Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Unique

Just a point of grammar that's been driving me crazy.  The word is "unique."  This word is very much like the word "dead."
Let me fill you in.  Something or someone is either unique or not unique.  There is no kind of unique or very unique, etc. I'm reminded of Miracle Max in the movie, "The Princess Bride," who said something along the lines of--this man isn't dead--he's only mostly dead!
You're either dead or alive.  There are no degrees of dead.
Unique is very much the same.  The very meaning of unique is one of a kind.  So unique simply doesn't exist.  It's either unique or it's not.
To say that something is very unique would be to describe a woman as a little bit pregnant.  It simply doesn't work.  I'm sure that Vizzini would agree--such misuse is inconceivable!!!