Saturday, April 1, 2017

Mary Worth 2552

This is either or horrible pick-up line, or another example of Robo-tron2000™ automated dialog output.

I just have trouble with people using the noun cruise as a verb. Do people really talk like that? I've only heard people say, "We're going on a cruise." Not, "We're going cruising," unless they're going to be driving back and forth on McHenry Avenue listening to Wolfman Jack on AM radio.

14 comments:

Delilah said...

Mary is channeling Heloise. Anyone remember her? As I recall, she had a column that appeared in the Sunday paper, "Helpful Household Hints from Heloise." She was a champion of the many uses of nylon netting. Guess most people would say, "Huh?" I'm showing my age.

Yahoonski said...

Delilah: Heloise is still going strong and has her own website!

Wanders: I have a problem with people using "read" as a noun, as in "Mary Worth is a good read."

MissScarlet said...

Actually, the current "Heloise" is the original's niece. She mentions that quite often. The column is in my paper on Friday and also focuses on animals and SPCA issues. (Yes, I still have a newspaper delivered and yes, I am old).

Downpuppy said...

If you were really old, you'd remember cruising from a 1980 where "Al Pacino is Cruising for a Killer" by trying to pick him up for...

Never mind.

Nance said...

Honestly, the only time I hear "cruise" as a verb is in a very Not Family Friendly way.

Today's Boldface Haiku is titled "Proper Nouns".

Often?
Helpful Hints.
Derek, Katie.
Mary, Toby.

Sandi Ego said...

My most memorable cruise dinner was on Silversea with my husband, John. We sat with a delightful British group and one introduced himself as Alistair. My goofball husband then said, "Hi, I'm Johnistair!" They loved it, thank goodness.
And no to cruise as a verb. Just no.

Sandi Ego said...

Julie McCoy, Heloise, Wolfman Jack... oh, the nostalgia. Hoping the headline entertainment on board is KC and the Sunshine Band or the Bay City Rollers.

Anonymous said...


Helpful hints. Helpful hints. Helpful hints. Yeah, we get it already.

Sheesh.

-- S. McW.

Shmoopie said...

I'm so glad you cleared up the cruise-as-a-verb situation. English is not technically my first language, even though I've now lived and worked and played in the US for more than 30 years and think I have a solid grip on the language - both in formal and colloquial ways. But every now and again some phrase or concept comes along that just sounds off to my ear and I get a wee bit insecure. That's what happened when "have you cruised before" came along a few days ago. It's probably just proof that KM's first language is not English, but rather Martian or some other extraterrestrial language.

Anonymous said...


Schmoopie,

Helpful hint: "gift" is not a verb either.

-- S. McW.

Regina the NY Diva said...

Delilah, I remember Heloise. I read her as a kid in the NY Daily News and yes, I AM OLD.

I am glad I am not the only one that thinks using cruise as a verb is weird. Every time KM uses it in this context, I go eeeewwww in my head. I know, keep my mind out of the gutter, but KM and her weird juxpositions keep putting it there.

Dawn Weston's Evil Twin said...

"Helpful Hint #2: Mary knows best ... ALWAYS!"

Oh, Derek, how naive you are! Please don't question Mary's meddling competence! It doesn't matter whether she's ever been on a cruise before or not. ... She just knows better than everyone else. That's simply how it is! (You have a lot to learn ...)

Anonymous said...

This exciting discussion about the word "cruise," which has always been a legitimate verb, makes me think we may need some helpful hints in understanding grammar.

Wanders said...

I mean as it relates to taking a cruise. But you are right. It is probably why we call a cruise a cruise. Perhaps we have come full circle.