SteelCityCon—Pittsburgh Toy Show

[megomonkey]

New dictionary editors are afraid they'll offend the ignorant.

It is a damn poor mind indeed which can't think of at least two ways to spell any word.

Andrew Jackson

[hobub]

Mego Trading cards received

I just got a message from the director of the Pittsburgh toy show....

Hi Len, please let Brian know that I received a box of the Mego Cards today and I'll take care of the rest. Please also tell him I said thank you.

So they will be included in the give-aways.

I think this is a great step in Mego-izing toy collectible shows.

Hope to see some of you there.

[Hulk]

I an weary of any organization collecting childhoods.

[txteach]

No offense people but so what? It could be coulectubale for all I care.

[JDeRouen]

It should indeed be collectible, which is the way I spell it. However, most dictionaries list collectable as an alternate.

Here's an interesting tidbit about the whole debate, from http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/inde...?date=20000121:

Susan B. Haglock wrote:

How do you know when to use -ible or -able as a suffix? The word collectible looks right to me, but collectable does not, and yet I have seen both. The Oxford English Dictionary says it depends on whether the root word is a Latin word that ends in "ire," but I don't usually know that either.

Of all the vagaries in English spelling, this one seems to cause the most frustration and confusion, particularly when the -able/-ible form that you want can't be found in your nearby dictionary.
These suffixes are highly productive, which means that, theoretically, you ought to feel free to construct the appropriate adjective out of some verb or root plus the suffix, even when your dictionary fails to show the completed form. Both suffixes mean 'capable of ____ing', 'susceptible of____ing', 'fit for _____ing', or 'able to be ____ed', and both are ultimately derived from Latin, -able from forms with abilis and -ible from forms with ibilis. Both suffixes also passed into English through Old French, and one comes from Latin verbs with infinitives in -are and the other from Latin verbs with infinitives in -ere or -ire. -able also forms adjectives from nouns, like pleasurable, meaning 'inclined to pleasure'. But the fact remains that knowing all this is of very little practical help in individual cases, especially when you're ready to tear your hair and fling your dictionary to the other side of the room. Which one is it?!
As with so many things in language, there is no guaranteed solution. But there are a couple of hints with which you can try to balance the odds of getting it right.
(1): -able is often used after a full verb (although sometimes a final -e is dropped from the verb before the suffix is added): approachable, addable, teachable, photographable, acquirable. In contrast, -ible is often used after roots: credible, visible, permissible.
(2): Frequently, the -able spelling is correct when there are related derived forms with suffixes starting in -a, and the -ible spelling is similarly part of a group where other suffixes start with -i. For example, -able words may be related to words with -ance or -ation.Thus acceptable has acceptance; accusable has accusation; and applicable has application. The -ible words often have -ive or -ion related forms. Thus combustion, permissive, and audio hint at combustible, permissible, and audible.
Would that these tricks were infallible. (For example, borrowings from different forms in different languages lead to fallible but fallacy, and this would be a misleading pairing.) With some words, both suffixes have come into use (witness collectible/collectable above).
Many of you will find counterexamples for these two hints, but perhaps they can be a start.

[ABMAC]

The -ible ending is for words of Latin origin. Collect is a Latin word, therefore the spelling should be collectible.

[Sowth]

I've always thought it was 'Collectables' in the UK, Australia and other English speaking countries, and 'Collectibles' in the US where they speak... um... American!

Cheers,
Will

[hobub]

Easy rule: It's collectIon, therefor collectIble

And we're all able to collect. Therefore we must be Collectables

[Meule]

Easy rule: It's collectIon, therefor collectIble

[ABMAC]

New dictionary editors are afraid they'll offend the ignorant.

[JDeRouen]

Collectable is an acceptable alternate spelling to collectible but it always looks wrong to me too!

collectable, collectible (adj., n.) These Standard spellings are interchangeable regardless of part of speech: The collectable [collectible] bills were piled on the desk. She has cabinets full of china collectibles [collectables].

[ABMAC]

A show that big should spell collectible correctly.

[hobub]

http://pittsburghtoyshow.com/

Hope some or any of you can make it. I'd love to see more Mego Dealers there. The show is really growing.



Heh! They're giving away CTVT repops!

I might have to go get one