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My pet hate - the use of "... none of them were ..." None, being a short form of not one, takes the singular. Therefore, "... none of them was ..." Unless I is proved wrong!!

The OED says:

Many commentators state that none should take singular agreement, but this has generally been less common than plural agreement, especially between the 17th and 19th centuries... Plural agreement [is] now the commoner usage, the singular being expressed by no one.

There then follows an excerpt from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of 1070:

Beleaf þær nan buton an munec. (None were left there except one monk.)

The use of "none are" goes back a long way!

Orson, thanks. I wouldn't go as far as saying I 'read' the Daily Mail. Looking at its front page (or whatever the online equivalent would be) is enough for me!

PS Another of their articles today mentioned Covid being given 'free reign' in certain countries. There's something a little Freudian about that, I feel!

Keppel, I often felt unsure of none is/are - so I found it easier to avoid that altogether and just rephrase things. I do the same to avoid the who/whom dilemma. I'm a pedant, but one who likes making life easier for myself.

Thanks for your observations, orson and malone.

I am particularly annoyed by "off his own back"

Agreed, Fred!

malone

I dont follow the royal stuff, but I suppose the report might be accurate. How did you manage to read the Mail before it had been delivered? I would not do the crossword after the clue about bingo being a gambling game that you mentioned recently.

Grunger, thanks.

I too don't follow the royal stuff (aka stuff and nonsense) but I'm sure we'd have heard a lot more about it if the latest baby had been born, delivered at a polo match.

Looking at the papers online is a habit I got into - and will maybe get back out of - when we entered the first lockdown. It was quite entertaining initially I hadn't realised how much tosh there is in some of the tabloids.

It's funny how some clues - good clues or poor clues - can stick in our minds. It'll be a long while before you forget (or forgive) the gambling game one!

Malone

Re your valedictory posting on the other thread, I am afraid I have not seen Ivan Napple since the first lockdown, though I phoned him last year. However, I am feeling more safe now, and if I am attending football matches, I should be able to visit the market. I might go next Saturday.

I loved your "grannies" joke and must tell it to Ivan. I hope grand-mothers were not offended!