I dislike ampersands

Dan337 “& 2, Brute?”

Whoa, hey—lookout! . . . Ghaaah! A mob of angry senators [amperstampedes over Dan.] Sep 4, 2011

ruzuzu There's more discussion, &c., over on ampersand. Jun 12, 2011

ruzuzu Just replace the "and" in ampersand: ampers& cetera. Jun 10, 2011

blafferty I could get used to them if I trained myself to think "et" perhaps. Right now, "ampersand cetera" seems awkward. Jun 10, 2011

yarb I also approve this message, milos. Jun 10, 2011

reesetee Agreed on both counts, m. Well put. :-) Jun 10, 2011

milosrdenstvi I think it's very classy to be able to write a good-looking ampersand by hand, in one swift smooth motion, without stopping to try to remember which little pointy bit to start at, and which way to make the loop, and whether it goes the same direction as an 8 or the other way, and if the other way exactly how to do the other way, and getting fed to the gills with all the fuss in such a tidbit of a character and resorting to the vulgarity of a plus. I can't do it. Yet.

I also highly approve of the usage &c., which is incidentally living proof and reminder to the the likes of blafferty that the ampersand was created as a ligature for Latin et. Jun 10, 2011

reesetee *wishes anything were called smokos here* Jun 9, 2011

blafferty *wishes cigarette breaks were called smokos here* Jun 8, 2011

sionnach I know that bilbies can be a little annoying at times, but boiling them seems a little excessive.

*Wonders if the downunda version of "Fatal Attraction" was modified to have Glenn (Sheila) Close boil a bilby instead of a bunny. After all, bunnies are considered a nuisance down there, so boiling a bunny would be considered a public service*

"That Sheila's a bit wacko, eh Bruce?
Yeah, she's a right bilby-boiler, Bruce."

(Typical conversation overheard during a smoko)

Jun 8, 2011

bilby ...ampersand as he watched and waited till his billy boiled
who'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me? Jun 7, 2011

reesetee So that's what I like about ampersands. Thanks, sionnach--I hadn't made the connection before! Jun 7, 2011

sionnach I don't dislike ampersands, because they remind me of the treble clef sign, which I loved as a child.



"This is Mrs Treble, with her tightly folded skirt."



"This is Mr Bass, with two buttons on his shirt." Jun 7, 2011

reesetee Did you like that fuflun, dontcry? That was an exceptionally moist batch of ampersands. Jun 6, 2011

dontcry This thread is symbolic of why *beats self on chest* I should never, ever, go a day, *sniff* and certainly never a day & a half...without checking in on my wordies.
*scarfs down ampersand topped fuflun whilst swinging on porch* *stashes extra ampersands for later behind hydrangeas* Jun 6, 2011

blafferty I have difficulty not thinking "ampersand" instead of "and". The symbol doesn't seem to have anything to do with the word or the concept. Jun 6, 2011

ruzuzu I like the way Fowler uses them in Modern English Usage, &c. Jun 6, 2011

frogapplause It's short-cut symbols and words that I dislike. If it's part of title or business (Noodles & Co.) that's fine, but I dislike seeing it inserted in a sentence just for convenience sake.

A pampersand is a moist ampersand. Jun 6, 2011

reesetee I must confess: I do like ampersands. And pampersands, too. Jun 6, 2011

Wordplayer But I think ampersands are awesome, so I agree with asativum. However, it is kind of pointless to substitute a symbol for a three-letter word. Jun 6, 2011

reesetee Yes! Automatic fake ellipses. How hideous.

*tops fufluns with one ampersand each, except for a special ampersand-free one for frogapplause* Jun 5, 2011

asativum Oh, but ampersands can be so elegant in a good font. I can look at a well-formed ampersand for ages. They make me all tingly... And in calligraphy... *swoons*

What I hate are those ellipses characters that Microsoft Word inserts in place of the venerable three periods... Jun 5, 2011

pterodactyl Well, more ampersands for the rest of us, then!

*hands out ampersands to everyone but frogapplause* Jun 5, 2011

reesetee ...and...ellipses.... Jun 4, 2011

reesetee You know what else? I don't like? Question marks--don't you? Jun 4, 2011

frogapplause Yes, I dislike ampersands & I avoid using them at every opportunity. Jun 2, 2011