A Flounder Is a Flounder
September 14th, 2015. Filed under: Monday's Musings.
See that picture up there? That man is holding a flounder. There are so many authors, journalists and especially bloggers who don’t have a clue. I would presume that the word floundering means fishing for flounder. Logical, right? That’s what always pops into my head when I see that word.
Then why are so many people fishing in all kinds of situations? I think they would more likely be foundering. This is why I think writers need to know what they are talking about. They really should know the difference between a noun and a verb.
Merriam-Webster says:
Definition of FLOUNDER
noun floun·der \?flau?n-d?r\
: a type of fish that has a flat body and that is eaten as food
plural flounder or flounders
Full Definition of FLOUNDER
: flatfish; especially : a marine fish of either of two families (Pleuronectidae and Bothidae) that include important food fishes
founder
noun found·er \?fau?n-d?r\
Definition of FOUNDER
: one that founds or establishes
: to experience failure : to be unsuccessful
of a boat or ship : to fill with water and sink
Full Definition of FOUNDER
intransitive verb
1: to become disabled; especially : to go lame
2: to give way : collapse
3: to become submerged : sink
4: to come to grief : fail
transitive verb
: to disable (an animal) especially by excessive feeding
So, now are you going to founder or be a flounder?