352. “It is not cold enough to wear my gloves:” pronounce as if written gluvs, and to rhyme with loves. In “Fair Rosamond” the following illustrative stanza occurs:—
“He said he had his gloves from France:
The Queen said, ‘That can’t be:
If you go there for glove-making,
It is without the g.’”
353. “Egad! what great good luck!” This word is now inelegantly used, except in certain species of poetry, where it is introduced with much effect, as in the following distich:—
“All tragedies, egad! to me sound oddly;
I can no more be serious, than you godly.”
354. “The frigate is now in the Yellow Sea, or thereabouts:” say, thereabout. This term is a transposed combination of about there; there is no such word as thereabouts. The same may be said of hereabouts, and whereabouts.
355. “Whether he will or no:” say, not. The reason of this correction is clearly seen by supplying what is needed to complete the sense: Whether he will or will not.
356. “He looked at it first lengthways, then sideways:” say, lengthwise and sidewise. Also, say otherwise instead of otherways. A nobleman said to his fool, “I am wise, and you are otherwise.” “Yes,” replied his jester, “you are wise, and I am another wise.”
357. If you are a landlord, beware of incorrectly using such an expression as in the following: A landed proprietor went to a tenant with a view of increasing his rent, and said to him, “Neighbor, I am going to raise your rent.” “Thank you, sir,” was the reply, “for I am utterly unable to raise it myself.”
358. “Will you accept of this slight testimonial?” Omit of, which is superfluous, and weakens the sentence.
359. “He convinced his opponent by dint of good reasoning:” dint, meaning force or strength, is an obsolete word, and should not now be employed.