In climbing one ascends.
'A coat of paint, or varnish.' If we coat something we produce a coating, not a coat.
There can be none: a 'collateral descendant' is not a descendant.
Give a man a title only if it belongs to him, and only while it belongs to him.
The word, in this sense, has something of the meaning of conspiracy, but there is no justification for it as a noun, in any sense.
This is not actually incorrect, but – well, it is a matter of taste.
A contribution to our noble tongue by its scholastic conservators, 'commencement day' being their name for the last day of the collegiate year. It is ingeniously defended on the ground that on that day those on whom degrees are bestowed commence to hold them. Lovely!
Instead of 'He committed suicide,' say, He killed himself, or, He took his life. For married we do not say 'committed matrimony.' Unfortunately most of us do say, 'got married,' which is almost as bad. For lack of a suitable verb we just sometimes say committed this or that, as in the instance of bigamy, for the verb to bigam is a blessing that is still in store for us.
'He had the immodesty to compare himself with Shakespeare.' Nothing necessarily immodest in that. Comparison with may be for observing a difference; comparison to affirms a similarity.
Anticipatory past participle of the verb 'to complect.' Let us wait for that.
'I concluded to go to town.' Having concluded a course of reasoning (
'In this connection I should like to say a word or two.' In connection with this matter.
'The King was conscious of the conspiracy.' We are conscious of what we feel; aware of what we know.
'He consented to that opinion.' To consent is to agree to a proposal; to assent is to agree with a proposition.
'A conservative estimate'; 'a conservative forecast'; 'a conservative statement,' and so on. These and many other abuses of the word are of recent growth in the newspapers and 'halls of legislation.' Having been found to have several meanings, conservative seems to be thought to mean everything.
It seems that these words should have the same meaning, but in their use by good writers there is a difference. What is done continually is not done all the time, but continuous action is without interruption. A loquacious fellow, who nevertheless finds time to eat and sleep, is continually talking; but a great river flows continuously.
'A man-of-war acted as convoy to the flotilla.' The flotilla is the convoy, the man-of-war the escort.
For two things to be a couple they must be of one general kind, and their number unimportant to the statement made of them. It would be weak to say, 'He gave me only one, although he took a couple for himself.' Couple expresses indifference to the exact number, as does several. That is true, even in the phrase, a married couple, for the number is carried in the adjective and needs no emphasis.
Stage slang. 'Burbage created the part of Hamlet.' What was it that its author did to it?
'He has long been critically ill.' A patient is critically ill only at the crisis of his disease.
Criticism is not necessarily censorious; it may approve.
Usually said of a child, or pet. This is pure Americanese, as is its synonym, 'cute.'
To be curious is to have an inquiring mind, or mood – curiosity.
Communities have customs; individuals, habits – commonly bad ones.
'It is decidedly cold.'
To a newspaper reporter no one seems ever to say anything; all 'declare.' Like 'alleged' (
