Crème de la stupid

[muckefuck]

Steve Irwin fans suspected of revenge attacks on stingrays.

On the other hand, I finally had a caller identify herself as "an alumna" of the university. (This after two in a row who described themselves as "an alumni".) She went on to add, "I have three degrees" and I was like, I bet you do! You also know what all those initials stand for, don't you?

Comments

"An almuna?"

[febrile.livejournal.com]

That's just sic [sic] and wrong.

Re: "An almuna?"

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

It's called "Me typing too fast while keeping one eye peeled for more annoying cherubs."

[aadroma.livejournal.com]

Do you realize how many times I've had to fix ads at work from a person claiming to be a "former alumni"? ^^;;;

[alcarilinque.livejournal.com]

Maybe the 'alumna' studies English, Latin and oh, what else? I don't know, I guess I just get bothered by all sorts of need to use "correct" Latin, when I speak English. On the other hand, I can see wanting to spell a title correctly... There's just no way I'm going to be pluralizing things correctly.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

You don't need to; you can say "graduate" and avoid the whole issue. If you choose not to take the easy way out, then I think that gives me license to quibble.

[strongaxe.livejournal.com]

Actually, is 'alumna' actually wrong?
I thought that the word is 'alumnus' (plural 'alumni') which is Latin masculine singular (of which the feminines would be 'alumna' and 'alumnae')

[sconstant.livejournal.com]

What he said.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

My point was someone actually got the gender right after two others tried and failed. It restored my faith in the graduates of this fine institution just a teeny tiny bit.

[strongaxe.livejournal.com]

Then again, perhaps she was just leaving 'alumni' plural and switching it into the neuter plural 'alumna'. (This would make the singular 'alumnum', which might be translated as 'one who wears tin-foil hats'? ;))