What is the most stupid thing you've ever done?

[RicheyJames]

like i said, neither is wrong per se but "stupidest" would probably have been more elegant in this context...

[Mrs RicheyJames]

Yeah but SG and elegant don't generally mix, so I did it on purpose....................Really!!!!!

[Carrie]

Well it worked for me dear...

Most stupidest thing <is off duty, so sucks to grammar pedants, bah>?

On the shortlist: wandering down to the Rhombus bunker, aka my cellar, with no contact lenses & indeed no clothes save for small towel. Leaping out of skin (& towel) at sight of tallish, skinnyish geezer in corner & realising I would NEVER, EVER, be able to look either Scardwel or possibly Rob in the eye again...

...then recognising Ed's life-size Han Solo cut out.

[Mrs RicheyJames]

LOL poor Carrie!!! How are you anyway sweety haven't seen you for blooming ages??? Are you doing WH? Of course sipping coke!!!!
May have to come to Hudds at some stage and drink Pimms LOL

[Carrie]

I am fine but in self-imposed exile from any social event involving a) alcohol b) people smoking c) people having a good time, goddamnit!

I look forward to watching you drink Pimms.

<smiles bravely>

Aren't you at the Crewe Smurphs gig? I'm being persuaded to go to that one despite contravention of points a), b), & c) above!

[James Blast]

all this is, as ever, imho, but i hope it is of some help.

RJ you have never had an "imho" in your life, many, too many "imo's" though.

Glad to be of help

[andymackem]

like i said, neither is wrong per se but "stupidest" would probably have been more elegant in this context...

Not sure I agree with you. I'd argue for "more stupid" and "most stupid" ahead of "stupider" and "stupidest".

I recognise the usual formation of comparative and superlative adjectives, but in this instance we get cumbersome, ugly-sounding words. "Stupider" sounds particularly bad (go on, say it), and your argument implies an endorsement of it. Therefore on style grounds I'd go for more and most here.

Not sure whether this is a matter of linguistic precision or personal taste, though. I'm lacking most of my relevant tomes of reference.

[RicheyJames]

RJ you have never had an "imho" in your life, many, too many "imo's" though.

well i was merely following convention in pointing out that i don't claim to be an authority on the matter under discussion. and imnvho just looks silly.

[RicheyJames]

Not sure I agree with you. I'd argue for "more stupid" and "most stupid" ahead of "stupider" and "stupidest".

well i'm sticking to my guns on this one. in fact, i think, the comparative actually looks clumsier than the superlative.

I recognise the usual formation of comparative and superlative adjectives, but in this instance we get cumbersome, ugly-sounding words. "Stupider" sounds particularly bad (go on, say it), and your argument implies an endorsement of it. Therefore on style grounds I'd go for more and most here.

i don't think "stupider" and "stupidest" are particularly cumbersome. my personal rule of thumb is to use suffixes unless the adjective in question has more that two syllables. obviously there are times when this is still not appropriate (eg "cleverer" looks particularly awful) but i don't think "stupid" is a case in point.

Not sure whether this is a matter of linguistic precision or personal taste, though. I'm lacking most of my relevant tomes of reference.

i'm not sure there are hard and fast rules on this which is why i indicated that i believed neither usage to be incorrect. it is interesting though that the point was first raised by ziggy who, as a non-native speaker, appears to have been taught to use suffixes to form comparatives and superlatives wherever possible. would that be right ziggy?

[Quiff Boy]

shut up.

i'm clevererererer than you all. if fact, i'm the cleverererererest one here!

so there!

[Black Shuck]

The stupidest thing I've ever done is buy my first Sisters album, about five years ago.

[Karst]

Hm. Let me see..

Staggering out of a pub with a glass of Stella wasn't clever to begin with. Offering it to the copper outside after him asking me to stuff it away certainly wasn't very smart at all. Fortunately a wry a smile was the only consequence. One of these things...

[paint it black]

Not sure I agree with you. I'd argue for "more stupid" and "most stupid" ahead of "stupider" and "stupidest".

well i'm sticking to my guns on this one. in fact, i think, the comparative actually looks clumsier than the superlative.

I recognise the usual formation of comparative and superlative adjectives, but in this instance we get cumbersome, ugly-sounding words. "Stupider" sounds particularly bad (go on, say it), and your argument implies an endorsement of it. Therefore on style grounds I'd go for more and most here.

i don't think "stupider" and "stupidest" are particularly cumbersome. my personal rule of thumb is to use suffixes unless the adjective in question has more that two syllables. obviously there are times when this is still not appropriate (eg "cleverer" looks particularly awful) but i don't think "stupid" is a case in point.

Not sure whether this is a matter of linguistic precision or personal taste, though. I'm lacking most of my relevant tomes of reference.

i'm not sure there are hard and fast rules on this which is why i indicated that i believed neither usage to be incorrect. it is interesting though that the point was first raised by ziggy who, as a non-native speaker, appears to have been taught to use suffixes to form comparatives and superlatives wherever possible. would that be right ziggy?

harking back to the day when word count was all. I would use stupidest, then you could drop "most"

@ QB

you can thank your lucky stars that you're not as smart as you'd like to think you are

[Thrash Harry]

Taking up smoking at age 10.

[zigeunerweisen]

as a non-native speaker, appears to have been taught to use suffixes to form comparatives and superlatives wherever possible. would that be right ziggy?

Uhhh... yeah... sure... that's it... *cough*

[zigeunerweisen]

To be honest i can't tell you exactly how i was taught to use suffixes in english, as it was a looong time ago, but it got stuck with me and now i instinctively know which one to use, but yes, it was in the classes about comparatives and superlatives, that i remember.

It's kind of hard to explain but if i said "most stupid" instead of "stupidest" it would just sound grammatically wrong to me. Sorry i can't explain better than this.

[RicheyJames]

To be honest i can't tell you exactly how i was taught to use suffixes in english, as it was a looong time ago, but it got stuck with me and now i instinctively know which one to use.

It's kind of hard to explain but if i said "most stupid" instead of "stupidest" it would just sound grammatically wrong to me. Sorry i can't explain better than this.

no need to explain better ziggy, it's enough that you agree with me

[zigeunerweisen]

I edited my post, now i agree even "most" with you

[Black Planet]

Who is your avatar Ziggy? I just love him/her! So sweet!

[mayhem]

Taking up smoking at age 10.

I waited until I was 22, which was a lot more stupid really as by then I knew what I was doing & still did it anyway.

But I would rather be dead than a pious ex smoker.

[Ganith]

harking back to the day when word count was all. I would use stupidest, then you could drop "most"

I think.

Ganith

[Mrs RicheyJames]

Just answer the f*cking question

[markfiend]

DIY story: My dad's first job after leaving school was as an arc-welder. One of his colleagues managed to weld his own steel toe-cap boots to the floor.

They were arc-welding wearing boots with exposed steel toe-caps in a metal floored area, and he accidentally attached the cable to his boot, knelt and hit the toe-cap with the electrode and kept it there long enough for it to get welded stuck, and repeated the procedure with the other boot?

Right, I know this is a reply from two pages ago, but having done more research (ie. asking my Dad) the real story is this:

There was a welder who was universally unpopular. While he was busy welding, my Dad and his mates snuck up and welded this guy's steel toe-caps to the metal floor without him noticing.

I misremembered the story. Doesn't memory play odd tricks on you?

OK it's not something stupid I've done, but is this getting back on topic enough for you SG?

[paint it black]

that's like this fella, a labourer, i used to work with.

fibreglassed himself to a mould. The extra heat generated by sitting on the mould, whilst he glassed, speeded up the reaction. We had to cut him out of his overalls

the same fella fell off a roof. Shouldn't laugh, but he was sawing a plank to length. the plank was overhanging the end of the roof, and he was on the wrong end. Said it was so he could swing his legs in comfort, whilst he was happily sawing away. Few minutes later; Crack! and he fell two floors, onto a concrete pathway.

finally, we screwed his mug to a table, and then poured tea in to it. Took him a while to workout why he couldn't pick it up

Oh, and another, don't know if anyone does this, but it's fun on newbies

Put a pin prick in the side of a coke tin, just under where you drink from. then sit back and laugh at their inability to drink without spilling it over
themselves

[James Blast]

Put a pin prick in the side of a coke tin, just under where you drink from. then sit back and laugh at their inability to drink without spilling it over
themselves

You are a nasty Heartlander