bad case of diaper rash
and an urgent need to vent.  Having been taken to task for unfairly
criticising the note:

  "everyday (adj.) One word."

he spews foam and froth alleging "failure to try to understand"
his attempted communication, "careless reading", and "generally
inappropriate" remarks.  Adjectives such as "rude" and "insolent"
appear in his missive, but are curiously used to describe motes,
when beams abound.

It is true that Fowler does not point out all of the non-idiomatic
non-adjectival uses that may lead the word "every" to be followed by
the word "day", but it is certainly the case that usage of "every day"
as an adjective is incorrect.  That is all the book says, and all it
need say, on the subject.  To the extent that this terseness has truly
confused anyone, it might even be unfortunate, but I suspect that
further explanation would add bulk to the book but not enlightenment
to any readers.  To the extent that tortured misinterpretation of the
note has given the Cunningham an excuse to complain, it is one small
light in a galaxy of Cunningham-galls.

As for:

> I would appreciate it if you would refrain from commenting on
> any future posting of mine unless you can see fit to be more
> courteous about it.  You have no right to upset people with your
> insufferable insolence.

I would appreciate it if you would

  Learn to type your subject lines in a tasteful mix of capital and
  lower-case letters, perhaps even using the subject line of the
  thread you are responding to, so that people can tell what
  you're raving about,

  Use a newsreader that can include References: lines so people can
  find the posts you are whining about (if only to revel in
  their comparative coherence and civility),

  Mature to the point where you can respond to the differing
  opinions of other writers without indulging in abusive slurs,
  ill-mannered ascription of motives, and insufferable insolence
  (indeed!), and

  Refrain from commenting on any future posting, present posting,
  past posting, or any other subject, until you have accomplished
  the above.

Remember, they also serve who only crawl back beneath their damp rock.
Do.

Dan Hoey
Hoey@AIC.NRL.Navy.Mil