•October 12, 2022•
By Jim Baumann
NP Guest Writer

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.”     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.