A brief word to Harry Potter writers...

[graculus]

The word 'nutter' has a much more limited use in the English language than many of you believe it has. It is not possible for someone to be accurately described as 'nutters', or for someone to say of someone else, "He's nutters" without making a large percentage of your *English* readers go "WTF????".

Please note that 'nutter' is a noun. It is a singular noun. "He is a nutter." There are many synonyms for 'crazy' or 'insane' in the English language, many of which may cause much less wincing. Please pick one.

'Nutter' can also be used as a plural noun, with some minor modifications. "They're nutters." I believe that this is where the confusion lies. It's short for "They are [a group of] nutters", not "[Each of them is 'nutters' and therefore as a group] they are nutters."

No other uses are accurate. That is all.

Comments

[temaris.livejournal.com]

*g* dare I ask which fandom set that off?

[graculus.livejournal.com]

Subject line not a clue? ;)

[temaris.livejournal.com]

*doh*

It was pre-coffee *g*

LOL!

[cycnus39]

My friend, who writes and betas in the HP fandom, had exactly the same conversation with a disbeliever a while ago. I believe that same writer had someone being 'drug' upstairs in a story, prompting my friend to ask when exactly the narcotics were applied. ;-)

Re: LOL!

[graculus.livejournal.com]

I read one too many and finally snapped... ;)

There are things in other fandoms that vex me, but I think it's the fact that this is (nominally, it seems, at times) a UK-based fandom means that I would hope that people would take some effort to get the vernacular and so on accurate. If you're not totally sure how to use a word, don't use it - the dictionary is *full* of synonyms for craziness.

[xochiquetzl]

Isn't "nutter" the peanut butter half of the contents of a fuffernutter sandwich? ;)

[fledge.livejournal.com]

*Hugs sympathetically*
I spent half an hour trying to persuade somebody that there is an E in 'monkEy' the other night. He goes by the name of spacemonky in chat, and it makes me wince every damn time I see it... I suggested he check a dictionary, but he claimed that *his* dictionary said it was fine. I rest my case...

Oh, what case? Well, that people just Do Not Listen