If one feels compelled to use a cliché or idiom, at least use it “correctly.”

(The other day I heard someone say that “(It’s) as easy as shooting ducks in a barrel.”)

One of my preferred places from which to mine incorrect usage is NPR.

Today, on “Morning Edition,” we were treated to a sports reporter, talking about the new college football playoff system, saying that one of the things that led to the institution of the new system was a scandal in which “. . . employees (of one BCS bowl) had curried favors from college football officials . . .”

(Sounds mighty tasty to me.)

Now, most of us know that the idiom is “curried favor.”  (And frankly, I think the proper preposition to use with this one is “with” or maybe “of.”)

“Curried favor.”  What does that mean?  Simply, it’s when you act in a way toward someone that causes the other person to treat you with “approbation” or “partiality.”  (Let’s just say it’s:  “kissing up” so you can “get in good with” someone.)

Currying favor is NOT treating someone in a way that gets him to do you a favor.  (Hence, if we want to speak properly, we would never use the plural, “favors,” in this expression.)

You are not allowed to simply make up words.

This goes for all us regular folks, and especially for you folks writin’ the dictionaries.

“Unappropriate.”

Give me a break.  Of course that’s not a word.  The word is “inappropriate.”  But, I do hear it used a lot.

I have some online dictionaries that I consult:

— thefreedictionary.com

— dictionary.reference.com

— and, merriam-webster.com

Frankly, none of them is very good.

Yet, today, I have to say, MW came up big.

The first two told me that the definition of “unappropriate” is, as an adjective, “inappropriate; unsuitable.”  Yep, that’s right: “unappropriate”means “inappropriate.”  Bloody HELL.  And, the second definition in each was, as an adjective, “not appropriated.”  (Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that straining the concept of the difference between a verb and an adjective a little bit?  I mean, are these sources suggesting we can say, “Tomorrow, we will unappropriate that  land”?)

Merriam-Webster saved the day:

“The word you’ve entered isn’t in the dictionary. Click on a spelling suggestion below or try again using the search bar above.

“inappropriate”

The first two sources, also, unfortunately, offered a verb transitive definition for “unappropriate”:  “To take from private possession.”  Heck, that just looks like they are stretching to pretend that “unappropriate” actually has a legitimate usage.

So, I ask you, why do we accept another word as correct – a similar word, spelled just a little differently – just because a bunch of people use it wrong?

This is, indeed, appalling.

I was thinking of going back to these dictionaries to see if “untolerant” is there.  What about “unsignificant”?  Or, “unhonorable”?  Perhaps, “unrelevant” or “unexcusable”?  I didn’t have the strength.

Ah, the joys of springtime.  Beautiful weather, the first robin, Father’s Day and graduation.

But wait.  Graduation.  What comes with that?

Well, graduation speeches.  And, what comes with graduation speeches?

This:

“And, so I say to you, my fellow classmates . . .”

I actually heard those words at least three times today.

“Fellow classmates”?

I’m thinking, “classmates,” all by itself, does the job very nicely.

And, don’t blame the graduates.  After all, how many times have you heard “fellow co-workers”?  Not to mention, “fellow teammates”?

My house is bigger than your house.

Dogs are smarter than cats.

A Prius gets better mileage than a Cadillac.

A bowling ball is heavier than a baseball.

A soccer field is longer than a football field.

She can run faster than I can.

Reading on a Kindle feels different than reading a book.

Wait a minute!

Is using than to follow different in the last sentence incorrect, or does the usage just grate on me?

In the first six examples the “er” words are adjectives (or adverbs) used to compare one thing (or action/activity) to another.

In the last sentence, different is used to draw a distinction between things.  And, the use of than is simply wrong.  Like, “Raising your voice is different from yelling.”  Or, iPhones are different from Androids.”

Now, this distinction between comparing and distinguishing may seem tenuous, but being able to understand concepts like this, and apply them, separates us from other animals.  (I don’t care who does it wrong, and I don’t care how long you have been doing it wrong.  It’s still wrong.)

Maybe this will be helpful.  Let’s look at some other words that draw distinctions:  apart from, separate from, distinct/distinguish from.  We would never use than, or anything but from, with these words – I hope.

Now that we’ve settled the easy stuff, what do you with sentences like these?:

“Construction requirements are different in London than in Glasgow.”

Should you say, “Construction requirements in England are different from the those in Scotland”?  Gosh, it seems so awkward!  Do I have to do this?

What about a really compelling example?:

“How different things appear to me in my older years than when I was young.”

Do I really expect you to say “How different things appear to me in my older years from the way they looked when I was young”?

The short answer to both is “yes.”  Do it right.

To excuse the laziness evident in the incorrect sentences, some commentators suggest that, in sentences like the first for each of the two examples, than is a conjunction and not a preposition, and therefore properly used.  Sounds like hogwash to me.

Seems to me we can get around the than/from problem by simplifying even the apparently difficult sentences:  Try, “Things look different to me now that I am older.”