Issue 136, page 3

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Bruce Yanoshek (about to become more than a guestmudgeon!) has a regime to complain about

I wish people would not use words they don't know. Another phenomenon (there's a word, along with criterion, that too many people don't know) that I have observed recently is illustrated by this quote from an article in the fitness section of my newspaper today. "Chris Akard... recommends fitness waters over sports drinks for the average person's fitness regime".  I think that in the past year I have heard regime used for regimen as much as half the time.  STOP IT!

We know what you mean, though we must point out that the OED has, as its first definition of regime, the word regimen with the meaning "the regulation of such matters as have an influence on the preservation or restoration of health; a particular course of diet, exercise, or mode of living, prescribed or adopted for this end; a course of treatment employed for the cure of a wound."  So at least the OED, the supreme English resource, believes the words to be interchangeable in that sense.  However, we suspect, as you do, that many people don't realize this and are, in fact, confusing regime "government" with regimen "course of diet, exercise", etc.

Is there something you read or hear that sends you up the wall?

Do tell us. 

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