We are all guilty of using ’em. We just can’t tolerate a noun or verb standing alone, so we give it an adjective or adverb for company. That doesn’t make them harmfully wrong—just doubly redundant. Here are a few sparkling gems we recently uncovered not long ago.
capitol building
baby calf
circle around
slippery slime
hollow tube
illegal poaching
old adage
NFL football team
merge together
sandwiched between
reflect back
very unique
strangled to death
successful escape
3 a.m. in the morning
old fossil
fellow countrymen
old geezer
new beginning
illegal scam
awkward predicament
appreciated in value
disappear from view
total extinction
violent explosion
knots per hour
temporary reprieve
cluster together
hoist up
free of charge
recur again
enclosed herewith
excessive overharvesting
swivel around
new recruits
fellow colleagues
first priority
invited guest
completely satisfied
sink down
Where do they all go? About 200 million tires are discarded every year in the U.S.