Having already played Ms. Language person on the subject of less vs. fewer and correct usage I’ve been paying more attention lately to how these common comparatives are used.
There was an example of misuse so heinous on the evening news the other night that I’ve completely repressed the context. It was Fox so a little leeway can be given for the generalized idiocy in any case. But then came this morning.
I had occasion to be at a Starbucks this morning and I found need for a napkin. Printed on the light tan paper was a very admirable bit of marketing: made of 100% post-consumer recycled fiber. Then came the knife: Less napkins. Less Waste. Less napkins. Less waste.
I nearly screamed. I know now just how Lynn Truss felt when she stepped out of Victoria Station and saw the advertisement for Two Weeks [sic] Notice.
I give written language another 15 years before we’re back to the pre-Chaucer days.