SIR: Everybody knows what having too many irons in the fire means, but did the original expression refer to a blacksmith's irons, as I believe, or to a housewife's sad irons, as my wife believes? - John S.
ANSWER: You win. If the blacksmith has many irons in the fire, he can keep his work moving along without wasting time, but if he has too many, he's inefficient. Anyhow, sad irons are placed on or over the fire, not in it.And, by the way, the sad iron isn't called that because of its doleful demeanor or because of how it makes you feel. The "sad" means heavy, and that's accurate; sad irons are heavy. Of course there are few of them left these days since they don't squirt steam or do any of those other cute things modern irons do.
SIR: I'm confused about the use of "everyday" and "every day." I see advertisements stating, "We have the lowest prices everyday." Shouldn't they read, "We have the lowest prices every day"? - V. M.
ANSWER: Yes, they should. "Everyday" means not only daily but also commonplace or usual or ordinary. It's even conceivable that your advertiser has prices every day that are lower than everyday prices. Besides, "everyday" is an adjective and needs a word to modify. Unfortunately, there's been such an epidemic of running words together that distinctions like this don't matter much these days. Too bad.
SIR: In the television series on Elvis, set in the 1950s, a tailor tells young Presley, "Dress for success!" That's an injunction of recent vintage. Another character tells the singer not to quit his day job - a gag that's also of recent origin. What do you think of such anachronisms? - Suzy W.
ANSWER: I don't like 'em, but some writers may use them deliberately in hopes of making their work seem more real. And who knows, maybe they're right.
NIFTY NITPICK of the week, from P.M.:
"A coffee advertisement on television has someone saying, `Oh, you're going to make me breakfast in bed!' Wouldn't the kitchen have been more convenient?"
Send questions, comments, and good and bad examples to Lydel Sims, Watch Your Language, P.O. Box 161280, Memphis, TN 38186. If you quote a book, please give author, title and page number. Sorry, but questions can be answered only through this column.