I was clearing the garage and found a 1965 edition of Eric Partridge's Usage and Abusage: A Guide to Good English. Mr Partridge takes no nonsense when it comes to language: his prescriptivist approach includes two pages on the correct use of shall and will, and the observation that congener is "a word imperfectly understood by many". I'm with you there, Eric.
One of his best entries is on elegancies, defined as "those words and phrases which the semi-literate and far too many of the literate believe to be more elegant than the terms they displace." Here are a few examples: aroma, attire, beverage, collation, goodly, gratis, imbibe, libation, modicum, partake of, peruse, post-prandial, repast, viands and victuals. Which at least explains the curious style adopted by local newspaper restaurant critics, who clearly have to pass an elegancy test before being issued with the company Visa card.
Eric died in 1979, but I wonder what elegancies he would have included in a 2010 edition? I'm starting with challenge, competencies, leverage, methodology and, of course, strategy. In fact I think I shall write a complete list of them. I mean, I will write a list. Hang on ...
