I Stand Corrected: More on Language

This is another book that is excellent to keep for times when you just want to read snippets of something, especially if you have an interest in grammar and language.

Safire takes on some of the more egregious and irritating misuses of words and phrases, such as the irrational designation of

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vegetables or fish on a menu as “fresh-frozen.” He provides plenty examples of usage, as well as a history of how a term came to be used (or misused, as it were). A particularly interesting entry is the one on information leaks. His explanation of how “leak” went from the intransitive to the transitive is also a nice little commentary on the evolution of the treatment of secrecy in modern politics.

Of course Safire adds plenty of wry humor to his observations. In quoting the headline from The Washington Post about the newly pregnant Princess of England: “The Heir Will Be Apparent in June,” he quips: “I am already knitting my linguistic booties.” He then explains how “heir apparent” means more than “next in line” - it means one whose right tot tile or property cannot be denied, and is distinct from “heir presumptive” which he also explains. He then expatiates on how the line of succession in Great Britain operates.

His little essays also venture into the perils of pronunciation.

All and all, this is an entertaining and informative collection of vignettes for word lovers, to be savored in a soupçon, as desired.

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