A Pet Peeve: Mischievous

categories: Cocktail Hour

4 comments


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



  1. Dave writes:

    From Merriam Webster: A pronunciation \mis-ˈchē-vē-əs\ and a consequent spelling mischievious are of long standing: evidence for the spelling goes back to the 16th century. Our pronunciation files contain modern attestations ranging from dialect speakers to Herbert Hoover. But both the pronunciation and the spelling are still considered nonstandard.

  2. marty castleberg writes:

    While you’re at it, can writers reclaim the word awesome? There are very few things in life that are truly awesome, so why do we hear it when, for example, we hand the correct change to a clerk?

    • Dave writes:

      Awe-some comment.

    • Tommy writes:

      Best when used with an exaggerated NY accent on the first syllable. And while you’re at it, why’d awesome get to be so good and awful turn out to be so bad, just for the lack of an e?

      I never knew comfortable had 4 syllables until recently. I grew up calling it comf-ter-ble. Horrors!