Devastate = to lay waste to, to completely destroy, to overwhelm
Decimate = to reduce by exactly 10 percent
Feel free to share yours.
Now I do kinda agree with you, but also disagree, I could be wrong but I believe decimate was a method used by the romans when killing treasonous soldiers they killed 1 in 10 people to set an example.
It later came to mean killing a large portion of a population. which could also be devastating to those having it done to them,
Yes, that is one of the meanings. It also means a lack of knowledge about the topic area of discussion. One of the reasons there can be a lack of knowledge is because the person can't read.
Yes, that is one of the meanings. It also means a lack of knowledge about the topic area of discussion. One of the reasons there can be a lack of knowledge is because the person can't read.
That definition is ignorant, but yeah....... I know. Nobody axed me
They are "persons," but in my example above, the corporation is a single entity. It would make sense to say, "RIM and Apple are terrific! They make wonderful clever-phones." But it's not correct to use "they" when talking about one or the other. "He" doesn't work either.
One phrase that always bugs me is "similar but different." By definition, similar means they have minor differences.
Also, when people say "Can I...." when they mean "May I...." I coach softball, and I hear all the time "Can I go to the bathroom?" My answer has become "I don't know, can you?"
Can't tolerate "Well, then we will have to agree to disagree." The only thing I am agreeing to is you haven't listened closely enough to the facts I am presenting to you. If you choose to disagree, it is without my agreement.
I don't particularly like "same difference." And "agree to disagree" is ridiculous. Another one I think is a bit corny is "Let's see if we can't [insert some action here e.g. 'get this done']."