Grammar Moses: A column, the likes of which you'll never read

Sometimes, I can answer a reader's letter with a simple "yes" or "no." But what fun would that be?

"Mr. Baumann, can anything be done to stop writers from using the phrase 'the likes of'?" wrote David Smith.

The simple answer is "no."

But I can make anyone who reads this column think about it, at least.

"Everyone seems to be using it now in constructions such as 'The Golden Age of Hollywood boasted stars the likes of Errol Flynn and Bette Davis,'" David added. "It's almost always used incorrectly, because it means 'similar to.' It is a comparative, isn't it? 'The Golden Age of Hollywood boasted stars similar to Errol Flynn and Bette Davis.' Wrong. So wrong."

David, you can blame Donald Trump for the proliferation of "the likes of which."

In 2017, he threatened North Korea's Kim Jong Un with "fire and fury the likes of which the world has never seen" should Kim threaten the U.S. again.

In 2019, he said, "Without tariffs, we would be absolutely, outside of something that I won't even mention, we would be absolutely in a competitive disadvantage, the likes of which you've never seen."

In 2020, he said, "This election is a choice between a Trump super-recovery and ... a Biden Depression. You will have a depression the likes of which we have never seen outside, perhaps, 1929."

And in 2022, discussing the likely result of his potential indictment over the handling of classified documents, he said the nation would face "problems ... the likes of which perhaps we've never seen."

And these were just instances I remember him saying that.

David makes a good point. I agree that "the likes of which" is often used improperly. Yes, it does mean people "like" Errol Flynn and Bette Davis - but not them.

There is a similar issue with "like" as a comparative word on its own.

My friend Dann Gire, the forever film critic of the Daily Herald, would rap knuckles when someone would say, "This car has all of the bells and whistles, like air conditioning and power steering."

Dann would tell you that car has neither air conditioning nor power steering.

If the car had something LIKE power steering, it might come with a burly chauffeur or a nookie knob. (Look it up, kids.) If it had something LIKE air conditioning, it might have a wing window so you could direct the hot outside air into your face.

Now think of the word "between." It has the opposite problem.

I once wrote about hapless (and now former) Bears kicker Cody Parkey, who banged four kicks against the uprights in one game. The goal is to kick the ball "between" the uprights, so you get zero points for hitting an upright and bouncing the ball back into the end zone.

The problem with all of these examples is inclusivity. You want to include Flynn and Davis, but you don't want to include the uprights.

Best to solve Flynn and Davis and the car options problem with "such as" or "including" and the "between" issue with "from this to that." Of course, I be will roundly criticized as being pedantic here.

Sorry, David, but those critics also have a point. Through generations of misuse, those examples are now well understood as what the speaker or writer intended.

And clarity is everything with me.

But that doesn't mean you shouldn't stop fighting the good fight.

Write carefully!

• Jim Baumann is vice president/executive editor of the Daily Herald. You can buy Jim's book, "Grammar Moses: A humorous guide to grammar and usage," at grammarmosesthebook.com. Write him at jbaumann@dailyherald.com and put "Grammar Moses" in the subject line. You also can friend or follow Jim at facebook.com/baumannjim.