I just visited John Langdon's website, of ambigrams fame, since I had seen them mentioned in a few posts here and there on the Board. While I thoroughly enjoy the notion of ambigrams, and admire the work that John has done, I have one, pernickety, pedantic, nit-picking niggle. On the 'philosophy' page, yin and yang are, more than once, referred to as 'complimentary'.

I have spent years correcting letters and booklets in which the word complimentary is used when complementary was meant. Having seen this on John's site as well, I have to ask myself (or any here who might have the answer): has this imprecision proceeded so far as to now be an acceptable part of English, and not one that we should be fighting about any more? Is it no longer a grammatical solecism to talk of two partners complimenting each other, even though they weren't praising each other?

cheer

the sunshine warrior

I'm with you on this one, shanks, and so is the Usage Panel for the fourth edition of the American Heritage dictionary (2000):


Complement and compliment, though quite distinct in meaning, are sometimes confused because they are pronounced the same. As a noun, complement means “something that completes or brings to perfection” (The antique silver was a complement to the beautifully set table); used as a verb it means “to serve as a complement to.” The noun compliment means “an expression or act of courtesy or praise” (They gave us a compliment on our beautifully set table), while the verb means “to pay a compliment to.”
 
 

Goody. I am not alone!

In addition, complimentary is often used to refer to something that is free (gratis?). I wonder where that usage came from.

cheer

the sunshine warrior

Is it no longer a grammatical solecism to talk of two partners complimenting each other, even though they weren't praising each other?

I sincerely hope that it is still a solecism.

I also wish that people would sort out the difference between "lose" and "loose." It happens frequently that I receive letters, messages and essays where the writers "loose" their way.

Agree about 'loose' and 'lose'. Do you have any other favourite gripes? I'll try to think of mine and list them.

cheer

the sunshine warrior

"Free gift with the compliments of the management"

(As a complementary activity to the close of a deal?)

Goody. I am not alone!

Most definitely not! When reading your post, I remembered an "amnemonic" I used as a child to help me keep "complement" and "compliment" separate in my mind. A "comple-ment" can make something or someone "comple-te" As awful as that is, it worked for me! I won't even start on the whole "loose/lose" thing - hair-pulling is no fun! Then there is the wildly erratic and yet profligate use of the apostrophe, "you're/your" being particularly noxious. Still, when it comes to declining syandards of literacy, I guess that it's just a case of Kay Sara Sara, whoever she is.

declining syandards of literacy

Thought I'd got the copyright on spilling, Max

In reply to:

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Is it no longer a grammatical solecism to talk of two partners complimenting each other, even though they weren't praising each other?

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It never was a grammatical solecism. An error in choice of words, definitely, but there's nothing grammatically wrong.

Bingley

>An error in choice of words, definitely, but there's nothing grammatically wrong.

semantics, as opposed to syntax...

I'm with Max on all his pet peeves.

The other one that drives me mad is the apparent influence of Dan Quayle on spelling in Australia.
How long do you think it will be before tomatoe and potatoe become the norms?

Max - I use exactly the same way of remembering "complement": If both you and I do it, it must be right.

! I won't even start on the whole "loose/lose" thing - hair-pulling is no fun!

I try to help my students by telling them, "If the os are loose, you might lose one."

It doesn't always work - one replied to me, "If my 'ose is loose, it falls dahn to me ankles."
I suppose he could have said that he'd get wet.