Pedants' Paradise

[LezLee]

On antiques programmes: 'Making the most profit' Aarrgghh!

[FFRR]

On a TV ad on behalf of a property investment firm this morning:

"No negative equity guarantee".

It struck me that this could mean two opposite things:

1) This offer does not automatically guarantee that if taken up, you avoid the pitfalls of negative equity; or

2) This offer automatically guarantees that if taken up, you will not be subject to negative equity.

I wonder which it is!

The latter will be offered as a verbal assurance when taking out the policy, the former as a written response from their lawyers when trying to claim on it...

[Serial_Apologist]

The latter will be offered as a verbal assurance when taking out the policy, the former as a written response from their lawyers when trying to claim on it...

[Pulcinella]

We are all used to problems with overstating and understating etc, but this sentence (in Edith Wharton's The house of mirth), takes things to a different level (at least for me ):

Lily knew that Rosedale had overstated neither the difficulty of her own position nor the completeness of the vindication he offered.

[oddoneout]

On the listing for this evening's concert the following appears:

Followed by music off disc:

The music is on the disc I would have thought, otherwise it would be difficult to broadcast it? Presumably what they mean is 'from disc'.

[cloughie]

On the listing for this evening's concert the following appears:

The music is on the disc I would have thought, otherwise it would be difficult to broadcast it? Presumably what they mean is 'from disc'.

Streamed?

[gurnemanz]

On the listing for this evening's concert the following appears:

The music is on the disc I would have thought, otherwise it would be difficult to broadcast it? Presumably what they mean is 'from disc'.

There is a quite common usage along the lines: "a song off Sergeant Pepper". So I suppose "off disc" works by analogy with that. Not elegant but probably more or less acceptable.

[Serial_Apologist]

On the listing for this evening's concert the following appears:

The music is on the disc I would have thought, otherwise it would be difficult to broadcast it? Presumably what they mean is 'from disc'.

Or "from off of a disc".

[french frank]

On the listing for this evening's concert the following appears:

The music is on the disc I would have thought, otherwise it would be difficult to broadcast it? Presumably what they mean is 'from disc'.

One does speak of an 'off air' recording, rather than an 'on air'.

[oddoneout]

Or "from off of a disc".

My thought as well.

[Serial_Apologist]

My thought as well.

[oddoneout]

"Lost path finder"
As it happens I already knew what this was about, having read an article about it, before it was mentioned just now on Breakfast. It sounded though as if Georgia was struggling rather(and I can't say I blame her) to use the phrase without giving completely the wrong meaning. A stray hyphen could put a different slant on what it actually means and doubtless will appear like that in many places. Headline " Lost path-finder well off beaten track".
This is the article I read https://www.theguardian.com/lifeands...-england-wales

[Bryn]

In today's Afternoon on 3 online listing:

Ludwig van Beethoven

Beethoven Piano Concerto No 3 (Emperor)
Performer: Pavel Kolesnikov. Orchestra: BBC Concert Orchestra. Conductor: Johannes Wildner.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000p83q

[Serial_Apologist]

In this frequently broadcast peak time TV ad for Sun Life Insurance, one of the actors states, "They guarantee to pay 100% of claims".

One needs to know, does this mean 100% of the claims submitted, or 100% of each total claim made? Shouldn't the Trades description folks be onto this ambiguity like a ton of bricks? I ask, because in another insurance ad, for Royal London, also repeatedly played on peak time TV, a character is made to say, "Last year they paid every over-50s claim".

Apart from reinforcing the above question pertaining to claims per se or the proportion of the pay outs thereof - along with the fact that this particular ad has been playing for well over a year now BTW, making trash of the, er, claim as regards the last year - surely the statement as regards every over-50s claim would have to apply to false claims as well for it to be true?

All this just seems to amount to falsification par excellence. Or does the law allow them to get away with it?

[oddoneout]

In this frequently broadcast peak time TV ad for Sun Life Insurance, one of the actors states, "They guarantee to pay 100% of claims".

One needs to know, does this mean 100% of the claims submitted, or 100% of each total claim made? Shouldn't the Trades description folks be onto this ambiguity like a ton of bricks? I ask, because in another insurance ad, for Royal London, also repeatedly played on peak time TV, a character is made to say, "Last year they paid every over-50s claim".

Apart from reinforcing the above question pertaining to claims per se or the proportion of the pay outs thereof - along with the fact that this particular ad has been playing for well over a year now BTW, making trash of the, er, claim as regards the last year - surely the statement as regards every over-50s claim would have to apply to false claims as well for it to be true?

All this just seems to amount to falsification par excellence. Or does the law allow them to get away with it?

Does a miniscule bit of caveat text appear at the bottom of the screen while the verbal is happening, as that could be a way round it - like the tiny asterisk and minute font exclusions clause(which effectively makes the unbeatable offer eminently unattractive when deciphered) that appears with prominent print special offer adverts.