Comments on: This Makes Me Sick

By: the great reveal

the great reveal — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 14:51:32 +0000

what seems to have been forgotten is that birds regard 1:15 pm (13:15) as international “Worm Time”, “WT”, or “Wime”. i feel you should be ashamed that you discredited the adage because it is obviously not disproved, but clearly reinforced. the bird is a total dick though.

By: lolcat

lolcat — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 22:35:41 +0000

I am obligated to tell everyone, in accordance with Megan’s Law…

By: You're an idiot

You're an idiot — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:05:34 +0000

Obligated is a word. Deal with it.

And brush your godsdamned teeth.

By: Wes

Wes — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:46:34 +0000

In that case you’ll love the theme of our next comic, “Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages.”

By: GrammarNazi

GrammarNazi — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:00:29 +0000

Obligatory is a word; obliged is a word. It would appear obligated is an adjective in biology meaning “Able to exist or survive only in a particular environment or by assuming a particular role”. Obligate as a verb (To obligate him) is a backformation from obligatory, originally by poorly educated people who didn’t realise it was related to ‘obliged’–then it filtered into everyday American speech. The OED records its first usage in 1533, and it’s notable that it’s use mainly by a) people who spelled wackily all the time anyway and lived hundreds of years ago and b) Americans.

I maintain that since the language’s name (English) comes from England, and not America, our version of it is the default, the least adulterated, and the most superior. Central–>Centre, not Centeral–>centre. And so on.

But that’s just me being an imperialist snob.