Pylimitics

A “pet peeve” is an annoyance you notice all over the place, but doesn’t usually rise above “irritating”. And besides, there’s generally nothing you can really do about it. Many people have pet peeves about words, and how other people misuse them! Take, for example, “systematic” and “systemic.” You’ll often hear them used interchangeably — “he took a systemic approach” or “the political system is systematically biased.” (Both of those examples, by the way, are wrong.) “Systematic” means following a plan methodically, while “systemic” means a property of a whole composed of many interrelated parts. That is, a system. 

I can assure you that insuring your system will ensure your peace of mind! Oh, that’s another one, by the way, “assure” vs. “insure” vs. “ensure”. Or how about “complementary” versus “complimentary”? At a hotel you might receive a complimentary breakfast, with complementary coffee and tea. In other words, your breakfast would tell you that you look marvelous today, and how about some free beverages. “Complementary” has an “e” because it comes from “complete”, while “complimentary” comes from “compliment” — as one might receive a compliment for a particularly good blog post or something of the sort. 

But it gets better; I have two cases where there are four words that get confused. First there’s “censer,” “censor,” “censure,” and “sensor.” A sensor is a device that responds to environmental factors such as sound or motion, as in “motion sensor”. “Censure” is disapproval, such as an official reprimand. You don’t see this one much (except when it’s misused), but it pops up now and then when the US Congress talks about “censuring” a member. Then there’s “censor,” with is someone who decides what has to be omitted from a publication — this one is the most common of the four. But “censer” is probably the rarest. It’s a gadget you might see in some ceremonies in Catholic churches; it’s a little covered pot containing incense, and it’s usually swung around on a short chain, streaming smoke.

The other four-way muddle is medal/meddle/metal/mettle — which is a bit of a stretch, because when people confuse these words, they usually confuse “medal” with “meddle” and “metal” with “mettle,” at least keeping the “d”s and the “t”s straight. But it’s fun to put all four (or five, see what I did there?) together anyway. “Medal” is an award, and to “meddle” is to interfere. “Metal” is the material a medal might be made of, while “mettle” is a quality of perseverance in the person who had the mettle to ignore the meddling muddle to earn the metal medal. 

There are, of course, plenty more word-based pet peeves to be had. They tend to persist — possibly because people who know the difference are averse to correcting mistakes because of possible adverse effects that might affect their relationships! And besides, maybe it’s more fun to maintain your pet peeves.