or over several PBRs

"Your handlebars are wrapped in tape made of synthetic cork. Please note that the purpose of this tape is to protect your bars during shipping. This tape should be removed immediately."

Improper use of the adjective "concerted", or so it seems.

Noted.

Thanks for the additional insight. (Really)

I started inviting people to lunch on the internet about 10 years ago.

I mean it sincerely, even though I write it for effect.

The effect?

Something about even thinking about sitting across the table from someone and talking while we eat seems to calm me down, and it seems to have the same effect on other people.

I've actually had one person come here to Bend to have lunch with me.
It went well.

As for appreciating the writing, after I learned what I needed to know about fixed gear bikes, I continued to come here for the writing.

For some reason this sub forum attracts an uncommonly high percentage of people with talent in the fine arts, and some of them write quite well.

I continue to come here for pictures of cats with funny captions.

I would like to formally congratulate the entire internet for unexpectedly taking itself much to seriously.


...again


I hope both Ken Cox and NYCBikeSnob will be able to make it to the award ceremony

?

Perhaps not funny as such, but...relevant, no?

Observe:

It's correct, according to the OED. Only problem with this usage is the tautological 'very,' adverbially modifying 'concerted,' but that's probably a deliberate choice, and is consistent with his hyperbolic style.


I'd say that BSNYC's writing is some of the best on the Intertubes; few people are so consistently acerbic, witty and observant. Of course, he's only been around for a couple of months; I'm curious to see how long he can maintain the quality. I'd say that one of his greatest virtues is that he isn't malicious or mean, and often mocks his own riding abilities (he's made several comments concerning his lack of aptitude in races). I think that most of the rancor he's earned is due to many of his shots landing rather close to their marks. Reading his site is a refreshing antidote to all the d***-waving that goes on in the forums, and I think that people who believe he's 'serious' aren't getting the message...they should try crushing some tinfoil on their antennas, maybe they'll get a clearer signal.

Yep!!!

If the OED thinks that it's possible for one person to make a concerted effort on his own, the OED has veered waaaaaay too far toward "descriptive" dictionarifying (that's a real word, because I just typed it on the Internet).

I've noticed that the Bike Snob gets a lot of things wrong. Factually wrong, I mean. What separates him from the Dutrets of the world is that when his errors are pointed out to him, he usually admits to them.

I'd like to thank Mr. Cox of implying that I wrote the beloved BikeSnobNYC blog. I'd love to sit down with you over a nice lunch, but after much thought, I think you may get upset (think Hulk) and rip out my throat or something. I am scared. Its much safer on the internets, please pass the salt, just a grain will do.

All dictionaries are descriptive by design. Lexicographers document usage, and generally try not to arbitrate it-- the recent 'McJob' controversy illustrates this point well. Dictionaries are a convenient resource for describing broad linguistic trends, and generally take inclusions into their catalogs only when words become distributed beyond their original subcultures. The use of 'concerted effort' to denote focused, strenuous action is pretty well established, especially in American dialect.

Who knows-- if NPR and the NYT keep running articles on 'fixed-gear culture,' the phrases 'fixie' and 'track stand' might even make it in.

Excellent topic!

I've noticed something interesting. The New Yorker has replaced "ensure" with "insure" implying the exact same meaning.

For example: I paid the cabbie twice the usual fare to insure I'd get to Hoboken on time.

I never thought I'd see the day... very cheeky.

i can tell you where the worst place on the internet is

The New Yorker site?

Yeah, it seems like a grammatical concession to to me, too.

'Very cheeky' indeed. Nicely played.

hipsters

LEFT SIDE DRIVE! LEFT SIDE DRIVE! (also very well played)

wow. a debate here about word meanings?

my 2 cents. bikesnob is doing fine here. this is one of those cases where something is often used with a certain meaning, but when one thinks about it a bit it is not clear why it does. but still, the fact is, this meaning is available ...

C'mon Ken, we are all striving for superiority in one way or the other, whether it derives from making fun of people, or being the "King of the hipsters".

You could just as easily say that all dictionaries are prescriptive by design. In fact, they're both, but some lean more towards description and others more towards prescription. Defining concerted as something done by one person is, in my totally not humble opinion, leaning too far towards simple description. Yes, of course language changes over time, but letting the ignorant (e.g., people who don't know what it means to do something in concert) determine the nature of the change is just silly. Why bother having a dictionary in the first place? Just publish a piece of paper the size of a Post-It note with this advice: "Want to know what a word means? Just ask a couple of people at random. Whatever they say, that's what it means."

I'm riding my fixed gear bicycle as I type this.

They've done this more than once? If not, I'll bet some copy editor was asleep at the switch. Otherwise...there goes another useful distinction out the window.

It also appears to be a brakeless bike with a derailleur