Now that's a healthy meal! (not...)

[VeraBlue]

Every time I hear that, or something similar, such as "I'm going to have a healthy, broiled fish dinner", it cracks me up.

If it was a 'healthy' meal, that fish would still be swimming in the river! If having roasted instead of fried chicken was a healthy meal, that chicken would still be flirting with the town rooster and playing 'the sky is falling' with the rest of the 'healthy, aka alive' chickens.

It's impossible to have a healthy piece of fish..unless you are eating it and swimming with it, as the same time, and even then, it's chances of remaining healthy are dwindling with every stroke!

I've never confused dead with healthy. Yet, people do it all the time.

Let's hear it for healthful eating...

 

[suzyQ3]

Every time I hear that, or something similar, such as "I'm going to have a healthy, broiled fish dinner", it cracks me up.

If it was a 'healthy' meal, that fish would still be swimming in the river! If having roasted instead of fried chicken was a healthy meal, that chicken would still be flirting with the town rooster and playing 'the sky is falling' with the rest of the 'healthy, aka alive' chickens.

It's impossible to have a healthy piece of fish..unless you are eating it and swimming with it, as the same time, and even then, it's chances of remaining healthy are dwindling with every stroke!

I've never confused dead with healthy. Yet, people do it all the time.

Let's hear it for healthful eating...

Methinks you're trying to start another grammar (okay, word usage this time) thread. If you think you're going to get people to start saying "healthful" instead of "healthy," good luck with that.

I mean, come on. I taught this stuff for years, and I'll be darned if I'm going to say, "Broccoli is healthful for you" on a regular basis. I'll just find a totally different way of saying it.

How about "Broccoli RULES"?

 

[college_cook]

Healthy is a synonym for nutritious, not to mention that the usage is pretty well embedded in the American lexicon. I'll continue to say healthy.

 

[ronjohn55]

Every time I hear that, or something similar, such as "I'm going to have a healthy, broiled fish dinner", it cracks me up.

So, if the fish WAS healthy when it went under the broiler, what about then?

I'm off to have a healthy beer!

John

 

[lulu]

Well, in Oxford English dictionary my guess is they are both there, but healthy is I believe correct English-English usage. Healthy doesn't just mean full of health, but is used to mean normal/sensible or also indicates a big portion in English-English usage, IE, "That's a heathy portion" means the portion is not meagre. I believe healthy means EITHER to have good health "I am healthy", or to promote good health "This is a healthy meal" or "I go to the gym because it is a healthy" sorry for the very forced and unimaginative answers. I am afraid I don't know about the American word usage in this example, but yes, pretty sure "healthy" is correct English-English use.

 

[auntdot]

Just went to reference.dictionary.com and healthy is also a synonym for healthful.

 

[Candocook]

I don't think I "get" it. ;o)

 

[Uncle Bob]

I don't think I "get" it. ;o)

I/m with Cando..

A healthy portion of healthy Salmon I will grill tonight! A healthful meal will it be!

I just dunno...

 

[Alix]

I'm just going to sit here and giggle. Poor fishy and chicky, not so healthy are they? Heehee! You know Vera, one of the things I appreciate about you is the random thoughts you post. Thanks!

 

[ronjohn55]

**Still wants to hear Vera's take on putting the healthy fish under the broiler**



John

 

[lulu]

I'm just going to sit here and giggle. Poor fishy and chicky, not so healthy are they? Heehee! You know Vera, one of the things I appreciate about you is the random thoughts you post. Thanks!

I agree.

I have been thinking about this one all day. And I found an important exception to Vera's "rules"....OYSTERS! I would not want to eat one of those big raw beauties that was not alive and healthy!

 

[VeraBlue]

Well, I surely do thank everyone who got to thinking about this a bit...and indeed, welcome to my head!

Not for a second do I believe anyone will change their vernacular as a result of my little post..but you did give it a moment's thought, yes?

Now...who asked me if I'd broil a fish? Alive? sure, why not..?

How do you all feel about the word 'up' at the end of a sentence? As in: I'm going to tear it up. Or Stir it up. Why not just say tear it, or stir it? What does the word 'up' have to do with it??

heheehehe

 

[mudbug]

Vera, please don't tell me you're one of those people who, when you ask, "How are you?", you reply, "I'm well, thanks."

Yes, it's more correct grammatically (most of us aren't that "good" all the time, except for Eric Clapton and Mother Teresa and so forth), but criminee, we're talkin' conversational English here!

I wrangle with written English every day, in which precision and clarity are rather important (just ask our clients who are complying with some EPA rule), but I am less fastidious when it comes to jabbering with my acquaintances.

When they ask me to give a speech at the UN, I'll be a little more careful in my rhetorical choices.

 

[suzyQ3]

How do you all feel about the word 'up' at the end of a sentence? As in: I'm going to tear it up. Or Stir it up. Why not just say tear it, or stir it? What does the word 'up' have to do with it??

It's an unnecessary preposition (some would actually label it an adverb here). Same problem as ending a sentence with "at," as in, "Where do you live at?" with which some of us had fun on GB's grammar thread.

Similarly, a super common goof is to insert the word "over" in a sentence such as "I'm coming over to your house." I make this mistake all the time. I should say, "I'm coming to your house." Usually, though, I find myself abbreviating it to, "I'm coming over," so in that case, I have a dilemma.

 

[Buck]

How do you all feel about the word 'up' at the end of a sentence? As in: I'm going to tear it up. Or Stir it up. Why not just say tear it, or stir it? What does the word 'up' have to do with it??

heheehehe

Vera, I have used this construction all my life but you have shown me the error of my ways so I will give it.

 

[suzyQ3]

Vera, please don't tell me you're one of those people who, when you ask, "How are you?", you reply, "I'm well, thanks."

Yes, it's more correct grammatically (most of us aren't that "good" all the time, except for Eric Clapton and Mother Teresa and so forth), but criminee, we're talkin' conversational English here!

I wrangle with written English every day, in which precision and clarity are rather important (just ask our clients who are complying with some EPA rule), but I am less fastidious when it comes to jabbering with my acquaintances.

When they ask me to give a speech at the UN, I'll be a little more careful in my rhetorical choices.

Just say, "I'm fine," and you're set.

 

[mudbug]

Similarly, a super common goof is to insert the word "over" in a sentence such as "I'm coming over to your house." I make this mistake all the time. I should say, "I'm coming to your house." Usually, though, I find myself abbreviating it to, "I'm coming over," so in that case, I have a dilemma.

Suzy, you would be tearing your hair out around the Chicago area. There many people say "I'll be coming by your house after lunch" or "I went by my mother-in-law's on the way home."

People there will also ask if you want to "come with" when you go by your destination.

 

[suzyQ3]

Suzy, you would be tearing your hair out around the Chicago area. There many people say "I'll be coming by your house after lunch" or "I went by my mother-in-law's on the way home."

People there will also ask if you want to "come with" when you go by your destination.

Hahaha....I guess I'd rather have someone "by" my house than "over" my house. But to tell you the truth, this particular error is beneath my radar, certainly not on my list of "nails on a chalkboard" mistakes.

Funny how different people are bugged by different language issues. My husband has a fit anytime someone qualifies the word "unique"; e.g., "The music is very unique." Although I know that the word is an absolute adjective and shouldn't be used in the comparative or superlative, I'm unfazed by it. But I love to catch him wince.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

In technical report writing, it is important to be concise, accurate, and have an uncanny ability to transform jargon into commonly understood language. I thought i was good at the art, though I tend to be wordy in common conversational writing (No! Say it ain't so! )

This thread has shown me how most of us, without knowing it, lengthen our sentences needlessly by adding tags at the end, and sometimes in the midst of our sentences. Some notorious examples are the British and Canadian habits of turning statements into questions by tacking "eh", or "what" on the sentence ends. Prepositions are badly abused by many. Sometimes I will hear, or read three or more prepositions in one sentence. I also know people who will try to clarify their meanings by stating a comment five different ways before they get their idea finished. And we won't even go into colloquializms and the butchering of the language by heavy regional accents.

After all is said, it is a wonder we can communicate successfully.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[mudbug]

My husband has a fit anytime someone qualifies the word "unique"; e.g., "The music is very unique." Although I know that the word is an absolute adjective and shouldn't be used in the comparative or superlative, I'm unfazed by it. But I love to catch him wince.

I'm like your husband. That one makes me want to go out and commit some grammar somewhere.

I didn't say I was consistent.