OK, I’ve learned to live with the fact that nobody understands why “try to” is more correct than “try and”, or why “hopefully” is a cheat for when you want to say “I hope”. I’ve made my peace, as ’twere.
But, that doesn’t stop the hundreds of minor errors that I see every day from driving me nuts. Not the obvious typos, but rather the systemic errors that indicate an almost viral transmission or misinformation.
And today I finally reached the tipping point with one example that I have, for some reason, been seeing everywhere lately: people who don’t know the difference between cache and cachet. Or, Fowler help us, who think caché–the French word for “hidden”–is the proper spelling of “cachet”.
Look, here’s the scoop:
Main Entry: cache
Pronunciation: 'kash
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from cacher to press, hide, from Vulgar Latin *coacticare to press together, from Latin coactare to compel, frequentative of cogere to compel — more at COGENT1 a : a hiding place especially for concealing and preserving provisions or implements b : a secure place of storage
2 : something hidden or stored in a cache
3 : a computer memory with very short access time used for storage of frequently or recently used instructions or data — called also cache memory
Main Entry: ca·chet
Pronunciation: ka-'shA
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from cacher
1 a : a seal used especially as a mark of official approval b : an indication of approval carrying great prestige
2 a : a characteristic feature or quality conferring prestige b : PRESTIGE <being rich…doesn’t have the cachet it used to — Truman Capote>
3 : a medicinal preparation for swallowing consisting of a case usually of rice-flour paste enclosing a medicine
4 a : a design or inscription on an envelope to commemorate a postal or philatelic event b : an advertisement forming part of a postage meter impression c : a motto or slogan included in a postal cancellation
Let’s try to get that right next time, OK? I’m so much easier to get along with when you aren’t pushing my pedantry buttons.
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