A redefining moment for the media.

Byline: Sid McKeen

COLUMN: WRY & GINGER

Before newspapers go out of business altogether, let's focus on some words that are constantly misused in the nation's press - from A to Z.

ANXIOUS: "Clark said that with all the talent on this year's squad, he's anxious to see the season start." Just the opposite. He's eager, not apprehensive.

BAITED: "He said he'd been waiting with baited breath." Something fishy here. The word is "bated." It comes from "abate," meaning lessen.

COLLISION: "The driver was hurt in a collision with a guardrail." Not quite. A collision requires that both objects be in motion.

DIAGNOSE: "She was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease." A condition is diagnosed, not a person.

ENORMITY: "Considering the enormity of the job..." Enormity doesn't mean big in size. It means monstrously evil, such as a heinous crime.

FLEW: "Pedroia flew out to left field." Not unless he took a plane out there, he didn't. He's still out, but he flied out.

HEALTHY: "I was told to keep a healthy diet." Diets aren`t healthy or sick, but a good one is "healthful."

KUDOS: "Kudos go to the organizers." That suggests there's such a thing as a "kudo." The Greek word for glory or praise is "kudos," a singular noun.

LECTERN: "Pounding the podium, the speaker..." The podium is what he stood on. That small slanted desk holding his notes is a lectern.

MISHAP: "Man Killed in Truck Mishap." If somebody died, it was no mishap, which is only a minor misfortune. Try explaining that to his widow.

NAUSEOUS: "With her medication, she's no longer nauseous." You're nauseous if you turn other people's stomachs. If

your's is upset, you're nauseated.

ODOR: "Police said there was a foul aroma coming from the gravel pit." An aroma smells good, not bad. "Odor," like "smell," is generic.

PRONE: "I was lying back prone on the couch." Careful there, buster. Prone is face down, you could suffocate. You were doubtless supine.

RAZE: "The old firehouse was partially razed in 1997." A razing is complete destruction. So a partial one is a kissing cousin of a slight pregnancy.

SKIM: On his 60th birthday, a columnist (me) wrote that he just scans the other pages but reads all the obits. A reader correctly pointed out that I skim the other pages, not scan them (or read them carefully).

THUSLY: You see it all the time, a barbarous version of the word "thus," which is already an adverb. Same thing with "muchly" and "overly."

UNIQUE: "Critics said she had one of the most unique voices of her day." If a thing is unique, it can't be modified by degree. That's what makes it unique.

VERDICT: "Justice Hofstadter handed down a verdict of guilty." That's impossible. A verdict is given by a jury, not a judge.

WHEREFORE: It just means why. So when Juliet inquired, "Romeo, o Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" the guy never answered. How was he supposed to know?

ZOOM: "Twelve large hawks in nests atop city skyscrapers are zooming down to snatch pigeons." To "zoom" is to go up; it's swooping that's down.

Long live the press. Long live the language.

Reach Sid McKeen at [e-mail].