You Don't Say: Grandfather clause - English grammar, language, usage and journalism blog by John E. McIntyre

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Grandfather clause

If you labor under the impression that This is not your grandfather’s x is a snappy and original way to introduce a subject, it is my painful duty to inform you that the construction has grown as stale as your grandfather’s horehound drops.

Posted by John McIntyre at 11:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Comments

Nothing to do with anything, John, but I do like this headline in Slate.com:

"When we buried my dog, I found my father"

Rather disappointingly, the story was merely about being reconciled to an abusive dad when the pooch passed.

Posted by: Sid Smith | September 5, 2010 6:39 AM

Sorry. Salon.com, actually.

Posted by: Sid Smith | September 5, 2010 8:04 AM

Tell me about it.. (a rejoinder that's about as stale as those peppermint drops my great-granma pulled out of her purse)

Posted by: aoscruggs | September 5, 2010 8:43 PM

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About John McIntyre

John McIntyre, mild-mannered editor for a great metropolitan newspaper, has fussed over writers’ work, to sporadic expressions of gratitude, for thirty years. He is The Sun’s night content production manager and former head of its copy desk. He also teaches editing at Loyola University Maryland. A former president of the American Copy Editors Society, a native of Kentucky, a graduate of Michigan State and Syracuse, and a moderate prescriptivist, he writes about language, journalism, and arbitrarily chosen topics. If you are inspired by a spirit of contradiction, comment on the posts or write to him at john.mcintyre@baltsun.com.

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