Long-time readers (hi, almost nobody) will remember my last complaints about comma splices and weird stuff in the New Yorker.
Per dictionary.com, the verb "grow" has been used since medieval times as an intransitive verb, as in "Our business has been growing steadily for 10 years." It has been used as a transitive verb since the 18th century, meaning "to produce or cultivate," as in "We grow corn in our garden." But the [stupid, annoying —ed.] transitive use applied to business and nonliving things is quite new. It came into full bloom [haw haw —ed.] during the 1992 presidential election, when nearly all the candidates were concerned with "growing the economy."
Figures politicians would be the ones to blame.
What the hell is wrong with increase or improve or develop or mature or multiply or spread or thrive or any number of other words, dummies?
If you'd like to read about a whole bunch of other stuff you do wrong, enjoy this seemingly exhaustive (except, oddly, for the "grow" thing) list.
Posted by Charles on June 5, 2007 02:35 PM