6 APRIL 1974, Page 4

Misuse of words

Sir: It was heartening to see Angus Maude protesting against the misuse of the English language. I hope he or another of your contributors will find time to castigate other fashionable solecisms — such as the increasing tendency for journalists and broad; casters to say 'mitigate against, (shades of Mrs Malaprop!) when the) mean 'militate against'. Then there was Bookbuyer saying that Noel Coward had bestowed 'fulsome praise' on 3 recent volume of tribute. The Oxford Dictionary defines 'fulsome' as “cloY,-, ing, excessive, disgusting by excess but not as "lavish" — which w85 presumably the meaning BookbuYer had in mind. Marc Attwood-WOOtir 44 Munster, Lohnstiege 8/9, Wes' Germany.