continuity of parks

In the phrase "for your edification" (= for your moral or intellectual instruction), the word "edification" is sometimes misused to mean "enjoyment" or the like -- e.g.:

• "Dennis has come to the Tishomingo Lodge and Casino to perform daredevil dives for the edification [read 'thrill'] of the casino guests." Elmore Leonard, "The Best Kind of 'Blues,'" Rocky Mountain News (Denver), 15 Feb. 2002, at D28. [**we at c of p are not buying this as a usage error; see editor's note below]

• "Everyone says vaguely snotty things about each other and hidden cameras record, for our edification [read 'titillation'], sundry couples' first kisses." David Kronke, "Time to Break the Ice," Daily News of L.A., 2 June 2002, U §, at 10.

• "Quinn and his best friend Creedy (Gerard Butler) reenact the climactic light-saber battle between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader for the edification [read 'enjoyment'] of the local children." Jeff Salamon, "The Missing Element in 'Reign,'" Austin Am.-Statesman, 12 July 2002, at E3.

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Quotation of the Day: "Speakers may be divided into three groups: the Assured, the Anxious and the Indifferent. It is the members of the second group, the Anxious, who are prone to commit the most grievous offences against elementary syntactic function in their excessive solicitude for correctness, whereas the Indifferent are more liable to indulge in condonable misdemeanours." Simeon Potter, Modern Linguistics 165 (1957; repr. 1964).

**On this occasion we find ourselves disagreeing with Mr. Garner. For our money the word edification is here employed by Mr. Leonard in a manner that is fittingly and delightfully tongue-in-cheek. We are surprised at this rare lapse in Mr. Garner's sense of humor. Luckily, it doesn't happen often.