Thursday, June 05, 2008
A passage from The Elements of Style:
Flammable. An oddity, chiefly useful in saving lives. The common word meaning "combustible" is inflammable. But some people are thrown off by the in- and think inflammable means "not combustible." For this reason, trucks carrying gasoline or explosives are now marked FLAMMABLE. Unless you are operating such a truck and hence are concerned with the safety of children and illiterates, use inflammable.My underwear is inflammable...heh-heh.
Labels: flammability, grammar, inflammable, underwear
[Lauree Frances Keith concluded this diatribe at 5:34 PM]