You can still use decimate to mean 1/10th killed. Lots of words have more than one and even contradictory meanings. I kind of wanted someone to bring that up in the "illin" crossword puzzle controversy (aside: I am about a month behind in my NYTimes crosswords and just got to that puzzle recently. That was the first answer I got. Felt like cheating).
To be clear, I don't cringe when I hear "begs the question" because it's wrong. It's more a reminder that my grasp of logical fallacies is shaky, these days, and I find that disturbing.
I don't see any reason to think that no one will ever want to say "a small (but not unnoticeable) portion was eliminated" in one word. I like having words for stuff.
In other research, I found grammarerrors.com, and I think it's pretty funny that I'm bothered that she doesn't restrict herself to grammar errors, but that's what she
implies
she does. However, I haven't actually read any examples (I've only looked cursorily) that I actually give a fuck about. By my read, she's overreacting to everything but her URL and mission statement (she does expand on what she means, but her equivalence of that all to "grammar" is what bugs me unduly). I am tarred with the brush I wield.
And the rape guy has stopped crying into his pullow about his incredibly sorry lot as a potential rapist, and is now agitating for a blood alcohol limit for consensual sex. I'm waiting with bated breath to see how he intends to implement his master plan.
Chastity belts with those little tubes you blow into to prove you are below the limit engineered into the lock?
An epidemic could decimate. A bus crash could decimate a team.
My physics background makes my head immediately go to tenths, not utter devastation.
I don't see any reason to think that no one will ever want to say "a small (but not unnoticeable) portion was eliminated" in one word. I like having words for stuff.
I understand this meaning, but using it as 1/10 killed makes my head spin, becase then we wold have to do math.
becase then we wold have to do math.
But it's the decimal system. Who's never slid a point over?
but using it as 1/10 killed
One-tenth killed is still mostly alive.
t /Princess Bride ripoff
I meant to say this earlier, Amy was AWESOME to talk to my students today. Even though we were being thwarted by technology. Thanks, Amy!
Did Bed Bath and Beyond stop giving out coupons, or did I just fall off the list for using every single one on every single trip to their store? Or some other similarly heinous crime?
Okay, tonight's implementation already has a problem, but at least it's in a bit with slack. Nothing is crunch until 3AM Sunday morning. And I'm gambling we'll be done within at least a few hours of targeted time, so I can make it to the ER in a reasonable window.
