Orientated Is [Not] O.K.

Thoughts for the Day
Some words make me cringe. No, I'm not thinking about gross-out words, or salacious words, or hate-mongering words, although those do sometimes make me cringe. I'm thinking of words that I don't think are legitimate English words. One of those words is orientate. Every time I hear the word orientate it brings to mind a poorly educated Army drill sergeant. "Now mens it's time to orientate." Translation: "Men, line up in the proper direction."

I take pains to correct folks when they use orientate. "No," I say, "the proper word is orient", as in, "I'm so dizzy it will take some time to orient myself." But recently I came across the following in a web site called Grammar Slammer:

Sometimes people in their speech will form an imagined verb from orientation and say orientate. At best, orientate is a back-formation used humorously to make the speaker sound pompous. The correct word is the verb orient.

Orientate is more widely accepted in the U.K. than in the U.S.A., but it should be avoided in any formal or standard writing.

So, in fact, orientate is not completely incorrect, it's simply more incorrect in the U.S. than in England. I'll be careful in my cringing. Who know, perhaps that drill sergeant I had in mind has some British roots.

If you have a word that makes you cringe, add it here.

Laugh for the Day
"Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded." Yogi Berra.

Cry for the Day
Hunger is a growing problem, even in a wealthy nation like the United States. The Washington Post reported last November that "The nation's economic crisis has catapulted the number of Americans who lack enough food to the highest level since the government has been keeping track, according to a new federal report, which shows that nearly 50 million people -- including almost one child in four -- struggled last year to get enough to eat."