March 31, 2008

It's opposite day

OK, here's something I just don't get and never have:

Why is it wrong, according to my former J-school professors, to say, "vicious cycle"? They'd always correct to "vicious circle," but again, I don't get why.

Any insight, fellow word geeks?
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3 comments:

DBW said...

From what I can tell, this is idiom momentum at work. "Vicious circle" seems to be the older, original phrase:

http://books.google.com/books?id=9re1vfFh04sC&pg=PA695&dq=american+heritage+dictionary+of+idioms+vicious+circle&sig=sxUuuAh5BSKVEukDd00usGlOsnk

...although from a brief look around dictionaries, they are commonly both listed as synonyms.

Personally, I would use circle when referring to a phenomenon that contained no feedback loop, such as logical fallacies. Cycle, to me, implies feedback and thus, a descent of sorts. (Alas, Brian's Proscriptive Language hasn't caught on yet.)

March 31, 2008 at 9:59 PM
Gez said...

I think that 'cycle' is perfectly grammatical. I think perhaps people are more comfortable with the familiar cliché. In future, corect them when they correct you. That'll learn 'em.

April 8, 2008 at 11:04 AM
Gez said...

I've completely undermined myself by spelling 'correct' incorrectly.

April 8, 2008 at 11:04 AM

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