It' s not what you say, it's how you say it!

This post is brought to you by my favorite comic strip artist Jef Mallet, creator of FRAZZ - The guy is a freaking genius and I highly recommend his new book. It's only $8 and more than well worth it. Tell your friends. Seriously, it's Awesome! Everyone I know uses the phrase "I feel nauseous." to mean they feel sick. That is apparently the wrong usage. From the dictionary: nau·seous adj. Causing nausea; sickening: “the most nauseous offal fit for the gods” Usage Problem. Affected with nausea. Usage Note: Traditional critics have insisted that nauseous is properly used only to mean “causing nausea” and that it is incorrect to use it to mean “affected with nausea,” as in Roller coasters make me nauseous. In this example, nauseated is preferred by 72 percent of the Usage Panel. Curiously, though, 88 percent of the Panelists prefer using nauseating in the sentence The children looked a little green from too many candy apples and nauseating (not nauseous) rides. Since there is a lot of evidence to show that nauseous is widely used to mean “feeling sick,” it appears that people use nauseous mainly in the sense in which it is considered incorrect. In its “correct” sense it is being supplanted by nauseating.

I love it when I find out that something that EVERYONE says is totally grammatically wrong. It gives me hope that SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE is paying attention. :-) Cheers!