50’s 50’s ’50s There’s no requirement for the apostrophe before the “S” in decade names like 50s and 60s, since there are no omitted letters, though it’s also acceptable to include one. The term may be written “’50s” since “19” is being omitted, but “50s” is fine too. Writers who wish to have their references to decades clearly understood in the twenty-first century would be well advised not to omit the first two digits. Note that you may have to turn off “smart quotes” in your word processor to get a leading apostrophe like the one in “’50s” to curl correctly unless you know how to type the character directly. Or you can just type two and delete the first one. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/50's.html03/09/2005 15:38:00 finalize FINALIZE FINISH, PUT INTO FINAL FORM “Finalize” is very popular among bureaucrats, but many people hate it. Avoid it unless you know that everyone in your environment uses it too. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/finalize.html03/09/2005 15:38:00 firey FIREY FIERY It’s “fire,” so why isn’t it “firey”? If you listen closely, you hear that “fire” has two distinct vowel sounds in it: “fi-er.” Spelling the adjective “fiery” helps to preserve that double sound. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/firey.html03/09/2005 15:38:00 first annual FIRST ANNUAL Some people get upset when the “first annual” occurrence of some event is announced, arguing that it doesn’t become annual until it’s been repeated. But “first annual” simply means “the first of what is planned to be an annual series of events”—it’s a fine expression. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/firstannual.html03/09/2005 15:38:00 fiscal/physical FISCAL/PHYSICAL The middle syllable of “physical” is often omitted in pronunciation, making it sound like the unrelated word “fiscal.” Sound that unaccented “I” distinctly. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/fiscal.html03/09/2005 15:38:01 fit the bill/fill the bill FIT THE BILL FILL THE BILL Originally a “bill” was any piece of writing, especially a legal document (we still speak of bills being introduced into Congress in this sense). More narrowly, it also came to mean a list such as a restaurant “bill of fare” (menu) or an advertisement listing attractions in a theatrical variety show such as might be posted on a “billboard.” In nineteenth-century America, when producers found short acts to supplement the main attractions, nicely filling out an evening’s entertainment, they were said in a rhyming phrase to “fill the bill.” People who associate bills principally with shipping invoices frequently transform this expression, meaning “to meet requirements or desires,” into “fit the bill.” They are thinking of bills as if they were orders, lists of requirements. It is both more logical and more traditional to say “fill the bill.” List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/fit.html03/09/2005 15:38:01 flammable/inflammable FLAMMABLE/INFLAMMABLE The prefix “in-” does not indicate negation here; it comes from the word "inflame.” “Flammable” and “inflammable” both mean “easy to catch on fire”; but so many people misunderstand the latter term that it’s better to stick with “flammable” in safety warnings. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/flammable.html03/09/2005 15:38:01 flaunt/flout FLAUNT/FLOUT To flaunt is to show off: you flaunt your new necklace by wearing it to work. “Flout” has a more negative connotation; it means to treat with contempt some rule or standard. The cliché is “to flout convention.” Flaunting may be in bad taste because it’s ostentatious, but it is not a violation of standards. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/flaunt.html03/09/2005 15:38:01 flesh out/flush out FLESH OUT/FLUSH OUT To “flesh out” an idea is to give it substance, as a sculptor adds clay flesh to a skeletal armature. To “flush out” a criminal is to drive him or her out into the open. The latter term is derived from bird- hunting, in which one flushes out a covey of quail. If you are trying to develop something further, use “flesh”; but if you are trying to reveal something hitherto concealed, use “flush.” List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/flesh.html03/09/2005 15:38:02 floppy disk/hard disk FLOPPY DISK/HARD DISK Floppy disks are fast disappearing from the computer world, but it’s been many years since they were literally floppy. The fact that a 3 1/2" diskette is enclosed in a hard plastic case should not lead you to call it a “hard disk.” That’s a high-capacity storage medium like the main disk inside your computer on which your programs, operating system, and data are stored. See also drive/disk. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/floppy.html03/09/2005 15:38:02 [...]... indicate various sorts of desperate struggle If you’re sunk, you’ve foundered If you’re still struggling, you’re floundering List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/flounder.html03/09 /20 05 15:38: 02 . use “flush.” List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/flesh.html03/09 /20 05 15:38: 02 floppy disk/hard disk FLOPPY DISK/HARD DISK Floppy disks are fast disappearing from the. drive/disk. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/floppy.html03/09 /20 05 15:38: 02 flounder/founder FLOUNDER/FOUNDER As a verb, “founder” means “to fill with water and sink.”. floundering. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/flounder.html03/09 /20 05 15:38: 02