Word Nazis

Wow, yours truly was somewhat taken aback by the response to yesterday's post about the British elections.

Ironically, none of the emails received in this little corner of heaven had anything to do with Gordon Brown, David Cameron, or Nick Clegg.

Rather, every single one of them was an indictment of my use of the adjective "reckless."

I was told in so many words to invest in a new spell-checker, that said descriptor should have been preceded with a w. ("wreckless")

That just didn't sound correct to me, so I did some research. "Wreckless" implies the lack of a collision or some other disastrous event. "Reckless," on the other hand, is apparently an abbreviated form of "reckonless," to be used in describing something that can't be reckoned (calculated).

All that being said, I have to stand by my use of RECKLESS.

Oh, and David Cameron will be the next British PM, too!

Drop the apostrophe and move the "s"

Ok, I don't want to engage in the debate over whether or not today is a holiday manufactured by Hallmark and the candy industry. Truth be told the Roman Catholic Church kinda invented it themselves to supercede the ancient pagan fertility festivals. Whatever.

But, the grammarian in me must tell all ye socks not to call it St. Valentine's Day.

It should be "Saints Valentine Day."

That's because the day traditionally celebrates not one but TWO early Christian martyrs named Valentine.

The first is St. Valentine of Terni was persecuted by the Emperor Aurelius and died in 197.

The second St. Valentine of Rome is my favorite. He died in 269, and his relics (at least some of them) ended up at the Carmelite Church on White Friars Street in Dublin, Ireland. It's the Irish connection I like.

Anyway, there are NINE other Saints Valentine. But, their feast days come later in the year, I guess.

History and grammar lessons over. Enjoy your VD, and spread it around. (Disgusting pun intended.)