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'Between...and' not 'Between...to'

John Luke, a freelance writer and editor in Sierra Madre, Calif., sent this complaint:

"For years, I've been grinding my teeth when radio journalists say things like 'between seventy to eighty people were seen sliding down the rope.' I want to respond by telling them they're putting me between a rock to a hard place. You don't see this in print much, but it's all over radio news, even on the high-quality stations."

Mr. Luke is right, of course; "between" takes "and," not "to," and the people who make him grind his teeth belong where they've been putting him.

Addendum, 5/25/99

It happens in print, too; from a newspaper front page: "...stole design information about America's most advanced warhead, the W-88, between 1984 to 1988."

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July / August 08

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