Believe it or not, it was Associated Press style (and therefore the style of most newspapers) to spell it "kidnaped" into the 1970s; it was following its general spelling rule that "a consonant is not doubled when the accent falls on an earlier syllable.”
That works fine for "canceled" or "focused," but not when that last syllable -- if it were a one-syllable word like "nap" -- is subject to a different intuitive rule: that you double the letter when it's preceded by a short vowel. Napped, naped. Which is why it needed to be kidnapped rather than kidnaped. They finally stopped the "kidnaped" nonsense.
Omitting the serial comma in a simple series can be useful in the precious real estate of, say, a one-column headline on a print newspaper story. Take a look at 1-column heds, by the way: It can be a real bear to sum up the news accurately and clearly in three lines of 8 or 10 characters per line.
I hadn't thought of this until just now, but: I bowl with shopping carts. I dutifully return them to the shopping cart corrals like a responsible adult, but I do it by wheeling the cart to the far side of the parking-lot lane, pushing the cart back and forth a couple of times to align the wheels, and then giving it a hard two-handed shove. If it actually pushes itself into an already-parked cart on impact, that's a strike. If it careens off-course far enough to miss the corral and hit someone's car, that's a gutter ball.
Totally off-topic: Gene's feature on The Great Zucchini was recommended on the Slate Culture Gabfest for June 12. However, it's near the end of the Slate+ segment so you have to be a member to access it.
A few years back I had the privilege of witnessing a woman of a certain age pushing her grocery cart out into the parking lot, and with childlike glee giving it a shove and hopping on for the ride. The obvious, oblivious joy could be felt even vicariously. I never had a chance to thank her. Does Nancy Meyer happen to shop at the Giant in Burtonsville?
In USA 2024, the answer is no. But in Was-Is-Ever-Shall-Be-World-Without-End-Amen, all of us who gleefully ride shopping carts are forever one -- and definitely are She!
Look, it must be tough having your words read only by a bunch of tightwads these days as opposed to the now 350 or so that could read you in the formerly prestigious newspaper whose name we dare not speak. That figure, btw, is what I surmise from the non "sugar-coated" (his words) pep-tic talk by one of those former WSJ guys hired by self-same paper and reported glowingly (or is it "radioactively") there recently. Anyway, what I suggest to make you feel better about yourself --- like the guy who never hit over .250 showing up to cheers at an Old-Timers' Day --- is literally a write-in campaign for the OED. No, not merely swamping the dictionary with forms suggesting (under threat of boycotting their words) it include a Weingartenism or three. No --- forcing the inevitable inclusion by using the word(s) over and over again however inappropriately Googlenope. Innotate ? A viral marketing effort where repetition is key. And we can only hope that the OED beats the Merriam-Webster people to the punch. Googlenope?
"...These places used to be stinking, exhilarating caldrons of creative tension, with shouting matches, occasional fisticuffs, pranks and hijinks, bottles of scotch secreted in plain view, and thus such..."
I have not noticed equivalent changes in my workplace because such things didn't exist in the first place.
Shouting matches - There was a recent incident of a team member raising his voice in objection to his team lead undermining his efforts by directly contacting someone with whom the team member was assigned to liaise. This resulted in an investigation by management. This team member was eventually dismissed because a customer thought he wasn't doing enough. He may have had another outburst when he was told he was off the contract. He was escorted out of the building by security.
Occasional fisticuffs - This will get you instantly terminated and your career in the industry would be over.
Pranks and hijinks - They had better be extremely mild. Anything involving tampering with equipment, infrastructure or property would be instant termination.
Scotch in plain view- Instant investigation. In fact, even out of plain view is a problem. A co-worker lost her clearances after an empty bottle of liquor was found in wastebasket next to her workstation. She was open about being a recovering alcoholic, but fell off the wagon and didn't immediately report her lapse. She was reassigned to lesser duties but died of liver failure within a year.
Believe it or not, it was Associated Press style (and therefore the style of most newspapers) to spell it "kidnaped" into the 1970s; it was following its general spelling rule that "a consonant is not doubled when the accent falls on an earlier syllable.”
That works fine for "canceled" or "focused," but not when that last syllable -- if it were a one-syllable word like "nap" -- is subject to a different intuitive rule: that you double the letter when it's preceded by a short vowel. Napped, naped. Which is why it needed to be kidnapped rather than kidnaped. They finally stopped the "kidnaped" nonsense.
We are no longer friends, let alone partners. You are dead to me.
Well, yes. "Kidnaped" rhymes with "vaped," and "raped." "Kidnapped" rhymes with "slapped."
Why would anyone follow AP style guidance when they won't condone the consistent use of the Oxford comma?
Omitting the serial comma in a simple series can be useful in the precious real estate of, say, a one-column headline on a print newspaper story. Take a look at 1-column heds, by the way: It can be a real bear to sum up the news accurately and clearly in three lines of 8 or 10 characters per line.
And here I always thought "kidnaped" was the result of having your neck made fun of. Hey, just the messenger here!
I love hearing the reasoning, can't deny it. Spelling rules that rely on the pronunciation. Wow. Glad it was corrected, sorry Gene.
I hadn't thought of this until just now, but: I bowl with shopping carts. I dutifully return them to the shopping cart corrals like a responsible adult, but I do it by wheeling the cart to the far side of the parking-lot lane, pushing the cart back and forth a couple of times to align the wheels, and then giving it a hard two-handed shove. If it actually pushes itself into an already-parked cart on impact, that's a strike. If it careens off-course far enough to miss the corral and hit someone's car, that's a gutter ball.
I'm 62.
Oh, and I would have posted this to the live chat, but I'm at the office and our network blocks that capability.
Totally off-topic: Gene's feature on The Great Zucchini was recommended on the Slate Culture Gabfest for June 12. However, it's near the end of the Slate+ segment so you have to be a member to access it.
Hip replacement, avoided it during my curfew period.
It hurts even with original knees.
A few years back I had the privilege of witnessing a woman of a certain age pushing her grocery cart out into the parking lot, and with childlike glee giving it a shove and hopping on for the ride. The obvious, oblivious joy could be felt even vicariously. I never had a chance to thank her. Does Nancy Meyer happen to shop at the Giant in Burtonsville?
In USA 2024, the answer is no. But in Was-Is-Ever-Shall-Be-World-Without-End-Amen, all of us who gleefully ride shopping carts are forever one -- and definitely are She!
I’ll thank you as proxy then. It was a perfect reminder to always reject the humdrum. Enough that I remember it still, anyway.
I'm turning 60 this year, and ride the cart, every single time.
Me too
Bonus points if you don’t just ride it, you hop in the basket.
Look, it must be tough having your words read only by a bunch of tightwads these days as opposed to the now 350 or so that could read you in the formerly prestigious newspaper whose name we dare not speak. That figure, btw, is what I surmise from the non "sugar-coated" (his words) pep-tic talk by one of those former WSJ guys hired by self-same paper and reported glowingly (or is it "radioactively") there recently. Anyway, what I suggest to make you feel better about yourself --- like the guy who never hit over .250 showing up to cheers at an Old-Timers' Day --- is literally a write-in campaign for the OED. No, not merely swamping the dictionary with forms suggesting (under threat of boycotting their words) it include a Weingartenism or three. No --- forcing the inevitable inclusion by using the word(s) over and over again however inappropriately Googlenope. Innotate ? A viral marketing effort where repetition is key. And we can only hope that the OED beats the Merriam-Webster people to the punch. Googlenope?
"...These places used to be stinking, exhilarating caldrons of creative tension, with shouting matches, occasional fisticuffs, pranks and hijinks, bottles of scotch secreted in plain view, and thus such..."
I have not noticed equivalent changes in my workplace because such things didn't exist in the first place.
Shouting matches - There was a recent incident of a team member raising his voice in objection to his team lead undermining his efforts by directly contacting someone with whom the team member was assigned to liaise. This resulted in an investigation by management. This team member was eventually dismissed because a customer thought he wasn't doing enough. He may have had another outburst when he was told he was off the contract. He was escorted out of the building by security.
Occasional fisticuffs - This will get you instantly terminated and your career in the industry would be over.
Pranks and hijinks - They had better be extremely mild. Anything involving tampering with equipment, infrastructure or property would be instant termination.
Scotch in plain view- Instant investigation. In fact, even out of plain view is a problem. A co-worker lost her clearances after an empty bottle of liquor was found in wastebasket next to her workstation. She was open about being a recovering alcoholic, but fell off the wagon and didn't immediately report her lapse. She was reassigned to lesser duties but died of liver failure within a year.
Such a bright, vibrant industry.