More fandomness.

[changeling]

Ah. Now I remember that little misspelt, mistyped Latin phrase that pisses me off so righteously: Per se. Not "per say" or "persay". PER SE. Get it right, people.

Also, as far as I know, the "normalcy" is a uniquely American word. The Brits would use "normality". And in the UK, it's "arse", not "ass". An ass is a donkey.

Comments

[tancaliel.livejournal.com]

Per se? We use it in Dutch, though it's then sometimes (wrongly, IMO) spelled per sé. I was unaware of it being Latin, but now that you mention it, it makes sense.

[delirieuse.livejournal.com]

Okay, double checked it here, and it's definitely per se without an accent, and yep, it's Latin. :P

[vonlooney.livejournal.com]

Bill Bryson alleges that "normalcy" is in fact a UK English word, though often attributed to the US.

I'd like to say he's wrong, but I don't know.

However, I hate "normalcy" with a passion, and would rather cut my hands off than use it.

The ass/arse distinction really gets my goat. Hence my Agony Aunting.

[delirieuse.livejournal.com]

I agree. Normalcy may be a Brit word originally, but I've never heard a Brit use it in living memory. Americans overuse it like buggery. It's poss that it's a "scientific" word in UK, but in US, everyone uses it. I hate it. Hate, hate, hate.

The arse/ass dichotomy pisses me off, too.