Mar 1, 2005 16:05
19 yrs ago
1 viewer *
English term
"children under 12 are cumplimentary"
English
Art/Literary
Journalism
usage
From a radio public service announcement regarding the admission prices for an event.
Seems to me that the admission to the event is cumplimentary for children under 12, not the children themselves, lest Michael Jackson gets all excited.
Is this another linguistic no-no, or just one of those things?
Seems to me that the admission to the event is cumplimentary for children under 12, not the children themselves, lest Michael Jackson gets all excited.
Is this another linguistic no-no, or just one of those things?
Responses
Responses
+13
4 mins
Selected
Yes, it is wrong
It should have said, "Children under 12 are admitted free" or some such formulation. You often hear, "children under 12 are free", and that's incorrect too.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you, Ruth. Kim answered first, but you were the first to answer my specific question. And thanks to all who caught the "cumplimentary" error.
I am having some cold hot dogs for lunch ;)"
+3
2 mins
tickets for children are complimentary
Yes, the children aren't complimentary the tickets are.
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Rahi Moosavi
2 mins
|
neutral |
Refugio
: I would stay away from the word "complimentary" altogether, since it often implies that a business has paid for and donated a block of tickets, whereas this simply refers to the admission pricing policy of the event.
8 mins
|
agree |
Armorel Young
: it's appalling English - as you say, it sounds like "come to us and get a free child".
46 mins
|
agree |
Louise Gough
: ...nor can it be interpreted as a general statement about how polite children are these days....!
3 hrs
|
+6
3 mins
complimentary - free
This is a typo. Kids are admitted free.
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Natalka Samilenko
1 min
|
neutral |
Refugio
: Not exactly a typo. Just a poor choice of words.
3 mins
|
Thanks Ruth. I suppose you mean "not just a typo" (cumplimentary.)
|
|
agree |
NancyLynn
: typo + poor choice of words. Your formulation is much better, Alaa.
5 mins
|
agree |
Alexander Demyanov
9 mins
|
agree |
Johan Venter
17 mins
|
agree |
Angela Dickson (X)
51 mins
|
agree |
Louise Gough
3 hrs
|
+3
3 mins
English term (edited):
children under 12 are complimentary
admission for children under the age of 12 (years old) is free
there's a typo - cumplimentary should read complimentary
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Louise Gough
3 hrs
|
Thank you, Louise
|
|
agree |
paolamonaco
7 hrs
|
Thanks, Paola
|
|
agree |
John Bowden
: Sounds natural.
19 hrs
|
Thanks, John
|
4 mins
English term (edited):
cumplimentary
... Complimentray
The term is "complimentary". Complimentray stay for children under ... etc
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Note added at 50 mins (2005-03-01 16:55:30 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
ComplimenTARY
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Note added at 50 mins (2005-03-01 16:55:30 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
ComplimenTARY
Peer comment(s):
neutral |
pidzej
: special tray for compliments I presume?//well, all you did was to correct somebody else's typo, and what better way to do it than...
13 mins
|
hahaha very funny!
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