•August 25 2021•
By Jim Baumann
NP Guest Writer

Constant reader Stan Zegel wants to know whether there are what he characterized as “stuttering verbs” in the language other than “pre-prepared.”
Putting it more genteelly, are there verbs for which the prefix is repeated in the root of the verb?
Well, Stan, if you can waltz and tango, surely you can cancan. Am I right?
I can barely waltz without scuffing my wife’s shoes beyond repair, so perhaps this is a bad analogy.
Beyond that, Stan, you’ve stumped me.
I would argue that you’ve wasted a syllable with “pre-prepared.” Even Boy Scouts, whose motto has been “Be Prepared” since 1908, don’t pre-prepare.
The electric-yellow stuff in the squeeze bottle you put on your hot dog is prepared mustard. If it’s pre-prepared, does someone squeeze it onto your dog for you?     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.