Grammar matters, even when cursing

By Joe Diorio

It’s “for fuck’s sake.”

Possessive. Use an apostrophe.

Honest.

The term is an expression of exasperation; the author is so tired of the situation that they throw their hands up and declare they are fed up with whatever the status quo is, as in “stop playing the music so loud, for fuck’s sake.”

I should also note that MS Word puts a blue highlight under the word “fuck” when it is used as the singular, indicating two things: there is a grammatical mistake there, and even the gang at Microsoft know a miscue when one is made.

Also, for whatever it is worth, the old idiom “for Pete’s sake” uses the possessive of Pete. Oh, and by the way, most lexicographers figure Pete is not a real individual. Instead, the use of the name is an outgrowth of the much older phrase, “for pity’s sake,” which dates back to the 17^th century.

A Public Service Announcement

We are entering the time of year when greeting cards will show up in the mail. Here’s a handy graphic showing how to pluralize your name when you are writing greeting cards.

Delicate Reporting

A truck owner in Southwest Florida decided to use paint and decals on his truck to make it appear to be a Lee County, Florida sheriff’s office vehicle. But this truck had the words “booty patrol” on the side, rather than “sheriff.” Illegal? Questionable, but CBS affiliate reporter Michael Hudak and writer Rachel Murphy were able to insert a handful* of booty related turns of phrase into this two minute, twenty-second-long story.

*  Let’s keep our minds out of the gutter, people.

Let’s write carefully out there, people.

Joe Diorio is a writer, living in Southwest Florida. He is the author of A Few Words About Words. A common-sense look at writing and grammar (Beaufort Books, 2021) and the forthcoming Murders at Trask: Crisis communications and the art of making nothing happen (Beaufort Books, 2024).