"El Pedanto strikes again!"... Well, actually he just makes another pedantic correction...
After all, no-one likes to be corrected, least of all a super-hero. (Mystery Men's Mr Furious: "Please don't correct me. It sickens me.")
This would explain where DeGroof's pedantic t-shirts are coming from anyway...-- CoolerKing, Jun 01 2001 Does a nice line in http://www.halfbake...20T-shirt_20SlogansPedantic T-Shirts [CoolerKing, Jun 01 2001] Possible candidate for Pedanto's nemesis http://www.chem.com...ammondisms/phrases/Mr Hammond: humble high-school teacher by day, but at night, he would probably be fit to challenge El Pedanto. (See phrases 7-10, with emphasis especially on nr 8.) [cp, Jun 01 2001] John Richards, Boston, England http://www.nytimes....6/world/16ENGL.htmlNYTimes, blah, free registration, blah. [jutta, Jun 01 2001] has a new nemesis http://www.eveningn...008%3A51%3A54%3A233 [RayfordSteele, Feb 08 2008] I vote yea on the grounds that it'll give [Mephista] someone else to rail against (against whom to rail).-- angel, Jun 01 2001 Isn't it Mephista? Ha ha, Pedanto strikes once more! Sorry, mustn't get carried away...-- CoolerKing, Jun 01 2001 [CoolerKing]: I was attempting to avoid accusations of defamation. (Actually, it was a typo, now corrected.)-- angel, Jun 01 2001 Make him a super-hero instead of villain and I'll be back with a croissant......your honour.-- Susen, Jun 01 2001 I don't think we need Pedanto. There's been enough pedantism around here already, without a super-villain contributing to the mix.-- -alx, Jun 01 2001 Sorry, you fell for my trap, your honour.
From dictionary.oed.com:
Pedantism:
2. The character or style of a pedant; pedantic phraseology, treatment, or method; pedantry.
3. With a and pl. A piece of pedantry. a. The proceeding of a pedant or dogmatic pedagogue; b. A pedantic expression or characteristic.-- -alx, Jun 01 2001 Hero, villain, he can be whatever you want. As [-alx] and [UnaBubba] just proved, there's a bit of Pedanto in all of us. But personally I feel that pedantry (or pedantism if you like) fits in perfectly with the ever polite super-villain compared to the usually viscious, arrogant super-hero.
Pedanto: Ah my arch-nemesis! Welcome to my humble Chamber Of Doom. I do so hope you enjoy your stay here.
hero: Pedanto! You'll pay for this! Mark my words: I *will* kill you if it's the last thing I do!
Pedanto: Actually, my friend, I believe you'll find that you should have said "I *shall*..."
Hmm... talking of arch-nemeses (Is that the right spelling of the plural? Can someone pedantically point out the correct spelling please?), I'm surprised [hippo] hasn't been here with a henchman or nemesis yet.-- CoolerKing, Jun 01 2001 Vicious. Nemesis was a Greek goddess, and, as such, does not have a plural, but that function attributed to her is as you suggest.-- angel, Jun 01 2001 I think Dubya for the nemesis.-- -alx, Jun 01 2001 How is Pedanto different from the teeming hordes of the Guerrilla Pedants (aside from the fact that his name is cooler)?
Also, I've said this before and I'll say it again: You people are such gluttons for anything related to pedantry that I wonder if you're not all a bunch of pedaphiles.-- beauxeault, Jun 01 2001 Thank you for your croissant, Mephista. It is exactly what I wanted for breakfast.
I heard I was needed here at the 1/2B. I'm glad I came. I can *see* that I have a lot of work to do.-- Pedanto, Jun 02 2001 UnaBubba, I believe Mephista is showing us a slang term which stems from the word "vicarious" (from the Latin - vicarious, which is a "deputy" or "substitute"). She is implying (from the Latin - implicare, "to entangle") that the three aforementioned halfbakers should allow me to do my job and just enjoy watching. ;-)-- Pedanto, Jun 02 2001 From the misspelling of "vicarius," I think we're dealing with an impostor.-- jutta, Jun 02 2001 jutta, I acknowledge your keen eye as you have correctly identified a mistake as the original Latin is "vicarius". I was, actually, hoping that Mephista would catch it and would not be able to resist saying "Aha!" and correcting me. I shall try to lay another trap at another time.-- Pedanto, Jun 02 2001 And UnaBubba has revealed his vulnerability to the attacks of the villain by his misuse of the third person plural in the singular to denote unspecified gender.
And no, I am not Pedanto (one identity for me, as promised), I am merely helping out his or her cause.-- globaltourniquet, Jun 02 2001 I'll plead the 5th just to keep this interesting....and hysterical. Welcome, Pedanto! Does this mean Pedanto is now baked?-- Susen, Jun 03 2001 tsk, tsk, Susen. A baked Pedanto. Did you want sour cream and butter on that?
gt, you are my "spiritual son". Keep up the good work.
Mephista, my child, may I ask from what country you join us?-- Pedanto, Jun 03 2001 If you change the name to El Pedanto I might vote for this one...-- dgeiser13, Jun 03 2001 So it looks like Pedanto is reasonably well baked now, although by whom we shall probably never know. (Although I can say right now, it's not me) Of course he still doesn't have a proper arch-nemesis. I don't think you can count Dubya. I doubt he'll ever be a hero in anyone's eyes.-- CoolerKing, Jun 03 2001 jutta could undoubtedly reveal the identity of our superhero Pedanto - after all, that's what server logs are for. But somehow, I don't think that will happen. ;(-- cp, Jun 03 2001 Surely Pedanto's nemesis (and possibly even [Pedanto]'s) would be anyone who needs correcting. More power to him (or possibly her).-- angel, Jun 03 2001 People who need correcting would be like unnamed petty criminals that we see batman toss around just to, you know, show how he normally works. The nemesis would have to be someone who is convinced that language rules are Evil and need to be Eradicated. (Normal kid, happened to be dyslexic, was harassed in school and vowed revenge.) "Sloppo, the Agnostic Dyslexic Insomniac" or something.
I like dgeiser13's suggestion to rename to El Pedanto. He leaves an 's scratched into the chest of his victims...-- jutta, Jun 03 2001 How would you save someone from El Pedanto? By ensuring that that person *never* needs to be corrected again! In other words, by *educating* them in correct grammar.-- angel, Jun 04 2001 [dgeiser13], [jutta]: Just call me a sucker for croissants-- CoolerKing, Jun 04 2001 As promised I have given you my positive pastry!-- dgeiser13, Jun 04 2001 Well thank you very much your honour. It is always a pleasure to receive a croissant half.
[Mephista] is right about Sloppo. He sounds like the one who hangs around with the hero, but there doesn't seem to be any discernible reason why, other than to occaisionally need rescuing from the clutches of the evil El Pedanto when the writers are having storyline problems. Something like Airwolf's Caitlin, A-Team's Amy and Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles's April.
The superhero who takes on El Pedanto would need to be close to immune to his pedantic quips so as to frustrate him at every turn, which of course would give El Pedanto all the more reason to want to destroy him or her. Humble high school English teacher by day, by night he is... (And here's where I realise my head is too full of Java for my exam tomorrow to come up with a witty name. Sorry) ;(-- CoolerKing, Jun 04 2001 The use of third person plural as an alternative to gender-specific pronouns also gives me figurative stomach cramps.-- beauxeault, Jun 04 2001 I hope the use of dative or accusative second person plural as second person singular doesn't give thee figurative stomach cramps, too.
[Translation: "you" started out as plural, too. Now we're used to it in the singular, as a replacement for "thee". Today, nothing about "you" feels wrong. We don't point out to people that they should have used "thou art" rather than "you are". Over time, gender-indefinite "they" will feel just as normal, and your children's children will have to find a new language change to complain about.]-- jutta, Jun 04 2001, last modified Jun 06 2001 No, just brain cramps.-- CoolerKing, Jun 04 2001 Perhaps El Pedanto's arch-enemy is the person who realized that the word "pedanto" itself is improper grammar as it not only uses both spanish and english words in the same phrase, but also augments an english word with a spanish suffix, and...oh dear, I should have bitten my keyboarding equivalent of a tongue.
Also, El Pedanto is definately a guy. If El Pedanto were a female (and assuming the aforementioned bad grammar was overlooked), she'd actually be known as "La Pedanta."
I hope whoever El Pedanto is, they have good hacking skills. I've recently noticed that when I go to MSN's homepage while logged into Passport, it says "Welcome Justin." Shouldn't there be an apostrophe after "Welcome"? Maybe trying to out-hack Mr. Gates will keep El Pedanto off my trail for a while.-- nick_n_uit, Jun 04 2001 Arch-nemesis: The Solipsist. Uniform: Faded denims. Weapons: Galoise Cigarrettes and Red Wine. Favourite saying: "You cannot prove that the universe exists. Petty-fogging arguments about the fine detail of grammatical usage are therefore futile. I refuse to perceive you, El Pedanto."-- DrBob, Jun 05 2001 [DrBob] - an 'i' rather than a 'y', and no hyphen in "pettifogging"... Just thought I should point that out.-- hippo, Jun 05 2001 ravenswood, I didn't mean to call you a criminal. I just don't think the supposed "solution" to the problem really solves anything. It just creates another problem. "Each operator must pick up their own key at the desk." This is clumsy English, whether it is "correct" or not -- like the rules against beginning a sentence with "And" or "But," and ending it with a preposition.
Before gender sensitivity arose in the last century, writers didn't face this problem, and I think it's just taking us some time to evolve a solution. But I have faith that eventually both "s/he" and "their" (or perhaps gender hypochondria) will be eliminated in favor of a real solution.-- beauxeault, Jun 05 2001 Normally I wouldn't mention this, you understand, but since we're all being pedantic...
From my rather rough knowledge of Greek mythology, augmented by an Agatha Christie book of the same name isn't your "nemesis" a bitter rival who causes your downfall and ultimately represents your doom?
If they don't destroy you then they aren't your nemesis, and since El Pedanto is quite clearly alive and well and living in an overly fertile imagination near you then they (less ugly than s/he) can't have one yet. Arch-enemies on the other hand...-- mark_t, Jun 05 2001 El Pedanto would love the grocery store down the road from me — their express check-out lane signs actually read "10 items or fewer."-- FakeGreenDress, Jun 05 2001 Yes, but many people - myself included - pronounce fewer as 'viewer'.-- thumbwax, Jun 05 2001 UnaBubba: and what is a comma, if not an apostrophe with acute acrophobia?-- nick_n_uit, Jun 05 2001 [jutta] (a few posts up -- sorry to be responding so late...)
//Over time, gender-indefinite "they" will feel just as normal, and your children's children will have to find a new language change to complain about.//
Shakespeare used the third person plural to indicate unspecified gender in the singular, as does the King James version of the Bible. It has been in common use since before then, as far back as the fourteenth century. If the impropriety of it were going to pass as the "you" for "thou" impropriety has passed, don't you think it would have by now?
Shakespeare: God send every one their heart's desire! [Much Ado About Nothing, Act III Scene 4]
There's not a man I meet but doth salute me, As if I were their well-acquainted friend. [Comedy of Errors, Act IV Scene 3]
KJV Bible: Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
I am of the opinion that it is wrong because it feels wrong, even when used by the Holy Spirit, or even Shakespeare himself. And it has been wrong for six centuries.-- globaltourniquet, Jun 09 2001 Addendum:
I submit that it was _not_ the second person plural "you" that replaced "thou."
The "you" that we now use exclusively in the second person was always used in the singular as formal address. It was this "you" -- that is, the second person singular formal (akin to German "Sie") -- that supplanted the informal "thou". This is why the "they" that some have used for so long in the singular can't follow the route that "you" did regarding "thou" -- the change is not analogous, and will always "feel" wrong, out of place.-- globaltourniquet, Jun 09 2001 [CoolerKing] "...and The Nit-Picker!!" - His nemesis is The Dilettante-- hippo, Jun 12 2001 I have a possible candidate for El Pedanto's nemesis ...
As CoolerKing said, « Humble high school English teacher by day, by night he is... »
This one doesn't quite fit the bill - he's a chemistry teacher, not an English teacher, but (see link) Mr Hammond seems to have an appropriate dislike of pedantry.-- cp, Jun 12 2001 El Pedanto's nemesis should be Captain _. A man dedicated to deeds, not words. Let us go back to his childhood.
He, his father and his little brother Clive are crossing the road. While Clive ambles across, our hero (_) and his father cross swiftly. On the far side, they turn and look back at Clive. Clive is loitering in the road.
A juggernaut approaches. Our hero rushes forwards to pluck Clive from the path of the on-coming vehicle. His father sternly rebukes him for running onto the road, and pulls him back on the kerb, holding him firmly as the truck nears his younger brother. Our hero's father apprises the situation and calls out "Clive, get a move on. No, I can't end that sentence with a preposition. Clive, please, don't sit down, get up! No! Not what I meant!"
Our hero watches helplessly as the truck smashes into his little brother, scattering sibling fragments far and wide. Sighing deeply, the boy turns his back on his father and walks off into the distance. He never forgives his parent and never returns to his family.
That very day he makes his everlasting vow to forswear language and help people only through the strength of his four limbs and the power of his spatial reasoning. He dons the black uniform of Captain _, rejects his real name, which is unknown to this day, and begins his quest.-- pottedstu, Oct 24 2001 Indubitably armed with nothing more than a signet ring embossed with three exclamation points, so ( !!! ).
Heaven, protect us against this semiliterate, felonious dolt.-- El Pedanto, Oct 24 2001 F@CK!!!!!! Just what we AAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL need- another F@CKING post having to do with the "P-word"
F@CK!!!! Can you tell I'm sick of hearing about it? You people are the only people in the world who use that word. Get over it!-- seal10, Oct 24 2001 [seal10] consider it an in-joke... no I'm not trying to promote a certain idea of mine having to do with said in-jokes... not at all...-- RobertKidney, Oct 24 2001 seal10: most of the halfbakery is made up of pedantry, therefore that word must be used more than sparringly.-- kaz, Oct 24 2001 Right on seal10! You halfbakers need to go do something besides talk. I mean seriusly folks, this is getting out of hand.-- salmon, Oct 24 2001 A word used more than sparringly may get you into a fight you hadn't expected.-- El Pedanto, Oct 24 2001 [UB] No, it would be "whoever he (or she) is."-- snarfyguy, Oct 25 2001 'Whomever he (or she) be.' (Subjunctive mood.)-- angel, Oct 25 2001 As Captain _'s assistant, I have to say - the above is an obvious imposter. _ would never post on a newsfroup or discussion forum, far less a temple of windbaggery like this, and he would like to apologise for restarting the above debate. *He* never tells his story to anyone. But I have said enough.
Be brief.-- the_boy_terse, Oct 25 2001 How does Captain_ say his name when talking in third person? Captain Blank? Captain Underscore? Captain (protracted silence)?
seal10: Didn't you check the date this idea was posted.(sic) Way before you came along with your anti-pedantry ideas. Without pedantry where would Half-B be now? (As the Doobie Brother's would sing in UnaBubba's version of Long Train Runnin')-- CoolerKing, Oct 25 2001 Captain _ does not say his name out loud. He does not talk. In my capacity as a sidekick I do not talk either, except to calm and comfort victims. We act by recognising obvious signs of peril and fixing them. If you need to call us, we'll be there before you can say "Captain".
Be brief.-- the_boy_terse, Oct 25 2001 'Newsfroup'?-- angel, Oct 25 2001 [angel]: "newsfroup" is usenet slang, but I don't understand why the boy terse would be using humorous jargon. So maybe he just can't spell.-- pottedstu, Oct 25 2001 Roger that, waugs. A bit of pedant baiting, eh?-- snarfyguy, Oct 25 2001 Plenty of capital A's, but not in my name.-- angel, Oct 26 2001 random, halfbakery