Jonathon Owen
@arrantpedantry.com
Editor • Writer • Linguist • Ironic meta-pedant • Villain • Cat person
Blog: https://www.arrantpedantry.com
Merch: https://arrantpedantry.myspreadshop.com
Blog: https://www.arrantpedantry.com
Merch: https://arrantpedantry.myspreadshop.com
Pinned
Jonathon Owen
@arrantpedantry.com
· Jan 29
Hey, check it out! I've joined the cool kids who use their own domain as their handle. You can now find me at @arrantpedantry.com.
Yeah, you're right—I hadn't thought about it, but I nearly always hear "mih-NOO-shuh" for both too.
February 10, 2026 at 11:29 PM
Yeah, you're right—I hadn't thought about it, but I nearly always hear "mih-NOO-shuh" for both too.
This is also a good question!
February 10, 2026 at 11:08 PM
This is also a good question!
(Don't check the math. It doesn't work out in this case.)
February 10, 2026 at 10:45 PM
(Don't check the math. It doesn't work out in this case.)
You know how they say fashion has a 30-year cycle? I suppose that if you project far enough into the future, you'll eventually loop back around to the late 80s/early 90s lots of times.
February 10, 2026 at 10:44 PM
You know how they say fashion has a 30-year cycle? I suppose that if you project far enough into the future, you'll eventually loop back around to the late 80s/early 90s lots of times.
I also think most people don't even pronounce "minutiae" differently from "minutia". I think I almost always hear "mih-NOO-she-uh" for both.
February 10, 2026 at 9:51 PM
I also think most people don't even pronounce "minutiae" differently from "minutia". I think I almost always hear "mih-NOO-she-uh" for both.
I'm surprised that "schizophrenia" with the short "e" isn't in Merriam-Webster or Dictionary.com (though it is in American Heritage). I feel like that's pretty much the only form I hear.
February 10, 2026 at 9:48 PM
I'm surprised that "schizophrenia" with the short "e" isn't in Merriam-Webster or Dictionary.com (though it is in American Heritage). I feel like that's pretty much the only form I hear.
Yeah, definitely. Though it makes me think of my dad, who says it sometimes to be funny.
February 10, 2026 at 9:44 PM
Yeah, definitely. Though it makes me think of my dad, who says it sometimes to be funny.
Jinx! bsky.app/profile/arra...
Maybe she meant to change "might" to "could" (though I'm not really sure why), but even if that's the case, the sloppy comment doesn't inspire confidence.
February 10, 2026 at 9:32 PM
Jinx! bsky.app/profile/arra...
Maybe she meant to change "might" to "could" (though I'm not really sure why), but even if that's the case, the sloppy comment doesn't inspire confidence.
February 10, 2026 at 9:31 PM
Maybe she meant to change "might" to "could" (though I'm not really sure why), but even if that's the case, the sloppy comment doesn't inspire confidence.
Um. Is this proofreader really asking me to change "might contradict" to "might could contradict"? #AmEditing
February 10, 2026 at 9:26 PM
Um. Is this proofreader really asking me to change "might contradict" to "might could contradict"? #AmEditing
Both Williams and Pinker still indulge in usage peeves, but they offer a lot of solid advice on how to write better. I wish more people took that kind of approach.
February 10, 2026 at 7:08 PM
Both Williams and Pinker still indulge in usage peeves, but they offer a lot of solid advice on how to write better. I wish more people took that kind of approach.
I think this is why I like the work of Joseph Williams and (ugh) Steven Pinker's book The Sense of Style so much. They both used real research to try to help people write more clearly and effectively. Williams in particular took the approach that "it is good to write clearly, and anyone can."
February 10, 2026 at 7:07 PM
I think this is why I like the work of Joseph Williams and (ugh) Steven Pinker's book The Sense of Style so much. They both used real research to try to help people write more clearly and effectively. Williams in particular took the approach that "it is good to write clearly, and anyone can."
(It's nothing too worrisome. I'm just trying to mediate between a freelance indexer and some authors who aren't happy with the draft of their book's index.)
February 9, 2026 at 11:33 PM
(It's nothing too worrisome. I'm just trying to mediate between a freelance indexer and some authors who aren't happy with the draft of their book's index.)
I just spent like half the afternoon writing a stressful email. Please clap.
February 9, 2026 at 11:32 PM
I just spent like half the afternoon writing a stressful email. Please clap.
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February 9, 2026 at 9:37 PM
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I hope you said it like one of the Wharvey girls.
three little girls are standing next to each other and one of them is saying but you ain t bona fide .
ALT: three little girls are standing next to each other and one of them is saying but you ain t bona fide .
media.tenor.com
February 9, 2026 at 6:55 PM
I hope you said it like one of the Wharvey girls.
Reposted by Jonathon Owen
ok. does anyone know if it's twice per athlon or every two athlons
February 7, 2026 at 2:44 PM
ok. does anyone know if it's twice per athlon or every two athlons
Maybe they're bias against past participles?
February 6, 2026 at 10:43 PM
Maybe they're bias against past participles?
Reposted by Jonathon Owen
the Spectator accidentally recycled a subhed from a previous day’s article about Tehran
February 6, 2026 at 6:07 PM
the Spectator accidentally recycled a subhed from a previous day’s article about Tehran
But I hope that at the very least, *she* believes deep down that she's going there.
February 6, 2026 at 6:11 PM
But I hope that at the very least, *she* believes deep down that she's going there.
Here's a thought that I have far too often these days:
I wish I believed in hell so I could at least take some comfort in the idea that all these people are going there.
I wish I believed in hell so I could at least take some comfort in the idea that all these people are going there.
February 6, 2026 at 6:10 PM
Here's a thought that I have far too often these days:
I wish I believed in hell so I could at least take some comfort in the idea that all these people are going there.
I wish I believed in hell so I could at least take some comfort in the idea that all these people are going there.
Adjusting the tracking to push part of the word to the next line or pull it up doesn't seem to help either. I could apply No Break to each part of the compound or put a discretionary hyphen at the beginning of one of the words to stop it from breaking, but there has to be a more elegant solution.
February 6, 2026 at 5:21 PM
Adjusting the tracking to push part of the word to the next line or pull it up doesn't seem to help either. I could apply No Break to each part of the compound or put a discretionary hyphen at the beginning of one of the words to stop it from breaking, but there has to be a more elegant solution.
Has anyone ever had InDesign refuse to break hyphenated compounds at the hyphen and instead break them in the middle of one of the words? It's been a while since I've worked in InDesign, but I don't think I've seen this behavior before. Fiddling with the hyphenation settings doesn't seem to help.
February 6, 2026 at 5:18 PM
Has anyone ever had InDesign refuse to break hyphenated compounds at the hyphen and instead break them in the middle of one of the words? It's been a while since I've worked in InDesign, but I don't think I've seen this behavior before. Fiddling with the hyphenation settings doesn't seem to help.
Our house style recommends singular "they," but I wouldn't make the change without querying the author first.
February 5, 2026 at 11:09 PM
Our house style recommends singular "they," but I wouldn't make the change without querying the author first.