Reddit reviews Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare

It's a line from The IT Crowd based on a common misinterpretation of the phrase. Apparently it's a book title too!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Damp-Squid-English-Language-Laid/dp/019957409X

This language and grammar are subjects which I find endlessly fascinating. As a child, I was endlessly pestered by my pedantic relatives. As an adult, I discovered that English, and all other languages, evolve naturally over time. Attempting to stamp one particular version of English as standard and hold it static for eternity, is folly (look at French, Italian, or German). That's not to say that there aren't places where standardization and precision in language are not important (law, science, etc.), but for day to day communication, relax; live a little!

There's a great BBC documentary available on youtube about the history of the English language. It is as entertaining as it is fascinating (if you're into such things).

Also, there's a fun little book by Jeremy Butterfield, titled Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare, which looks at the history of the language, and issues such as standardization.

I guess if you're a Grammar Nazi, that makes me a member of the Grammar Résistance (I'll have to run out for a béret and a baguette).