Crimes of Illiteracy

Repetitive redundancies

au jus

It took a sign at a lunch buffet at the Mirage and an elegant dinner at Lawry’s (both during a Las Vegas trip) for me to realize how many people misuse this term to mean “gravy.” “Au jus” means “with gravy” (or, more accurately, “with juice”) and is used as a descriptive phrase - it cannot stand on its own as a noun. Saying “with au jus” is redundant; saying “Please pass the au jus” is akin to saying “Would you give me the with butter?”

evolve over time

How else can something evolve?

i.e. with etc.

“I.e.” means “that is.” “E.g.” means “for example.” Thus, in text such as “States in New England (i.e., Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, etc.),” both abbreviations can be replaced with one convenient “e.g.”

more and more

I’ve seen plenty of job descriptions that ask for “2+ or more years of experience.” Is that, like, a lot more than two?

previous experience

What other kind of experience is there?