Yes, sometimes we err but not this time
I received a call from the grammar police the other day. Those are the people who pick and poke through the words that we writers print for public consumption, often catching us making the silliest of mistakes in grammar, vocabulary and/or punctuation.
Sometimes, though, they are wrong.
The caller, who declined to introduce herself, referred to a capsule review that I wrote of the film “The World’s Fastest Indian,” which just came out on DVD.
In that review I wrote the following: “Roger Donaldson (‘Dante’s Peak’) tells the real-life story of 60-something New Zealander Burt Munro (Anthony Hopkins) and his jury-rigged 1920 Indian motorcycle to record speeds over the Bonneville Salt Flats.”
Wrong, said the caller. There is, she said quite confidently, no such phrase as “jury-rigged.” “If you’ll look in your Webster’s,” she said, “you’ll see that the correct term is ‘jerry-rigged.’ “
So let me now quote Paul Brians, a professor of English at Washington State University and the author of the book “Common Errors in English Usage” (William, James & Co., 246 pages, $13 paper):
“Although their etymologies are obscure and their meanings overlap, these are two distinct expressions. Something poorly built is ‘jerry-built.’ Something rigged up temporarily in a makeshift manner with materials at hand, often in an ingenious manner, is ‘jury-rigged.’
” ‘Jerry-built’ always has a negative connotation, whereas one can be impressed by the cleverness of a jury-rigged solution. Many people cross-pollinate these two expressions and mistakenly say ‘jerry-rigged’ or ‘jury-built.’ “
Munro, who was known for making his own parts, jury-rigged his bike. And though opinions varied, he was certain that his inventions were as good as the originals.
He set some land-speed records, so he must have been doing something right. Not to mention ingenious.
Brians, by the way, runs a Web site under the same name as his book. You can find it at www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors.
More good reads
I’ve spent the last few weeks passing on reading-group suggestions. This week I’ll list the books that the Friends of the Cheney Community Library Reading Group will be tackling beginning in September.
By the way, the group, which is open to anyone, meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month (September through May, except December) at the Cheney Community Library, 610 First St., Cheney. Call (509) 893-8280.
Sept. 26: “The Master Butchers Singing Club,” by Louise Erdrich.
Oct. 24: “The Beekeeper’s Apprentice,” by Laurie R. King.
Nov. 28: “Gilead,” by Marilynne Robinson.
Jan. 24: “Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World,” by Tracy Kidder.
Feb. 27: “Dearest Friend: A Life of Abigail Adams,” by Lynne Withey.
March 27: “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter,” by Carson McCullers.
April 23: “Breaking Clean,” by Judy Blunt.
May 22: “Pompeii: A Novel,” by Robert Harris.
For further information about the reading group, call Joan Tracy at (509) 235-4490, or e-mail jtracy@icehouse.net.
Books and art
Tinman Gallery is offering those who love both books and art the chance to see a children’s book, and accompanying artwork, by artist/author Virginia Carter from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday at the gallery, 811 W. Garland Ave.
Carter will present the book “Terry Toucan Finds His Colors,” which she wrote in partnership with her husband, Leon Sproule, along with ceramic art related to the story. The book is being printed in a limited run of 50 copies.
Book talk
•”What Are You Reading This Summer?,” noon Wednesday, Tinman Gallery, 811 W. Garland Ave. Come and suggest books to read over that long weekend at the lake. Or hear the suggestions of others. Call (509) 325-1500.
The reader board
•M. John Lubetkin (“Jay Cooke’s Gamble: The Northern Pacific Railroad, the Sioux and the Panic of 1873”), reading, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Auntie’s Bookstore, Main and Washington. Call (509) 838-0206.
•Virginia Carter (“Terry Toucan Finds His Colors”), 5-9 p.m. Friday, Tinman Gallery.