I value the use of precise, concise language for clear communication. However, I also recognise that the English language changes and evolves to meet the needs of its users. Thus, I can handle Americanisms like "protest" as a transitive verb or "obligate" when the user means "oblige".

What's giving me the irrits, though, is opening the paper every day this week and reading that the victims of paedophile priests want to meet with the "hierarchy" of the Catholic church to discuss an apology. What they mean is that they want to meet with the senior clergy. A hierarchy is a classification of structure, from the top to the bottom, and it's impossible to meet with it.

The "hier-" part of "hierarchy" is completely unrelated to the word "higher", and doesn't denote the senior or elite individuals of an organisation. "Hierarchy" means something very specific, and the language has no suitable replacement. Look after it.

That's all.

God knows what happened between writing and posting, but the title is "That's not what "hierarchy" means".

I hear your pain Sancho. For a long time I got annoyed when the wrong words were bandied about in the media and was even more annoyed by cliches (I saw 'Iguana-gate' coming from a mile away and winced when it arrived).

Now however, I just sigh and let it go. Regrettably, there will always be stupid or careless people in all professions.

(Though the next journalist who thinks they're clever by attaching 'gate' to some controversy needs a talking to).

There should be a support group for this kind of thing...

I'm concerned with the current 'Death By Hyperbole' attitude to all things media and marketing. Every problem is a 'crisis', and I long for something to be described as just 'good', rather than amazing.

There is no scope left for things that actually are amazing, or a crisis, or a real hero. So many words have lost all meaning.

I'll be back momentarily;-)

Its the quotation marks Sancho. They dont up on the thread heading.

Some of my pet-hate mispronunciations:

Paddick, philip ruddick, recignise, etc.

Estralya, Astraylia (Ostralya or Orstralia are ok mate!)