to a open a can of verbal whoop-ass

[GoodTaste]

My post prompted a young woman from the Midwest to a open a can of verbal whoop-ass on me.

Source: Cambridge Dictionary


The part "to a open a can of verbal whoop-ass" appears that it should have been "to open a can of (verbal) whoop-ass". I suspect it is simply a wrong display of the screen rather than a mistake made by lexicographers. That is, the first "a" should be removed.
Does it display correctly as "to open a can of (verbal) whoop-ass" on your screen?

 

[emsr2d2]

The "a" before "open" should not be there. It's a typo that was clearly missed by both proofreaders and editors.

 

[GoodTaste]

Does it ("to open a can of verbal whoop-ass on me") sound rude since it uses the word "a**"? Should it be used carefully lest it offends those who listen to it?

 

[Barque]

That word's become common enough now that you don't have to worry too much about it, unless you're in a very formal situation or are talking to your grandmother. Yes, you should be a little careful but it isn't as offensive as the f-word, for instance.

By the way, the word "lest" is old-fashioned. Very old-fashioned. Good to know. Not so good to use except in very specific contests.

You've repeated the original typo again by the way.

 

[Barque]

And please don't edit posts after they've been replied to. It makes the reply sound meaningless.

Just acknowledge the necessary correction in a new post (by saying "Agreed" or something like that) or clearly describe the edit in the edited post.

 

[GoodTaste]

The fact that the right version was clearly in mind when simply copying-and-pasting should not be ignored.

 

[tedmc]

The fact that the right version was clearly in mind when simply copying-and-pasting should not be ignored.

What are you trying to say?

 

[GoodTaste]

What are you trying to say?

As if you had a clear picture of "The universe looks beautiful" in your mind and then you copied the text "The universe looks a beautiful" and pasted it, unaware of that the ghost "a" somehow was lurking there.

 

[Barque]

and then you copied the text "The universe looks a beautiful" and pasted it, unaware of that the ghost "a" somehow was lurking there.

Yes, but in this case you weren't unaware of it, were you? We'd been discussing that unneeded a, so it seemed odd that you reproduced it knowing it was wrong.

 

[GoodTaste]

Yes, but in this case you weren't unaware of it, were you? We'd been discussing that unneeded a, so it seemed odd that you reproduced it knowing it was wrong.

Nothing is odd if the mind is clear because the mind is everything.

 

[emsr2d2]

That's not a good example. That's a simple typo. We all make them. Sometimes we catch them ourselves and sometimes someone else spots them (and corrects them).

Barque's point is that this entire thread is about that extra "a" so it's ironic that you went on to repeat it yourself even after we'd established that it shouldn't be there.