Help me, flist

[justalurkr]

I might be losing my mind. For my entire life, I've made do with one phrase for optimizing one's circumstances and that would be (looks back at sentence) yes! "making do."

It wasn't until I moved to Atlanta that I first witnessed an otherwise articulate individual "make due." Then, scores of fanfic characters got their "making due" on.

I know there are librarians and other pedants like me out there. As www.urbandictionary.com has let me down and shaken my faith in (and patience with) the internet, I look to you.

Before my brain makes a doo brick, is it "make do" or "make due?"

edited to add: apparently, pedants of the internet feel strongly enough about this issue that whole webpages devoted to it float effortlessly to the top of a google search, and SURVEY SEZ:
MAKE DO

Comments

[vamysteryfan.livejournal.com]

It is TOTALLY "Make do." I heap scorn and contumely upon that other locution

[justalurkr.livejournal.com]

YOU GAVE ME BACK A WORD! Contumely is of course one of the many words I needed to get into college and out of both upper and lower division composition requirements, but I had totally forgotten it.

If I were the glomping type instead of the vaguely alarmed WASP stereotype, you would be thoroughly GLOMPED.

[vamysteryfan.livejournal.com]

I just love words like contumely. It *sounds* like scorn.

And if glomping were not so impossible, I would glomp both you and the commenter downstream who recc'ed fandom_grammar. An excellent community

[nialla]

Seconding "make do." It's an idiom meaning "work with what you have."

"Due" doesn't fit that meaning, but it's been misused so much it skews search results.

[justalurkr.livejournal.com]

One of the sites that popped in the search featured someone saying they'd seen it used that way in the Wall Street Journal. I was appalled.

[justalurkr.livejournal.com]

And I so wish I were kidding about the WSJ misuse (http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2009/04/due-process.html).

[nialla]

All publications have cut back on editing and proofing (i.e. fired people) and rely on spell check, so if it's a word, it will probably be missed and misused.

[nialla]

Also of potential interest to you, fandom_grammar.

[justalurkr.livejournal.com]

And again, were I the glomping kind, you'd be glomped in gratitude.

So, instead you get a WASP-y "thank you so kindly." :D

[nialla]

I just found it recently, and it's had some interesting bits so far.

You could go Canadian with "Thank you kindly." ;)

[superbadgirl]

Does "make due" even make sense? For the life of me, I can only imagine that being appropriate in a very limited setting.

Also, for some reason when I click to read comments here, everything goes ENORMOUS. I had to minimize the view setting like five times. Weird.

[justalurkr.livejournal.com]

Well, when I was in (fake smile) Customer Financial Services (/fake smile) or the telephone version of Guido the kneebreaker for a couple of years in my misspent youth, I dearly wanted a button that would advance a billing cycle to the point where I could line up my frequent non-payers and cut them all off at once.

Does that count as "making due" ?

[khek.livejournal.com]

Just adding to the "making do" chorus. Because you're working with what you've got, so "do" implies working with something, where "due" would be some kind of deadline. Right?

I can't see 'making due' working at all, unless you're trying to induce labor?

[justalurkr.livejournal.com]

(see above) I went to more of an unpaid bill place, but I think the principle is the same. :D

[lunachickk.livejournal.com]

Wait, so it's not "Make doo"?

Well that's a relief!


*snerk*

[justalurkr.livejournal.com]

Nah -- our brains make doo when we witness abuse.

Still, I await the day someone slips that into the WSJ.

[captain-tiv.livejournal.com]

Fellow Georgian here.

I can say without a doubt and without any hesitation it's "make do."

I've never heard anyone say "make due" or writing the words "make due."

When I bought my house, I got a lot of "make do" items -- basically, inexpensive items that I can make do with until I could afford the really good stuff. Making do is basically improvising with whatever you've got. You make do with what you got -- and that's a phrase that's said a lot here in Georgia. :)

[justalurkr.livejournal.com]

One of my favorite scenes in the BBC Sherlock is from the opener when Sherlock "deduces" John from his stance, phone, etc, then says "that's enough to be going on with, don't you think?" We should introduce that into Ameri-speak; it's hard to mistake anything in there like do/due/doodoo, unless someone pulls out enuff.

If you're anywhere near Atlanta, go outside. I think we're between frozen air and liquid air for the last time before real summer descends. It was wonderfully brisk out there, like spring should be!

[captain-tiv.livejournal.com]

I know! Isn't that coolness great? It'll only last for another day or two and then KABOOM! We're heading back into the 80's.

This is going to be a miserably hot, muggy summer, and I hate the hot muggies.

I wish it'd stay like today for the entire summer. I wouldn't complain, and my light bill would go down drastically since I wouldn't have to use the air conditioner. :)