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Randy Stead -> RE: Completed Basic Tutorials (12/22/2020 9:01:58 PM)
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ORIGINAL: cbrandonellis
quote:
ORIGINAL: geofflambert
By the way, although it's commonly misused, the word decimate(d) is pretty simple Latin and means to reduce by one tenth. In war, that means you've "blooded" your troops and it's actually a good thing, their experience has increased a lot, some of the weaknesses have been worked out and you know what can go wrong. It is not a synonym for destroyed, annihilated or massacred. In a case like that where almost everyone seems to be misusing the word I simply find another word or phrase to mean what I really mean, or sometimes I'm just stubborn and use it correctly anyway. I never misuse a word where I know better, even if my audience will understand its incorrect meaning. Another example of this sort of thing is the idiom "the lion's share". That idiom did not originally mean "most". It meant ALL, every last crumb. Such a shame it's lost that meaning.
You bring up an interesting point. Of course you are technically correct in its original Latin meaning - but when does a word or phrase change after years of "misuse". I would argue decimated has entered that phase where more people recognize it as meaning destroyed or laid waste than think of the original Latin meaning. But what do I know I'm just a caveman
Oh, brother, you have hit me where I live. As a word aficionado I get worked up over some of the abuses of the language I hear today.
Example: Venue. It originally meant the site where a crime occurred, or the jurisdiction in which the trial was held. Thus, a defense lawyer in a small town may ask for a change of venue to another town as the local jury pool may know the victim. The idea was to get a jury pool who have no ties to the victim. I noticed this word changing meaning due to the influence of "veejays" or video jockeys on music channels referring to a concert site as the venue.
I despise bastardized, made-up words like "irregardless." [:@] Use irrespective or regardless, not irregardless. Or phrases like "same difference." WTF does same difference mean? We are not discussing two differences, merely one.
Pronunciations drive me bonkers as well. The word forte. It is pronounced fort, not for-tay. The "e" is silent. Another peeve involves misspelling in a phrase. Toe the line meaning to stick to procedure, not trespass. Not tow the line. What, the rope needs to be hauled? Here's another one: chomping on the bit. It is champing at the bit, not chomping on it. It denotes eagerness, impatience.
Ah, well, what can we do? Eventually popular usage changes a definition, and we traditionalists end up regarded as cranks.
And to end on a relevant note: I am trying to go through turn 1 with Kull's execellent resource, the Allied turn 1 spreadsheet. I feel myself being overwhelmed by menu and option choices. I think I would do best by going through these video tutorials. The best time to learn how to shoot is in training, not live combat, which is what I feel I am doing by jumping straight into a campaign game.
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