An unexpected surprise

When we began writing, we were certain that the content of Idiot Flags would zero in on grammatical horrors more than behavioral ones.

Little did we know that so many could be disgusted by so much so quickly.

A friend from Baltimore wrote today with news that she disagreed with our point of view on chewing gum. Since she's an attorney, she tried lots of clever attorney tricks to lead us down a preposterous logic path to defend cud-chewing, even among educated professionals. We refused to fall victim to her little game.

She's a gum chewer, incidentally.

Then the kicker. She was sitting next to a man -- another attorney, no doubt -- who was clipping his nails during the meeting.

We can only wonder what he did with the clippings. Into his pocket? Scattered onto the floor? Gulp...chewing on them like gum?

Soon, we'll be able to address "sportscaster-ese," using the right form if "its" and "who/whom" and "farther/further" and the ubiquitous use of "myself" among those who didn't take the trouble to learn what subjects and objects are...but for now, another handy tip for those of you whose claws need a little work:

Please don't make us watch.