One of my biggest gut-grinders with word usage is the response of "same to you" when extended a holiday greeting.

For example, I say to someone, "Merry Christmas." He or she responds, "Same to you."

What I hear is: Oh yeah, here's to you, buddy. Or Your momma wears combat boots. Or suck an egg. To me, it's so crass, so unmeaningful on a joyous occasion.

How difficult is it to use a few more words to respond? Such as: "And Merry Christmas to you also!"

It only takes a second for the brain to compound a pleasant response with an extra word or three

By the way since it is soon upon us: "Have a Happy Easter."

-- BARRY A. BRYCE, Elizabeth Township

Two commonly misused or mispronounced words that upset me are prostate and prostrate.

How often do you hear even in newscasts things such as he has recently had "prostrate surgery" or have you had your "prostrate" checked lately? A prostate is a gland that causes many problems for the male species, while prostrate means to be lying down.

If I hear these words uttered in this manner one more time, I will not take it lying down.

-- BILL SCHWARTZ, Scott

One of the most egregious errors in word usage that grates on my verbal sensibilities is the use of the phrase "I could care less" instead of the obviously more appropriate "I couldn't care less."

The use of "could" instead of "couldn't" totally negates the whole point the speaker is trying to make. If you "could" care less, then why don't you? Obviously you're nowhere near the low point of interest that you are trying to convey.

So just how much do you care? Just how great of a lack of interest do you have in you?

"Couldn't," on the other hand, confirms that you have already reached the lowest depth of disinterest and cannot be bothered to expend any more time or energy on the issue. Thus the matter at hand is of no importance whatsoever to you. Case closed.

I hear this flagrant misuse everywhere from informal conversations to pronouncements by politicians and on air dialogues by media personalities. It even shows up in scripts for movies and TV shows. The fact that it is being misused at the time one is trying to be especially emphatic makes the error all the more blatant. And makes the speaker seem all the more illogical if not stupid.

So if you "could" care less, please do so. But don't tell us about it.

-- JOHN CUNNINGHAM, Dormont