Oh, the irony of it all. right after I learn I called the Bible book of Revelation as "Revelations", I have the nerve to gripe about a Dodge TruckTV ad. Perhaps you have seen it. It starts with hot glowing metal being hammered. Then we hear something like "testing our metal". I guess while I meddle in this, I can note they should not get a medal for that ad unless they were knowingly intent on "punning"
Usually, people are saying, "Testing his or our mettle". Current markets may test Chrysler's mettle, but their condition or disposition is not their "metal".
Then I remember that for years I thought unconditional acceptance of something was "taking it for granite". The late Professor John Dunn at SDSM&T taught freshman English Composition or some such. He had a mighty red pencil swung with great vigor and often sarcasm. He quickly made me aware that the correct expression was "taking it for granted". It seemed to make sense both ways to me, but I was not champing at the bit to stir that pot.since he had also noted on one of my wordy compositions that I should "shit or get off the pot." (Dunn did give me an "A" in the course. In fact it was the only "A" given to anybody in the 300 or so incoming freshmen in that course that semester. In his first year at SDSM&T, Dunn hadn't gotten the word from the other "liberal arts" professors that no science or engineering student was capable of getting or deserving an A in a composition class).
*** Stay tuned even if you never make it all the way through these prolix posts---Doug Wiken
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