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Carpal Tunnel
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Have I missed something? Recently, I have seen and heard the phrase "two times" used an awful lot. My grandparents, prescriptive pair that they were, repeatedly told me, "it's twice, not two times", and that doesn't even touch on how poor Lionel Ritchie would have been hurt if he hadn't used "twice". Is this another example of the inexorable tide of change washing away the rules held dear by this old-at-heart thirty-three year old? 
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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Well, Max; there is precedent for the use of Two Times - we certainly didn't learn the "Twice Table" at school!
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Carpal Tunnel
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RhubarbCommando pointed out Well, Max; there is precedent for the use of Two Times - we certainly didn't learn the "Twice Table" at school!Indeed. I was taught, both informally and formally, that the usage you cite was the only correct one. So, for example, one does something twice, one does not do it two times, even if one does it while reciting one's two times table! 
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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I tried two-timing, but was caught out. So I only did it once.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Agree with you, Max, but I wouldn't be caught dead using "thrice."
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Lionel Ritchie would have been hurt if he hadn't used "twice". Oh, Max, I love that song! Did you know he wrote it for his mother? I'll bet she felt so honored--I would swoon if anyone wrote or even sang something that beautiful to me. I'm still swooning over lusy's dedication. He has my heart forever.[heaving soulful sighs emoticon] I have not heard there is a rule against saying two times. Nobody got on me for saying it--all two times I said it. 
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Carpal Tunnel
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AnnaS said I wouldn't be caught dead using "thrice."Nor would I, except for those occasions when I feeel like putting on my pretentious git persona. I find words like thrice, and heavy use of the passive voice, are very effective when writing formal complaints - my verbose style has achieved excellent results in that activity to date.
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old hand
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old hand
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AnnaS said I wouldn't be caught dead using "thrice.":
'You're once, twice, thrice a lady' certainly wouldn't have had the same ring to it.
I often hear people say 'They have two twins' too, meaning they have twins. It's all too much
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Carpal Tunnel
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addict
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addict
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AnnaS said I wouldn't be caught dead using "thrice."
On a note essentially completely unrelated, except for a word that rhymes with the word Anna would not use even as a representative of the living dead, do we all agree that the singular form of "rice" is a rouse?
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