Monday, August 26, 2013

Guest Post: Melissa Maygrove

Its my birthday! Whee! So obviously Im not going to be doing any work on my blog. Thats just laughable. Anyway, I managed to sucker convince some of my awesome bloggy friends to step in while Im off celebrating, so without further ado (this will seem more hilarious in a minute), here is the wondrous Melissa:

When Jeanne asked for guest posts, I wanted to help, but my muse was uncooperative. Thankfully, Jeanne stood in. Since I do a grammar series and she’s into etymology, we decided the topic of idioms might be a good fit.

Idioms can be a great addition to your writing, but—if you don’t want your readers to laugh at parts of your story you never intended to be funny—you have to get them right.

One frequently flubbed idiom is: without further adieu.

It's without further ado, not without further adieu.
Ado (n.) means fuss or delay.
Adieu is an interjection meaning goodbye.

Which is correct, one in the same or one and the same?
Answer: one and the same

Ex: Sue’s boyfriend and Tanya’s husband are one and the same.

Sorry. Couldn’t resist. :P

You’re saying something is the same as something else. Think of it as describing something with two adjectives. You wouldn’t say, “Tom is tall in handsome.” You would say, “Tom is tall and handsome.”

And, lastly, my favorite. *grin*

 

Nip it in the butt.


While nipping someone’s butt might stop them from finishing what they’re doing, the proper saying is nip it in the bud.

Nipping something in the bud means stopping something before it can grow into something larger or worse. Though this saying typically used to refer to something negative, the basic concept is: if you cut off a flower while it’s still in bud form, it can never bloom.

Thanks for having me, Jeanne.
I hope I didn’t scare your followers away.


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Headshot & Bio:




Melissa Maygrove is a wife, a mother, a nurse, and a romance writer. She hopes to add ‘published author' to that list soon.

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Blog:

Grammar Police Files:

Twitter (@MelissaMaygrove):



20 comments:

  1. Thanks for having me, Jeanne. I hope you're having fun wherever you are. :)

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  2. Happy Birthday Jeanne! Break out the bubbly and enjoy your cake!
    Adieu also means farewell in French as most people know. Though literally it means 'to God.'
    Now, without further ado, I shall be on my way. (:

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  3. Nip it in the butt. Hilarious.

    Happy Birthday, Jeanne!

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  4. Without further goodbye - yeah, that doesn't make sense. Knew it was bud, although it depends on whose butt I'm nipping.
    Wait, did I say that out loud?

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  5. I've seen one in the same before and knew it was wrong.

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  6. I love your GPM's and will follow you to the ends of the earth for the latest. Or at least to Jeanne's blog.

    You know...I made (and posted) the error of adieu/ado. It was posted for a good while before I noticed and fixed it, but I was embarrassed that it even passed my scrutiny. These things happen.

    Barney Fife taught me that it's "Nip it in the bud."

    M.L. Swift, Writer

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  7. My husband and I have an ongoing argument about "nip it in the bud". I think at this point he says "butt" just to annoy me.

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    1. LOL - Maybe you need to nip HIM in the butt. xD

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  8. I've never seen those idioms done incorrectly. I must be reading the wrong (or, rather, right) stuff.

    Happy Birthday, Jeanne.

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  9. I haven't seen ado done incorrectly, though once or twice I've seen butt switched out for bud. Good post, Melissa!

    Happy Birthday, Jeanne!

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    1. Thank you, William.

      And thanks to all of you who took the time to stop by and leave a comment. I appreciate it. :)

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  10. 'Nip it in the butt' always makes me giggle.

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  11. Nipping the butt? ;) Good as always, Melissa.

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  12. I actually used 'without further adieu' on purpose, knowing it was wrong but hoping my readers would get my meaning. I guess people really mess this up.
    The best part of this post is that you've clarified my understanding of what an idiom is!

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  13. Happy belated birthday.

    This was a fun post. I haven't made mistakes with these, but I know I've made mistakes with other idioms.

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  14. Educational + fun, as always. Well done, Melissa!

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  15. I love idioms, especially when they're used correctly. I hope you add published author to that list very soon, too.

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  16. Totally snorted at the "nip it in the butt" one!

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  17. Beck and call always used to get me -- for some reason, I thought it was beckoned call.

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  18. Thanks again to everyone who visited. :)

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Please validate me.