That’s why they serve drinks on planes

Proclaimed on the tannoy at my local airport:

This is the last and final call for passenger Jones…

Not to be outdone, the hostess on the plane demanded my “full and complete attention” for the safety announcement.  Is it some sort of competition, do you think?

My favourite kind of mistake

Tautology warning: if redundant language offends you, look away now.

The issue here: ‘other’ and ‘more’.  Since comparison is implied by using the word ‘more’ you don’t need to specify that you are referring to ‘other’ cards (suggested re-write: ‘no loyalty card in the UK is more generous!’).  If you are really wedded to the inclusion of ‘other’, ‘more’ should be replaced with ‘as’.

I also take issue with ‘a great big 4 points’ since points are quantifiable as opposed to, say, a score of 4 points, where the score is singular thus in agreement with the hyperbole.

Grrrr.

Repetition is not emphasis

I love tautologies; they are my favourite mistake. If something is pure, it goes without saying that it is undiluted. There are any number of other adjectives that could have been used here. Mind you, it is just karaoke: maybe one is enough.

Well, duh!

Spotted on the packaging of a ham roll this week:

“Bread literally comes out of the ovens, is cooled, sliced, and sent to our sandwich department.”

As opposed to metaphorically coming out of the oven, then? Also note the use of the ‘Oxford’ comma (after ’sliced’). I wouldn’t have used it, but it’s a subject for debate. No question though: that metaphorical bread sure is tasty…

Junk mail

Where, oh where, to begin?

First: ‘your personal attention’ is a tautology: the envelope is addressed to ‘The Householder’ as an individual, so personal attention is implicit.

Second: of course it was delivered by hand. I’ve never seen an envelope post itself through my letterbox.

And finally, not so much grammar as a general gripe: it was sent in the post – it wasn’t ‘delivered by hand’ in the caring manner they seem to suggest.  How stupid do they think I am?

Stating the obvious

Clearly, the concept of nightly events has foxed some guests at Picadilly Backpackers.