Ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to tell you something that may be difficult to hear. The meaning of the word peruse is "to read carefully, in detail; to examine closely"!
It's the one word that is almost always used incorrectly; in fact it's almost always used to mean the exact opposite of what it really means! Folks will say "Oh I just had time to peruse it" meaning, they just skimmed it, didn't really take much time at all, took a cursory glance at.
It comes from the middle English word that means "to use up, to consume totally, leaving nothing behind, all gone, every jott and tittle, every last little crumb..." Well maybe not all those words; I might have got a little carried away. But you get the idea.
I looked at several sources. They all agree. It means "examine carefully, read with close attention to every detail."
Now what are we going to do with this bit of information? Are we going to change our ways? or are we going to use a different word? I'll be listening.
Posted by Marion (ex English teacher)
Friday, February 19, 2010
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Good point Marion. I would say it is the penultimate point! I suspect, unfortunately, some people could care less and your statement will have very little affect.
ReplyDeleteMy Google advisor has told me I cannot edit your post, so must leave the three blatant errors you've made just as you've made them.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm sure that was your intention, so I'll just thank you for your observations and your contribution Chicken.
You seem to be inferring that I made some errors. I can insure you, I ran spellcheck and it confirmed I had spelled nothing bad.
ReplyDelete(yes,..I can go allll day) ;)
Oh no! The pain is too much; please stop.
ReplyDelete:-)
Thankyou Marion......I am one of those people who have been using this word incorrectly for years....wow...you learn something new everyday.
ReplyDelete